*Are they really "augmented reality?" Well, they're interactive in real time and they mix virtual sensory data with the actual world, but they don't register in three dimensions; they only register over the hidden motors inside a device surface.
*Wicked little gizmos, though, and fun to think about. If you could somehow make those tiny motors mobile...
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/mimssbits/27084/
(...)
"Apple patented their own version of a haptic display that shows – what else – a full-size keyboard. The general idea is that it should be possible to use tiny vibrating motors to fool fingers into thinking that they're touching a physical keyboard. Working prototypes designed for mobile phones already exist, like Immersion's TouchSense technology. (...)
"A laptop with a fully virtual keyboard would resemble what's known as a folio computer. Basically: two tablets connected with a hinge. Acer's already rolled one out, with their Iconia dual-screen tablet. Problem is, typing without a physical or a sophisticated-enough virtual keyboard remains a pain.
"Acer's got at least one thing right, however: replacing a keyboard with a fully virtual interface allows you to change control modalities as easily as you switch desktop backgrounds. Imagine a future in which every application developer has the freedom to create their own custom interface metaphor: a mix of any combination of gestures, drawing tools and buttons...."
