Fingerprints Ahoy: Looking at Windows 7 Multitouch

Apple didn't invent touch or multitouch functionality, but they certainly popularized it in the consumer space. Microsoft has acknowledged this by building multi-input capabilities into Windows 7 and even went so far as to create a number of touch-centric applications, combined in the "Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7". Let's take a look.

For the first time, Microsoft's Windows operating system is capable of natively supporting multitouch inputs. What do we mean by multitouch? Well, the new version of Windows was designed from a relatively early stage to support multiple simultaneous inputs out of the box. While products have been shipping with claimed multitouch features for some time on Windows XP and Vista, this support was always kind of hacked on by one manufacturer or another. As a result, it never quite worked as well as anyone, least of all the consumer, wanted it to.

That's changed, though. We reviewed a Dell Studio One 19 just a couple of months ago, and while it was a good effort, it was lacking in a number of areas. Most of all, the screen and touch input just felt dashed on and not as responsive as it should be. After installing Windows 7 on it this week, it was like getting an entirely different computer. The responsiveness improved enormously, the lag we perceived earlier had all but disappeared. It's really a better experience, when you get right down to it.

Most of all, however, installing Windows 7 let us see some of what Microsoft has added to the new operating system to take advantage of the recent surge in multitouch's popularity. There are little tricks scattered all over the new OS. Scrolling works much better than before, offering a 'kinetic' effect seen on a number of popular devices. A lot of work went into the little details to present a smooth and enjoyable experience, and it shows. The best part of the new multitouch functionality, however, can be see all in one place - the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7.

Some of the applications were designed from the ground up for Windows 7, while others were taken from the software surrounding Microsoft's 'Surface' project, one of the first instances we saw of multitouch in the computing space. There are six new pieces of software in all: Microsoft Blackboard: a puzzle game, Microsoft Garden Pond: a water-based game, Microsoft Rebound: an evolution of pong, Microsoft Surface Collage: a photo arranging tool, Microsoft Surface Globe: a multitouch version of Virtual Earth that lets you spin around the world with just your fingers, and finally, Microsoft Surface Lagoon: an interactive water-based screen saver.

Microsoft Blackboard

This little puzzle game follows along in the tradition of such games as The Incredible Machine. Set on a chalkboard that fills the screen, users must determine the best way to force a small red baloon to run into and destroy a yellow light bulb. It's set on a chalkboard, filled with colorful level elements and obstacles, all done in a 'chalk-like' design aesthetic. The game is quick and easy to pick up, though some of the level designs can be tricky to get down. The control scheme is intuitive and polished, letting users rapidly pick up on how everything works.

Microsoft Garden Pond

Garden Pond is a simply styled game with a decidedly traditional (or at least what Americans think of as traditionally Japanese) Japanese look and feel. This game is one or two players and has four small minigames: The Village, The Gate, The Bridge and The Castle. All of these little games revolve around pushing water to and fro. In The Village, you push your little origami boats around to try and snag flowers away that are floating on the surface of the pond. In The Gate, you have to use the water to push your origami into candles and such in order to burn them down. The Bridge and The Castle require players to move their origami boats into predetermined safe zones at opposite edges. It's tough to get the little paper crafts going where you want them - keep in mind that you're not pushing the boats, but the water. So in order to make a boat move, you have to push the water against the craft.

Microsoft Rebound

Rebound is an interesting game. Essentially Pong reimagined for this century, the new game has a screen divided into two, like an air hockey table. Each player controls two orbs, one with each of two fingers. When the orbs/fingers are close enough together, lightning connects them temporarily, letting users bounce the target back to the other field. Aside from being a double-entendre, at least in Microsoft's case, Rebound helps refine users' quick movements at the touchscreen.