Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Networking
    • PC Hardware

    Microsoft to Acquire Perceptive Pixel and Its Large Multi-Touch Displays

    By
    Robert J. Mullins
    -
    July 9, 2012
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Microsoft said it is acquiring Perceptive Pixel, a six-year-old company involved in the research, development and production of large-scale, multi-touch display solutions.

      Perceptive Pixel, also referred to as PPI, is the technology behind those large wall-sized displays that anchors on CNN use to show maps of the United States and identify which states are turning blue or red during election night coverage. The company makes 27-inch, 55-inch and 82-inch LCD multi-touch displays that can be wall-mounted or operate as a desktop workstation. The Active Stylus product is a pen-like device that a person can use to write on a screen image as though they were putting an ink pen to paper.

      €œThe acquisition of PPI allows us to draw on our complementary strengths, and we€™re excited to accelerate this market evolution,€ Kurt DelBene, president of Microsoft€™s Office Division, said in a statement. €œPPI€™s large touch displays, when combined with hardware from our OEMs, will become powerful Windows 8-based PCs and open new possibilities for productivity and collaboration.€

      The Windows 8 operating system, expected to be widely available by late October, will deliver multi-touch capabilities to endpoint devices. At its Worldwide Partner Conference July 9 in Toronto, Microsoft announced that Windows 8 would be released to manufacturers in early August.

      Perceptive Pixel was founded in 2006 by Jeff Han, described as a pioneer in multi-touch technology. The company shipped its first workstation and wall-mounted displays in 2007 and was a feature of CNN€™s coverage of the presidential race in 2008 and various other state races. The Smithsonian awarded the company the National Design Award in 2009 in its first-ever category of Interaction Design.

      The displays will be interoperable with Microsoft Office applications, particularly those that enable collaboration such as Lync and SharePoint, said Han.

      On the software side, Perceptive Pixel offers an application called Storyboard to help plan presentations like a director uses a storyboard to plan the shooting of a movie or other production, PetroTouch for specific use of multi-touch in the field of geoscience, an Election app to create maps for TV news coverage of elections and a Perspective Pixel API for incorporating multi-touch into other apps.

      Terms of the acquisition by Microsoft were not disclosed.

      Robert J. Mullins
      Robert Mullins is a freelance writer for eWEEK who has covered the technology industry in Silicon Valley for more than a decade. He has written for several tech publications including Network Computing, Information Week, Network World and various TechTarget titles. Mullins also served as a correspondent in the San Francisco Bureau of IDG News Service and, before that, covered technology news for the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. Back in his home state of Wisconsin, Robert worked as the news director for NPR stations in Milwaukee and LaCrosse in the 1980s.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×