Windows 7 Touch Pack Made Available
By: Doug Caverly
Companies and people who want their offices to resemble something out of a not-too-crazy science fiction movie are in luck; last week, Microsoft made the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 Touch Pack available to everyone who can utilize it.
Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows communication manager, explained on the Windows Blog, “Until today, the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 was only available for OEMs to put on new Windows 7 PCs capable of Windows Touch. Due to feedback and requests from both partners and customers, we are releasing the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 for anyone with Windows Touch capable devices to download.”
Of course, such devices are hardly omnipresent, and that problem will remain a major barrier to adoption. We’ll need to see some breakthroughs in terms of availability and pricing before this Microsoft can expect this Windows tech to make its way into every home (or even a significant fraction of them).
The physical nuisance of keeping one’s arms up all day will also need to be addressed, perhaps along with a new way of dealing with fingerprints.
Still, this is a significant development, and it should earn Windows 7 more than a few headlines and television segments.