The Tech Report posted a hands-on review on Synaptics' next generation of touchpads

A few weeks ago, Synaptics invited us down to Santa Clara, California, to check out its latest mobile computer input devices. How could we say no? Touchpads, touchscreens, and keyboards may not be as sexy as some components, but they're the only tactile connections we have to the computing devices that are increasingly at our side or within arm's reach. These physical inputs are fundamental parts of the user experience, and they often don't get the attention they deserve.

As I sat at the airport gate editing another article, I couldn't help but look down at my laptop and laugh. My trusty 11.6" ultraportable is coming up on three years old, and she cost me just $550 new. An SSD upgrade has kept performance sufficiently snappy, and battery life is still great, but the inputs leave much to be desired. While the touchpad has decent gesture support, it's comically small by today's standards. The keyboard has gotten mushier with age, presumably because the underlying membrane has been beaten into submission by heavy-handed typing. Also, the TN display is painful to endure after being spoiled by the new wave of tablets and their IPS-fortified touchscreens.

The rise of touchscreens is the biggest trend in computer interfaces, especially with Windows 8's October release fast approaching. Synaptics has all sorts of touchscreen products to cover a range of devices between smartphones and super-sized notebooks. More impressive are its innovative treatments of more traditional forms of mobile input: the touchpad and keyboard. Synaptics' new ForcePad injects pressure sensitivity into a touchpad, while the ThinTouch completely rethinks keyboards. We got touchy feely to see what they're like.

  Hands-on with Synaptics' next-gen input tech