ABOVE: Big in Chicago (click image for larger view).New Zealand touchscreen maker NextWindow may be sidelined from the current tablet craze (its technology doesn't scale down to the 9.7-inch displays used by Apple's iPad and others).
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ABOVE: Big in Chicago (click image for larger view).
New Zealand touchscreen maker NextWindow may be sidelined from the current tablet craze (its technology doesn’t scale down to the 9.7-inch displays used by Apple’s iPad and others).
But its mainstay business creating touchscreen technology for the likes of HP, Dell, Sony and NEC seems to be powering along (last week’s TIN 100 chart recorded one third increase increase in NextWindow’s revenue to $65 million for its 2010 financial year, making it NZ's 20th largest exporter on the NZTE/TechNZ sponsored list).
But although its camera-based tech can’t scale down, it can scale up. Way up.
Later this week, NextWindow and Microsoft will publicly announce a 103-inch touchscreen prototype.
The multitouch display is 261.6cm on the diagonal (IT industry is stuck on imperial), or the size of a double bed.
Microsoft has already deployed one of the screen at its Technology Center in Chicago. The company says it will use the jumbo display to demonstrate Microsoft multitouch capabilities and show customers how they could use the technology in their own workplaces.
NextWindow was bought by Canada’s SmartTechnologies (NAS: SMT) in April – a takeover that effectively settled a patent action the College Hill company could not afford to defend.
Things don’t always go well in such takeovers.
Navman, for example, has seen most of its positions offshored.
But last week an insider told the National Business Review that things were all good at NextWindow, with its new Canadian parent keeping its 75-strong College Hill, Auckland R&D team in place (total staff is around 120).
And founder Al Monro is still resident as chief executive, and boosting the new supersized display:
"Microsoft’s deployment of large format touchscreens is further indication of the growth of touch technology in business environments," said Mr Munro.
"Touch technology, augmented by meaningful applications, enables companies to create a more powerful connection with customers."
It’s definitely going to make a big impression. But what would constitute a meaningful application part.
A rep for NextWindow said "collaboration, unified communications, business intelligence, and CRM [customer relationship management]."
There must be some kind of Minority Report use as well, NBR thinks.
