Turn Your Windows 8 Laptop Into a Touchscreen Device With This Gadget

Samantha MurphyJan 07, 2013

LAS VEGAS — Want to turn your laptop or desktop running Windows 8 into a touchscreen device? Accessory company Targus announced on Monday morning at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas a first-of-its kind technology that makes the most of the latest Windows operating system, without the need to splurge for a pricey new computer that touts the company's built-in touchscreen capabilities.
Windows 8 — which launched in October and was designed for touch — allows users to swipe, slide and access a full collection of features via your finger. But because of the cost of new hardware, many Microsoft fans upgraded to Windows 8 without buying an expensive touch-screen PC. Now, the Targus Touch Pen aims to give anyone using Windows 8 on older hardware the touch experience, with the help of a stylus.
"Windows 8 is designed for touch, so if you have a current laptop and your device isn't capability for touch [sic], it lessens the value," Al Giazzon, VP of marketing and communications at Targus, told Mashable. "We put together a new product that turns current computers into a touchscreen device that supports Windows 8. It's easy to use, cheaper and is smaller than the size of your thumb."
Here's how it works: A small receiver attaches to the side of the laptop screen and communicates with the black Touch Pen via a cable that connects to a USB port, so your laptop thinks it has a touchscreen. The Touch Pen acts like your finger would on a touchscreen, and the screen is protected with the stylus' soft tip. (Note: It doesn't work with an actual finger because it doesn't use either capacitive or optical touch tech).

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"Anything you can do with a touch-screen device, you can now do with a laptop or desktop," Giazzon said. "It also works with a laptop you bought years ago."
Even better, the Touch Pen doesn't require software or drivers, and only a one-time calibration is needed to set up the device and determine the measurements of the screen. It works with any computer with Windows 8 and monitors up to 17 inches (so larger all-in-ones are out). Meanwhile, the company said it patented the technology that simulates the touch experience with a stylus for Windows 8 devices, which may ward off other manufacturers looking to get into the space.
The Touch Pen will ship later this month and be available via Targus.com and various retailers, including Best Buy and Amazon.
What do you think of the Touch Pen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Image via Targus

Topics: Apps and Software, CES, Microsoft, Mobile, smartphone, targus, Tech, Windows 8