Via Nat Lecude, here’s what the Fingertapps application platform looks like on Dell’s obscenely-affordable Studio One 19 desktop. (Try a whole computer with a multi-touch screen for US$849 and up.)

There are a few concerns here:

  • I’m not quite sure why there appears to be so much latency in the demo. That could have any number of sources – latency is a complex issue – or could simply be intentional interpolation on the part of the software.
  • I’d love to be able to take off the Dell’s stand and use this at a more humane 30-45-degree viewing angle — which, if you think about it, is what we should be doing anyway, for the sake of our backs and necks!
  • Of course, open source frameworks are preferred.

All of that said, though, there are some really compelling ideas here. And imagine having physical hardware controllers combined with touch manipulation in your visual rig. Okay, at least, I’m drooling here. Heck, if you need more horsepower than the Studio One, you could connect it to a rack with more muscle. (The Studio One itself ain’t bad, with up to a quad-core CPU and standard 7200 rpm drives even on the cheaper multi-touch models. Now, if you only weren’t limited to just the 9400M for graphics, it’d almost be a must-buy.)

You can bet we’ll be watching this evolution. Anyone who doubts it, multitouch is coming fast, after a long wait.

Another video for you of Fingertapps: