Microsoft: Touchscreens Old and Busted; Force Sensitivity Is New Hotness [Microsoft]

Craving a bit deeper, more meaningful interaction action with your touchscreen gadget, like maybe stretching or squeezing it? Microsoft thought so. Researchers have come up with a prototype of their force-sensing tech that'll let you apply different kinds of force to a device, like twisting or bending, to do stuff like flip through document pages or swing through applications.

The modded Samsung UMPC has four sensors that detect how you're trying to manipulate it, so it doesn't have to actually be flexible. The researchers think the tech will complement—not replace—touchscreens, making devices more active and engaging, not to mention smaller, since space-wasting buttons will be unnecessary.

I feel kinda bad for buttons right now, everyone wants to get rid of them. But they'll have their day again, when button nostalgia sweeps the land. [BBC, Thanks Tolu!]