Alps Desktop Glidepoint

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The Alps Desktop GlidePoint with Adjustable Base is a touchpad/trackpad input device that is compatible with DOS, and included enhanced software for Windows 3.1 and Windows 1995.

In 1994 Cirque introduced the first widely available touchpad, GlidePoint. Trackpad technology was becoming more common in laptops in the 1990s, and Cirque's technology was used by a number of companies including Apple and Sharp. The GlidePoint technology was licensed to Alps Electric, who launched touchpad products such as this one. In 2003 Cirque became a wholly owned subsidiary of Alps Electric.

This early example of Cirque's Technology uses field-distortion sensing, a capacitance-sensing technology. Two layers of electrical conductors, arranged in a grid, generate an electrical field over the GlidePoint's surface. The user's fingertip distorts the field, and the GlidePoint determines the exact location of the user's fingertip by sensing the strength of the distortion at each conductor.

Date : 1995

Manufacturer : Alps Electric

Format : Trackpad

Physical Description : Trackpad, Trackpad base, Alps GuidePoint Driver on 3.5-inch floppy disk, User^s Guide, Alps Ergonomic Safety and Comfort Guide, Windows 95 Update leaflet, Alps Electric License Agreement, Warranty Certificate of Ownership, Cardboard box, Plastic tray and lid

This exhibit has a reference ID of CH36082. Please quote this reference ID in any communication with the Centre for Computing History.
 

Scan of Document: Alps Desktop Glidepoint

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