woodcut radarscope: Canopy Sensus case adds backscreen and side touch to iPhones (hands-on)

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Canopy Sensus case adds backscreen and side touch to iPhones (hands-on)

Canopy promised a whole new world of smartphone control with its Sensus iPhone case in the fall, and we've at last had a chance to gauge how well it works here at CES. If you'll recall, it delivers 10-point touch input across the back and sides that let apps add interaction without blocking the screen -- think of the PlayStation Vita's back touch and you've got the idea. That theoretically sounds great for gamers, but we'd like to see how well it works outside of a dedicated console.

In practice, the case isn't much different in dimensions to a standard protective iPhone case, if a little chunkier along the base. The whole thing locks in to the iPhone 4's connector. although there's still another port to charge through there. The case also has integrated apps attuned for the blind, with braille entry possible using all those multiple touchpanels. We've got a quick tour of how it all works after the break and you can expect to land this summer, where pricing will be somewhere between $59 and $99.

Mat Smith contributed to this report.

Gallery: Sensus case hands-on at CES 2013