Now You Can Touch Your iPhone - All Over

So, the Sony Vita's touchpad on the back of the device is pretty cool, right? You can use it to give input to your games without blocking your screen, which is pretty handy, given the small screens found on portable devices, such as the Vita and iPhones. ...If only you could do that with an iPhone...

This is where Canopy says, "I know, right?!" and whips out their new Sensus iPhone case. Yes, it's a protective case, but it also features touchpad areas - not only on the back, but also on the sides. You can move your finger around on the back, instead of the front, when playing games or even slide your finger up and down on one side to zoom in or out of a map, perhaps. Now, this isn't tied into the iPhone's core system, so each app that you use it with has to have implemented support for the Sensus, but the possibilities are quite interesting... Watch this video to see what I mean:

Since you have to touch your iPhone to use it, the touch sensors used in the Sensus aren't the same type as the iPhone features, which uses the electrical current in your skin. Instead, it uses resistive sensors, which detects the level of force your finger is pushing against it, allowing apps to differentiate between simply holding the device and squeezing like you mean it (and want something to happen).

The Sensus comes with a one year limited warranty, will retail for $99 USD and should be available mid 2014 for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s. Future planned versions include iPad Mini, iPhone 5C, iPod Touch and, perhaps, Android and Windows Mobile devices.