The rear touch-panel is one of the most unique features of the Sony’s PS Vita. Now, a Minnesota-based company called Canopy wants to bring that same feature to the iPhone 4 and 4S with the Sensus, a protective case with built in capacitive touch sensors.
A rear touch-panel won’t be beneficial in all apps or situations because iOS apps weren’t made with this hardware in mind. That said, it could make some games more fun or playable and make it easier to look at documents. Canopy says the Sensus also has two built-in microprocessors to handle the gestures and touch input on the case, so there’s no additional burden on the iPhone’s own CPU.
If you pre-order Sensus right now you’ll only pay $39 (USD) (plus $7 shipping), significantly discounted from its $59 retail price. It seems like a product with a lot of potential, but still If I were you I’d hold off my purchase until we see more details, demos and support from app developers. Also, they need a version for the iPhone 5.
[via Joystiq]