Microsoft Research shows off some intriguing new ideas which could change how we interface with smartphones and tablets

Around the world, in secret (or not so secret) laboratories of the tech-titans whose gadgets we know and love, researchers explore new and interesting ways we can use technology to advance how we interact with computing devices like tablets and smartphones.  Microsoft Research is among those pushing the envelope, where a lot of very smart people put some interesting concepts into tangible application.

Some of these ideas may not see the light of day, but these three recent video uploads are pretty interesting, and we see these as being quite applicable to how we work with tablets and smartphones in the future.

The first concept is called RichReview, which allows a deep integration between “ink” (stylus), speech, touch, and gesture inputs in a collaborative environment, and we think it would fit right at home in OneNote. It certainly holds promise in the academic environment, and would be a welcome feature addition to the e-book segment.

Next we see in-air gestures put to use on unmodified mobile devices thanks to an algorithm that can recognize multiple hand positions and gestures to manipulate mapping, drawing, gaming, and other inputs. We see the in-air gestures complement the touch-screen environment on Android devices and Windows tablets.

Lastly, there is FlexSense, which is a transparent, flexible surface which can use its piezoelectric sensors to augment and construct images on top of tablets. The flexible panel can also work in a gaming environment and serve as an additional input source for a given interface. It could be the next great accessory for your next tablet in the future.

All three of these concepts are concepts we think would be right at home in the near future.  Which one do you want to use first?