If you’d thought that OmniTouch and PocketTouch were the end of Microsoft Research’s natural user interface projects, think again. It’s now released a video of the HoloDesk, a tool that lets you manipulate virtual 3D objects with your bare hands. Looking through a transparent display, the objects react nearly instantly, rolling from a sheet of real paper into a real cup and falling into shadow if you block the virtual light-source

Toshiba showed off a 4-inch display for cellphones with a 367ppi resolution earlier this year, and it’s now back with an even higher pixel density for its new 6.1-inch display for tablets (or possibly phones, at the rate things are going). This one comes in at an impressive 498ppi, which translates to a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 — or more than enough for some “photo-realistic” images, according to Toshiba. As for the other key specs, it boasts a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 16.7 million colors, and 61 percent coverage of the NTSC color gamut — plus viewing angles of 176 degrees both horizontally and vertically.

The high-definition pride of your living room may not want to hear it, but it looks like ultra high-definition TV (or UHDTV) has now taken another step towards reality. While shop-floor products remain years away, experts in the ITU Study Group on Broadcasting Service have made several agreements on technical standards for your (next?) next TV purchase. Increasing pixel count in future sets is also expected to improve viewing angles on glasses-free 3D, which needs more dots to work its lenticular magic

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On , a column about consumer technology. Nearly 25 years passed between Apple’s first foray into handheld electronics — the Newton MessagePad — and the far more successful iPhone. But while phones have replaced PDAs for all intents and purposes, few if any have tried to be what Newton really aspired to — an intelligent assistant that would seamlessly blend into your life. That has changed with Siri , the standout feature of iOS 5 on the iPhone 4S , which could aptly be described as a “personal digital assistant” if there weren’t so much baggage tied to that term.

The United States got a quickie Blu-ray release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon a couple of weeks ago sans-extras and 3D , with only a promise they would be delivered “in the coming months” but that is not the case across the Pacific. In Japan Paramount has announced the Blu-ray 3D version is coming January 20th complete with English and Japanese soundtracks. There’s still no date for a full-fledged release around these parts, so if you’re an early adopter (if you have a 3D TV, it’s a pretty safe bet) your first chance to bring the billion dollar blockbuster home as Michael Bay intended may come with some extra kanji on it.