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CIR POGUE COLUMN
Blame "Minority Report." Or maybe the iPhone. Either way, multitouch computing is white-hot these days. There was just something so seductive about the way Tom Cruise could grab on-screen objects and toss them around -- not with a mouse, but with his fingers. Microsoft has seen the writing on the glass. Right out of the box, Windows 7 recognizes all of those iPhonish finger gestures: pinch, spread, rotate, flick, tap, double-tap. You can even simulate the right-click of a mouse: hold your index finger on something on screen, then tap somewhere else on screen with another finger. All of this comes to life when you buy a computer with a multitouch screen. They're just starting to appear. (Illustration by Stuart Goldenberg/The New York Times)**ONLY FOR USE WITH STORY BY DAVID POGUE SLUGGED: CIR-POGUE-COLUMN. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED. EDITORIAL USE ONLY