Synaptics

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This article is about the touchpad manufacturer. For other uses, see Synaptic.

Synaptics
Type	Public (NASDAQ: SYNA)
Founded	California (1986)
Headquarters	Santa Clara, California, USA
Key people	Federico Faggin, Co-founder Carver Mead, Co-founder Francis Lee, CEO Russ Knittel, CFO
Industry	Computer hardware
Products	TouchPad, TouchStyk, ScrollWheel, SpeakerPad
Revenue	▲ 208 million USD (2005)
Employees	250 (2006)
Website	www.synaptics.com

Synaptics Touchpad on a laptop

Synaptics NASDAQ: SYNA is a touchpad original equipment manufacturer (OEM) provider for most major computer and laptop companies like Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, Gateway, IBM, Lenovo, Samsung, Packard Bell and several others. Synaptics is located in Santa Clara, California and was founded in 1986 by Federico Faggin who asked Carver Mead to join him as co-founder.

Synaptics Incorporated engages in the development and supply of user interface products, such as touchpads, which are used to interact with a variety of mobile computing, communications, entertainment, and other electronic devices. The company provides an array of technologies, including ASICs, firmware, software, and pattern recognition and touch sensing technologies.

The company had found success in interface products for MP3 players in some versions of the iPod and iPod mini and the touchpads found on later Creative Zen devices, including the new Synaptics' touch screen concept Onyx phone device [1] which is not unlike the Apple iPhone.

[edit] Products

Synaptics touchpads are found on many notebooks and third-party keyboards. Their driver software can be used to customise many features in the product, including:

ability to map different areas (edges and corners) of the touchpad to different soft functions,
adjust the size of the areas for scrolling, and taps,
record macros to be played back by one of the soft areas or hard buttons, and
control various mouse features of several mice on the same system independently.