technabob » input

10/gui user interface concept ponders how future slackers will kill time on the computer

lambert v. — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:40:26 +0000

Those of us who spend more time in front of our computers instead of other humans know that the current keyboard and mouse method of interaction with our magic boxes are far from perfect. I for one, want a half-sphere, multitouch surface that lets me move stuff onscreen with my right hand (my mouse hand) resting on it. I’ll also settle for a mindjack, you know, get rid of the peripherals altogether and interact with a computer using nerve signals. Whatever, as long as it saves me from mouse arm aches. R. Clayton Miller wants us to start thinking of new hardware and software that will trump our current ways of interacting with computers with his concept video, 10/GUI.

As you can see from the picture above, Miller’s take on the next generation interface is a keyboard-sized multitouch pad, partnered with software that makes use of 10 fingers at once. But that’s not even half of Miller’s practical ideas. He also imagines an operating system that, instead of letting users clutter their screens with windows, imposes order by constraining the position, size, and movement of windows. Think it won’t work? You’d better watch Miller’s video for the rest of his 10 cents:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You know what, screw you tengooey, man the narrator’s voice is hypnotic. Comforting. Soothing. He could be saying fruit gallop poncho for all I care. I think I’ll play this video until I fall asleep. Check out the 10/GUI website for more info.

[via digg]

touchpal brings iphone-like keyboard to windows mobile

technabob — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:07:16 +0000

When it comes to the iPhone’s slick user interface, I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Case-in-point: this new application for Windows Mobile devices which mimics, and actually improves upon the iPhone’s touchscreen keyboard.

While TouchPal isn’t identical to the iPhone’s keyboard, it’s definitely more than reminiscent of Apple’s interface design. TouchPal’s QWERTY keyboard offers two characters (and punctuation marks) on each key, rather than the single character on the iPhone. This allows for easier typing with large fingers, or even with your thumbs. Simply click on a key, slide to the left, right or down to select the character, or let auto-completion finish words for you with a single click of the key.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

By incorporating a intelligent word-prediction system, the software claims typing speeds up to 300-characters per minute, and it really looks possible judging from the video clip above. I really dig the “associated word” capability which lets you quickly chose variants on a particular word stem.

The software works on all touchscreen Windows Mobile devices (version 5 or 6), and supports both VGA and QVGA screen resolutions. And there’s no reason not to try it out. TouchPal’s maker, CooTek is offering a free download of the software through December 8, 2007. After that time, TouchPal will retail for $19.98.

[MobilityToday via IntoMobile]

gesture controlled watch prototyped

technabob — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:47:58 +0000

A group of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a working prototype of a watch that can recognize gestures.

Designed by the research team of Jungsoo Kim, Jiasheng He, Kent Lyons and Thad Starner, the Gesture Watch uses an array of infrared sensors to detect hand movements in close proximity to the watch. The gestures are then interpreted by software to control a remote device.

The developers of the envision that the technology could be used to do things like control media players. The watch embeds Bluetooth wireless connectivity so it can command external devices. For instance, if you wore a tiny MP3 player in an earbud, the watch could act as a remote control for that device.

[via Discovery]