5th February 2010, 2:56 PM
Weltall Wrote:Yes, for two reasons.
1: I like being able to use a large screen, and applications such as web design and visual arts practically demand the largest screen area and resolution possible. Trying to design something in Photoshop on a 6 inch handheld device sounds as fun as tweezing your pubic hair with salad tongs.
2: A touch screen is useful for some applications, but horribly inadequate for tasks such as typing anything longer than a web address or a simple sentence.
A 5 inch high resolution screen running paint.net can already be done for consumer-level hobbyists since it has a zoom function. But instead of a mouse (or your finger) you can pop out a stylus. Even trace drawings on to the screen. How about take a picture and edit it to the full extent of photoshop all in one device? But if you really need it that bad, you can get the larger tablet model of the WindowsiPhone. Or, why dont we cut all the screen talk out all together and look at projectors? How about a device that you put down on your desk and it displays your desktop across your... desktop by projecting it down and at an angle, similar in function to the smart home's kitchen counter? You'd still use the 5 inch screen to move your windows, but i'm sure a special stylus that communicates with the device would allow you to 'draw' on the projected surface.
Quote:2: A touch screen is useful for some applications, but horribly inadequate for tasks such as typing anything longer than a web address or a simple sentence.
Portable computing beneath the level of a netbook has its advantages, but it will never replace desktop computing until some very advanced (read: direct neural) interface is designed to overcome the limitations inherent in interfacing with portable devices.
I wish that would happen, but until it does, what about an even more advanced version of this?
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OoIOdgkS6dQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OoIOdgkS6dQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Now imagine that kind of software integrated in to this:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/205dHV55XWQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/205dHV55XWQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
All they'd have to do is figure out the exact waves which is what they're doing now, and whoosh! you're typing at length using both your brain and a menu context. Your brain sends out the word, the menu deciphers, your brain chooses the word you want. Something to that effect, but a hands free effect at that. Not to mention voice recognition which could be a third tier to everything, if you're driving you could say "Open notes" or email, or what have you. Say the person its going to, say the body of text, then say send. It would also be great that if in the middle of your email and you forgot where to turn, you could just say "open GPS" and tell it the address. Those things exist right now, so it would be easy to stack it in to the brain wave and Swype messaging.
Of course, a thumbkey-pad, without out any special technology, can work quite well for typing at length. You just have to get used to a different method of typing. The Blackberry style phones used by businesses are a testament to that.
Then we go in a different direction, something more suited for a person who is so used to typing, that different methods are just too time consuming. How about that projected desktop? What if the WindowsiPhone shot a projection of the desktop above it, and a smaller projector shot a projection of a QWERTY keyboard below it? it could know what you're typing by where the light is broken by your fingers. This could be interesting but would present some problems, since pressing "Y" would mean that everything below it would disappear as your finger is blocking the light. But it would reappear as soon as your finger is raised. We can think more outside the box and imagine we place the device on its 'feet' about two or three feet in front of us on the desk, it would project the full screen and keyboard so that its situated right in front of you and able to grow and shrink depending on how much flat surface you have.
All of these things are available now, just incredibly expensive, you would need the deluxe model. But most people dont use photoshop, most people are not artistic, most people just want the music, games, movies and web experience. The hurdle of typing is something this generation has no problem with when it comes to different techs for 'texting'.