A touch of the mouse [BT broadband office]

A touch of the mouse

Posted 14 January 2008 at 3:00PM by Ian Betteridge in Email and communications

Like many of the gadget-obsessed, I bought an Apple iPhone not long after its release last year. While it hasn't replaced my BlackBerry, it's started to change the way I look at computers in some surprising ways.

It's the touch interface, you see. Moving stuff around on screen with your fingers feels like such a natural way to do something that I've even caught myself trying to do it with my work computer. Instead of reaching for the mouse, I've been reaching for the screen - and looking baffled when nothing moves.

This has occasionally caused my colleagues no little amusement, as they watch me reaching momentarily for the screen. However, I think that I'm actually on to something, and that, within a few years, we'll see the end of the humble computer mouse.

As anyone who has ever suffered from RSI will tell you, holding a mouse and moving it on a flat surface is not a natural thing for the hand and wrist to do. Our hands prefer us to be reaching and touching, rather than constantly clasping.

Touch screens aren't new of course. BT, for example, has installed touch screen computer systems before, and there are touch screens in both Tablet PCs and some handhelds.

What is new, though, is interfaces which respond in more natural, intuitive ways to touch. When you touch something on screen, it not only moves - it behaves like a real object. You can flick it and it carries on moving after you've stopped touching the screen.

In other words, it mimics the way that objects work in the real world. So, along with the very natural movements of reaching and touching, you have more natural things on screen.

For someone who's always used a mouse, it's a compelling glimpse into what might be the future. Perhaps in a few years time, my colleagues will all be reaching for their screens.

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Tags: apple iphone, blackberry, bt, bt blackberry, bt broadbandoffice, iphone, touch interface

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Comments

1. At January 14, 2008 6:40 PM, Isaac Yankem wrote:

I can't see entirely touchscreen PCs being particularly comfortable to use. Constantly reaching forward over your keyboard would surely be less comfy than using a mouse. The technology's pretty cool, but you'd need completely redesigned monitors for it to work in the way described above.

2. At January 15, 2008 1:50 PM, Randy Orton wrote:

Personally I agree with Mr Yankem, It would be quite uncomfortable to be sitting at your office desk allday leaning over selecting menu's and dragging dropping. I also agree with Ian though, touch screen technology is still to be explored. I am a huge fan of the nintendo DS and its dual screen. I feel there would be some desire for this type of software or touch screen. Would be perfect for kids, design companies or just people who dont like mice. Some food for thought i feel.

3. At January 15, 2008 2:12 PM, Isaac Yankem wrote:

Dual screen PCs! That's what we need! Just giant DS's that you can do your work on! With Professor Kawashima's brain training installed as standard!

I don't really like mice.

They steal my cheese! Ha!

4. At January 16, 2008 10:59 AM, Ian Betteridge wrote:

What's also interesting is the increasing use of touch via trackpads - look at that way that Apple, for example, is using gestures on the trackpad of it's new MacBook Air...

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