Monday, June 23, 2008

Throw Out Your Keyboard & Mouse

I have a request to any hardware developers out there who would like to develop the most practical futuristic input device possible today.  If you heard of multi-touch input done on a small scale then you are getting close to what the device looks like.

The device I speak of is 16x9 in format and is no thicker than a few inches.  It has a height adjustable stand with the ability to pivot.  The device has a low center of gravity and is not likely to tip over with repeat use.

Now that I have described the foundation of this device I want to get into the fun bits.  What I envision is a screen with multi-touch built in.  It is about the size of a standard keyboard plus a bit of extra room.  With a touch the keyboard overlay comes on the screen so I can type.

I hit another button and the overlay goes away.  Underneath is what I see on my screen except the windows are just outlines of what I see on my wide-screen monitor.  The background is customizable either with colors or a photo.  If I move a window on my device it will move accordingly on my monitor.

I can resize, move and otherwise manipulate the windows on my monitor via finger movements.   I can zoom in on my screen to get more detail and do quicksilver-like movements to perform certain actions.  Now this is certainly a great step forward to getting rid of the traditional RSI causing mouse and keyboard.

The next step is a smart OS that can predict my next action.  If I just moved 3 files to a folder, then allow me a quick way to move the next 5 to that same folder.  If I am looking at a window, then let me move that window instead of moving a cursor all the way to that side of the screen.

First, I need my multi-touch sensory input device.  I would like different sizes depending on my workspace and while I would expect it to be plugged into AC, please let there be bluetooth.  My 10-key overlay should be available as well the correct keyboard layout if I want to type dvorak....which I do.

Any comments on the perfect input device?

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