9.05.2007

Multitouch - what i have been waiting for.

Apple today released the iPod Touch, and what a nice touch it is. It's what you'd expect, an i*****. (iPhone less the 'phone). More importantly, it is the second generation of multitouch item, officially beginning the era of such devices.

That you can use 2 fingers on the screen is really no big deal. The fact that using your fingers in this way is so intuitive matters. A major annoyance of mine in my bad old developer/designer days was the distance between me and the image. The mouse is on the desk near my lap, the monitor is propped up on a stand near my head. This is like try to brush your hair with a bent rake. You can get used to it, but it is a skill nonetheless.

Enter multitouch. Now a computer system where I can design logos by touching the tool I want to use with my left hand and then painting with my right is around the corner. I can twist shapes and bezier curves by placing my fingers on the screen and twisting my arms. etc. etc.

In document editing, this means I can tap editing tools with my left hand and use my right hand to highlight, annotate, and edit. Finally, it means that on-screen keyboards can replace true keyboards on tablets, making for an iPod Touch type interface on UMPCs (ultra mobile pcs). So paint me a fanboy, Steve.

I know, I just geeked out. Deal.

No comments:

ShareThis