Computer mouse heading for extinction

I forbindelse med desktop programmer som ArcMap vil det sikkert blive svært at undvære den gamle mus men i forbindelse med rene map viewer applikationer som Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth og ESRI ArcGIS Explorer vil det kun være et skridt fremad at smide musen til hjørne. Man skal dog heller ikke glemme at disse applikationer er forholdsvist 'unge' og derfor tænkt mere i retning af ... Wii kontrol. I forbindelse med Apples iPhone og UI så er det klart at det er kun et spørgsmål om tid inden alle flytbare PC'er funker på den måde.

When using the ordinary desktop programs like ArcMap it will prpbably be hard not to have a conventionel mouse at hand but when turning to map viewer apps like Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth og ESRI ArcGIS Explorer it wil only be a great step ahead not to. We should not forget however that these apps are 'young' and created by the Wii generation of programmers. Concerning Apples iPhone UI it is only a matter of time before all movable PCs work this way.

/Sik



Computer mouse heading for extinction

Guy Dixon Jul 21, 2008 7:47 AM

Are the Wii MotionPlus and iPhone examples of how we'll be using PCs in years to come? Experts say the humble input device is being usurped by touch screens and facial recognition.

The computer mouse is set to die out in the next five years and will be usurped by touch screens and facial recognition, analysts believe.

Gartner said that innovations from electronics firms creating new interactive interfaces for gaming and smartphones are driving the demise of the mouse.

Steven Prentice, vice president and Gartner Fellow, told the BBC that devices such as Nintendo's MotionPlus for the Wii and Apple's iPhone point the way to the future, offering greater accuracy in motion detection.

"With the Wii you point and shake and it vibrates back at you so you have a two-way relationship," said the analyst.

"The new generation of smartphones like the iPhone all now have tilting mechanisms or you can shake the device to do one or more things."

Prentice also highlighted home entertainment efforts from Panasonic which employ hand and facial recognition techniques to display information in place of a conventional remote control.

However, while the mouse's 40 year-old reign is coming to an end, the keyboard is here to stay, according to the analyst.

"For all its faults, the keyboard will remain the primary text input device. Nothing is easily going to replace it," he said. "But the idea of a keyboard with a mouse as a control interface is breaking down."

Source: http://www.viawindowslive.com/Articles/VirtualEarth/WiiEarthWiimoteInterfaceforVirtualEarth.aspx



Source: http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Tools/Print.aspx?CIID=117291



Source: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_6oqKL2j8eA&feature=related