Tiny Computers Will Bend To Browse

from the changing-your-input-mindset dept

Thu, Jun 19th 2003 11:45pm — Mike Masnick

Some cool work coming out of Sony Labs in Japan, working on new input devices for smaller and smaller computers. Most of the article focuses on "bendable" computers. The idea is that you could "bend" the machine, instead of having to click a button. As computers get smaller, it will be more and more difficult to add buttons, so this is a way around that problem. They envision using it on credit card sized machines. If you look at the images and the movie included with the article you get a good feel for how it could be used. The article also mentions them working on a "tactile" touchscreen. Here, the idea is that as you push a "button" on the screen, there will be some sort of feedback to make it feel more like really pushing a button. Sounds like lots of useful innovation is headed our way for smaller and smaller computers.

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Anonymous Coward, 20 Jun 2003 @ 12:44am

Why smaller?
What's the point of having watches that are too small to see the numbers, keyboards that can only be pecked at with surgical instruments? Demographically, we are getting older, therefore our eyesight and dexterity is decreasing. Is Sony going to put out yet another batch of calculator watches?

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Anonymous Coward, 20 Jun 2003 @ 10:56am

Re: Why smaller?
that's a common statement made by alot of people, but if you notice the trend of gadgets shrinking, Keyboards, Computer Mice, Tablets, and most other Human Interface Devices are still the same size, watch faces are still easily read and rather large in some cases. Shrinking devices will allow us to make things like watches, keyboards, etc... 'smaller' in the sence that they will be less obtrousive, like LCD and Plasma displays are an excellent example of the shirnking of the classic CRT based Displays.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Jun 2003 @ 6:21pm

Re: Why smaller?
Still, watches with big numbers and laptops with adequately sized keys are not easy to find. It very much feels like engineers' egos competing with each other to build a more "compact" product, and deciding what consumers want.
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