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11/11/09
11/12/09
@Software_Goddess: That's Billy Zane! #singularity
11/11/09
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn #singularity
11/11/09
For these reasons, and many more, I foresee screen technology (whether LCD screens or projectors of a sort) remaining the standard for many, many years to come. We're social animals, and sharing the view is part of what we love. If anything, I see displays becoming larger, with higher resomolutions, and being easily "painted" onto walls. Anything else seems like pipe dreams inspired by 80s cyberpunk fiction (which has not aged well.) #singularity
11/11/09
wait, that stuff is working and people do want it. especially bluetooth headsets and wireless headphones. they just have to be reliable and cheap. #singularity
11/11/09
I think displays like those will catch on quickly when the price comes down enough. People will be won over having 800x600 resolution today or 1024x768 tomorrow. #singularity
11/11/09
Moving from a LCD monitor to a privately viewed headmounted display is a radical shift in usability that places enormous limitations on the product. It puts more burden on the user with little practical benefit, and hinders the performance of other tasks. This is why no headmounted display has ever caught on as a practical alternative for daily use of a computer or portable computing device. #singularity
11/11/09
Perhaps for some games, or private movie viewing on an airplane, or extremely specific industrial or military use... but for general consumer use, I see almost no practical benefit of wearable glasses displays (like the Lumus PD-18 you mentioned) as a prevalent screen replacement technology. I've yet to be given a solid counter-argument for this, and apparently, neither has the consumer public. (This isn't to say, as a gadget lover, I wouldn't want to try a pair... but they'd always be a novelty, and useless for my daily computer needs as an artist, writer and sometime-musician.)
On the other hand, perhaps there will be a major revolution in head-mounted displays that weigh less than an ounce, can't be lost, don't drain battery power and have super high resolution, and don't make everyone look like a reject from an 80s sci-fi flick. When and if, perhaps everyone will want a pair so they can finally get some practical use of their cellphones, which have always been hindered by restrictive 2D display technology. #singularity
11/11/09
11/11/09
Depending on what kind of artist or musician you are, you might find them capable of augmenting your work in interesting ways. For example a camera in the glasses could track two blank pages on a music stand and overlay the notes. You wouldn't have to turn the pages. #singularity
11/11/09
they do more to accomodate the inherent limitations of human anatomy than take advantage of it.
even the concept of the GUI falls into that category. it's modeled around simply making something accessible for humans. it's current form is obviously better than its original form, but inevitably, our limits limit IT.
imagine if you could do computation without going through the physical middleman of your eyes, ears, and hands for input and feedback. it's the next logical steps, but i wonder if it's not a terrible idea to leave some limitations in place.
in a world where to think it is to do it, i could see people getting seriously hooked on brain based computing. information/stimulation addiction may well be a reality in a few more years.
i mean, look at how helpless some modern people feel when rudimentary technologies like electricity or long distance communications are suddenly unavailable. i believe there is even a psychological term for trauma caused by a sudden absence of technology.
now imagine you've been jacked into a cerebrally interactive computing system on a constant basis since you were say, 5, and you're 30 now, and it goes off. #singularity
11/11/09
Looks cool, but how far away are we from this? #singularity
11/11/09
We've had wearable computing for ages.
Remember this? It's from 2000 or so - the Xybernaut Poma. Wearable Windows CE device, for about $1500. If these little suckers caught on, we'd probably have heads-up displays a lot more mainstream and probably nice wearable i7s in our pockets. #singularity
11/11/09
10/20/09
10/20/09
I'm perplexed at the lack of rechargeable BT mice. I have an MX900 (I've worn out the left button) and an MS mouse with terrible ergonomics and built quality. Still, very few rechargeable BT mice. #magicmouse
10/20/09
10/20/09
Honestly, I need a new mouse, the MS one blows, and I'll probably get a Magic Mouse. I would have preferred rechargeable, and if given a good option (like the elusive Revolution MX BT) I'd take that. I hate proprietary dongles for mice, I'm sold on BT. #magicmouse
10/20/09
10/20/09
You do know they make rechargeable AA-size batteries, don't you? #magicmouse
10/20/09
I don't think it would have ruined the aesthetic shape of this device to add a micro USB port to charge batteries internally, but I agree that it probably would have driven the price into the stupid range - and though I would certainly pay it, I do understand I'm in the minority.
My comment was more of a notice that there are so few rechargeable BT mice, not so much that this would be a dealbreaker. There are a metric assload of rechargeable RF mice, just so few are BT. I would think that Apple would embrace this. If the batteries last 4 months, great, but from my experience, claims of the like for mice have been far exaggerated (I get about a week from my MX900 if I leave it off the dock). #magicmouse
10/20/09
Kind of like wired mice.
Anything that would plug into a USB wouldn't be BT. Why would it? BT eliminates the need for cords, or USB dongles. That's the principle behind BT. When you add something like that it becomes a hassle. Besides, how would it work? If you plug it in directly to the computer, you can't use it. Use a wire and its a wired mouse. #magicmouse
10/20/09
How would it work? Use the mouse wirelessly. When you need to charge, plug into a USB port and use like a wired mouse, or just plug it into a USB port (or portable battery) when not using the mouse, kinda like docking it. Not an option you would use when using standard batteries, so you can remain purely wireless.
I guess if Apple doesn't make a rechargeable mouse, it isn't worth making. Blind fanboyism is dumb. #magicmouse
10/21/09
i also would bet a dollar for a dime that everyone who complains now about the AA batteries would have complained when the batteries wouldn't be replacable at all.
10/21/09
My desire for rechargeable cells mainly is for traveling. I take the mouse, I have to take extra batteries. Maybe a wall recharger if I don't want to use disposables and/or don't know the condition of the charge of the cells. It's extra bulk and extra stuff to lose/ leave in the hotel. I've left behind USB cords too... not too pricey to replace.
I guess that's why I'm using a MS mouse and a Logitech mouse now on my macbook.... I just wanted more simplicity. Mouse + 1 cord = Simple. Mouse + 2 batteries + charger = not so simple - honestly, I would use disposable cells instead.
@modernape: USBcells are shitty.... best solution if I HAVE to use this mouse. I probably will get this just for home, leave the MS 8000 for traveling. #magicmouse
10/21/09
I started avoiding devices with custom battery packs, and now I've got one charger, and more than enough rechargeable batteries to go around. Most are the low discharge types that hold a charge a long time, and I've got a set of standard batteries for cameras and such. It was a little bit of an upfront cost, but not much, and as I've been adding devices I add another few batteries as I go.
End result? I always have 4 to 8 fully charged, they're all in the same drawer in my kitchen (near the charger) and I'm not tethered to proprietary batteries should any of them go kaputt. I'm not even tied to a specific manufacturer. All my remotes, controllers, and devices except the cell phone, and only one charger.
Still a work in progress, mind you, but I'm liking it so far. #magicmouse
10/21/09
I don't have a problem with a device relying on AAs, just put a port for charging if you happen to use NiMH cells. You get your choice, doesn't cost a ton in development or production, you don't even have to include a cord. Makes things simple all around.
Honestly, this is the first time Apple has released a mouse i'm interested in, well, forever. For me, it's 'this close' to perfect, on paper - I just gotta get some time on one and see how the button clicks feel before spending the money. If this mouse is a success, I'm sure a rechargeable one will be around the corner. #magicmouse
10/21/09
"I'll swap out some AA batteries if it keeps my desk clear."
You basically just said:
"I would rather keep my desk surface clear, even if it means dumping some extra toxic chemicals into the environment." #magicmouse
10/20/09
10/20/09
10/21/09
@Sir Gibler: look into my eye. that gallery was put up after my post, bozo. #magicmouse
10/20/09
10/20/09
And the Macbooks still have removable batteries, it just depends on how badly you want to remove them. #magicmouse
10/20/09
10/20/09
10/20/09
10/20/09
It's a repetitive stress injury.
So by forcing your hand to do more than just grip the sides and move repeatedly in a very limited range (to click & scroll, your hand is basically always in the same position), you're actually reducing the chances of giving yourself carpal tunnel. #magicmouse
10/20/09
@DPeezy: Repeated gripping and hand manipulation in which the palm and wrist flex is exactly the stress that people consider with carpal tunnel (aside from someone smashing your carpals with a bat). This mouse only exacerbates the problem of other twitch movements since you have to do it more often. If there's any argument against the mouse causing damage, it'd be the fact that no studies have found real correlation between hand cramps and carpal tunnel. #magicmouse
10/20/09
I'm looking at this and seeing a wider range of possible hand/finger movements compared to a 'normal' mouse and thus equating that to a decreased chance of CTS (for example, the side-to-side finger swipe is a non-existent motion with regular mice).
Of course, CTS is such a grey area as it is (not to mention that it contains a large genetic component), I'm sure both of our definitions are workable and just as likely. #magicmouse
10/20/09
10/20/09
10/20/09
Really, when is Apple going to design a mouse people can use? This sounds almost as bad as their hockey puck. #magicmouse
10/20/09