“The end of the computer mouse? - CNET Asia” plus 3 more

The end of the computer mouse? - CNET Asia

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 12:06 AM PDT

Largely overlooked amid the overwhelming iPad hype is its biggest potential achievement. Apple's touchscreen quasi-PC may have finally struck a fatal blow to the long-standing king of input devices, the computer mouse.

Make no mistake about it, the era of the familiar PC mouse is coming to an end. It may not be a 2012-style apocalypse (and the mouse will surely hang on in some form for many years to come), but the door is slowly shutting on the universal acceptance of this single iconic piece of hardware that we have equated with personal computing for decades (for argument's sake, let's agree to date its lifespan from the 1972 invention of the ball mouse, and its use as a consumer device from the 1981 Xerox Star). Replacing it is an array of touch input devices and icon-focused operating systems that are built (not always for the better) around expediency over flexibility.

Long before the iPad, touchscreen tablet PCs had been around for years, occasionally enjoying a brief surge in consumer interest, and then fading away again, as users discovered that touch navigation was not really ready for prime time. Apple's iPhone, and later the iPod touch, changed all that, bringing actual one-to-one touch to the masses for the first time.

But on the PC side, this only made the sluggish, temperamental touchscreens found on most tablets even more glaringly obvious; we frequently described these devices as having a rubber-band effect. You'd drag a finger across the screen to move an icon, and it would follow behind by half a beat, as if on the end of a rubber band. The takeway was that touch was workable on tiny handhelds, but not well-suited to larger laptop screens.

The mouse may be dying, but we'll still need separate keyboards for some time to come.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

The iPad's disruptive success in building a larger touch environment that has received almost universal praise puts the lie to that theory. It may not be as productivity friendly as your ThinkPad, but add a Bluetooth keyboard and Apple's iWork apps, and you've got a reasonable approximation of a laptop experience in many cases.

But even before the iPad, PCs that traded the mouse for a fingertip have been making significant strides. HP has led the way with its TouchSmart line of all-in-one desktops and convertible tablet laptops. Again, the experience wasn't entirely seamless, but each successive generation of these systems has seen further refinement of their specialized touch interfaces, which sit on top of Windows, hiding the mouse-driven desktop from view. Asus also did an decent job with the custom interface on the Eee PC T91, a touchscreen version of the popular Eee PC Netbook (despite that system's other flaws).

Though some recent and upcoming touch devices, such as the Archos 9 PC, fail by relying on a traditional Windows desktop, others, including the Lenovo U1 Hybrid, use an icon-driven touch interface that seem much more forward-looking than trying to cram Windows 7 onto a small device. HP's still-unnamed slate device also shows much promise, taking the iPad design and adding almost all the features the iPad is missing.

Multitouch touch pads served as a Trojan Horse for touchscreens.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

To look at it another way, we've actually been training people to abandon the mouse for years. Laptops now outsell desktop PCs, especially in the consumer market, and the ubiquitous touchpads on these devices have been acclimating people to touch controls all the while. Apple again led the way by incorporating multitouch gestures into its oversized touchpads, and other PC makers soon followed. Now it's hard to find a laptop touchpad that doesn't support some kind of swiping, zooming, or flipping with two or more fingers.

What the iPad and similar systems do at their best is to translate that touchpad training directly to the screen, which may be why the iPad, iPhone, and other i-products have such a small learning curve. The laptop-to-iPad comparison may not be a one-to-one match, and we pointedly said that the iPad was not a fully workable replacement for a Netbook for on-the-go computing, but we also stand by our earlier prediction that icon-driven touch interfaces will continue to migrate into more-traditional laptops and Netbooks, rather than your Windows desktop shrinking down to fit hybrid-style devices.

In other words, it's less that people will be tapping away at the current versions of OSX or Win 7 with their fingertips, it's that the devices and apps themselves that don't need that style of desktop interface will be presented in a manner that uses different input methods, such as touch, instead of being mouse-driven.

There's no need to panic yet. We won't be tossing our Logitech and Gyration mice for some time to come. They're still required for PC gaming, careful Photoshop work, and recording music in ProTools--although you certainly may have your own laundry list of mouse-required tasks. We're just saying, like a New York Times obit for an aging celebrity, the obituary for the computer mouse has already been written and filed away, and it may not be that long before it gets to run.

Via Crave CNET

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Videos On The Verge - BC Heights

Posted: 07 Apr 2010 11:09 PM PDT

By Anthony Cuneo

Published: Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Updated: Wednesday, April 7, 2010

In this edition of Videos on the Verge we'll be playing a little game called "which of these videos is not like the other." Your options will include: A) A clip of Butler's missed buzzer beater which would have been arguably the best shot in the history of March Madness (a video that I will be watching non-stop over next three weeks). B) The music video of "Rainbow in the Dark" by Das Racist, a comedic, high-concept rap duo. And finally, C) The music video of "B-boy" by Die Antwoord, a comedic, high-concept rap trio. Stumped? Well, there's only one way to get to the bottom of this pickle. Just sit back, relax, and let your brain soak in the best the Internet has to offer.

1. Butler vs. Duke. Sophocles couldn't have dreamed up a more fitting final possession to sum up a Cinderella story that played out exactly as it was billed. Zoubek, a 7-2 Goliath, intentionally misses his last free-throw. Gordon Hayward, a 2-guard whose scrappy game and boyish countenance seem to define mid-major basketball pulls down the rebound and drives to midcourt. Matt Howard, another veteran leader on Butler, sets a perfect pick, sending Kyle Singler straight to the floor. It was dramaturgy at its finest, villains pitted against underdogs.

2. "Rainbow in the Dark" by Das Racist. No one knows what to make of Das Racist. By definition they are rappers, but as far as tradition goes I can't see a resemblance between them and any rap group before them. Are they hipsters? They certainly dress like they are, but that label feels wrong also. Plus, they have way too much swagg to be hipsters. Pretty much the only thing you can say without doubt about Das Racist is that their raps are extremely clever, funny and constitute what some meteorologists might call "hot fire."

3. "Zef Side" by Die Antwoord. "High Tech owns a PC computer. He makes like next-level beats." It's statements like these that make people doubt whether the members of Die Antwoord are serious. In truth, they are actually a high-concept rap group and are very much aware of the seemingly unintentional humor of their lyrics and personas. Occasionally, they speak in a language called Afrikaners, a dialect of Dutch spoken by descendants of Dutch colonials in South Africa.

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PC Vs. MAC as a College Computer - Associated Content

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 01:53 PM PDT

Every year, thousands of students graduate high school, and move onto college. Along with the countless other decisions that they make, many must decide on a computer to take off to college. Many are forced to decide between a Mac by Apple, and a Windows PC. There are many things to consider, and neither is a perfect choice for everyone. They both have many positive features, and well as drawbacks.

Choosing a Mac
Apple makes wonderful hardware and great looking computers. Depending on your major, this could very well be the best choice. If you are planning on studying a field related to graphics arts, or design then a Mac is a great choice. Apple also makes very good hardware. Their machines are very durable and generally hold up well to the abuse that college life can dish out. For the types of activities that a typical college student does, a Mac can definitely meet their needs with a solid interface and excellent software. Many companies, including Microsoft, also produce software for Mac. Another positive for a Mac is the fact that Apple manufactures both their own hardware and software. This means that things are much more tightly controlled than in the PC world where Microsoft authors the operating system and any company that chooses can manufacture hardware. This can lead to hardware compatibility issues with PC hardware that are simply not there with a Mac.

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HP Slate takes tablet PC war to iPad - PC Advisor

Posted: 07 Apr 2010 01:50 PM PDT

HP has started leaking information about its upcoming tablet computer, apparently hoping to take advantage of the hype surrounding Saturday's release of Apple's iPad in the US.

The PC maker offered users an early peek peek at the HP Slate device early this year at the CES 2010 event. Since then the firm has released short blog updates about HP Slate and posted videos about it on YouTube.

Less than a week after the iPad became available, HP has leaked information about the pricing and specs of its tablet to tech blog Engadget.

The HP Slate tablet, which runs Windows 7, has a base price of $549 (£360) in the US with a higher-end version priced at $599.

The tablet, based on 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, has an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 capacitive multi-touch display, according to Engadget. Both models have a five-hour battery, and an SDHC slot, a USB port, a SIM card slot for the optional 3G modem, and a dock connector.

HP Slate PC

Dan Olds, an analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group, said HP's device looks to be a strong machine, but will have strong competition out of the box as the iPad hype is likely to continue.

"On the face of it, HP's Slate might be a better machine for people who aren't already fully vested in the Apple ecosystem," said Olds. "HP's device runs Windows 7, so it can run software that people already know and have. It looks like it can multi-task - something the iPad can't do - and it has the ability to easily connect to other devices like printers and cameras - another place where the iPad comes up short."

Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Enderle Group, said the HP tablet is an attractive device, but falls short when it comes to battery life. The HP Slate can reportedly run up to 5 hours on battery power, while the iPad can get 10 hours to 11 hours. Such an advantage wouldn't bode well for a device that is already far behind on the hype meter.

Neither Enderle and Olds see the HP device as an iPad killer.

"I don't think it's an iPad killer, just as I don't think the iPad is a netbook or Kindle killer," said Olds. "But the Slate, assuming it's a solid product, will be a strong competitor to the iPad. It probably won't ever have the buzz and hype associated with the iPad and the Apple mystique, but it could easily sell more units. There are going to be a lot of non-Apple-centric people who will look at the iPad closely, but end up buying the Slate."

Meanwhile, Olds said that Apple appears to have "nailed it" on the iPad's execution and design, which will make it that much tougher for HP Slate.

"The iPad doesn't do everything, but what it does, it does very well," noted Olds. "From what I hear, Slate is going to be released in early June. Assuming that it delivers that full computing experience, I think they'd be coming to market at a good time - not too late at all. I'm also figuring that they will have lots of support from Microsoft and other ISVs who write to the windows platform. This could mean a very large advertising push, which can do nothing but help."

See also:

Apple iPad review

Apple iPad news

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