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I do more than one thing on a computer and not all of them are best usable in the same way.
Btw, I consider my phone a computer...
So on a computer I work (heavily write based applications)
I browse the Internet (usually writing is not so much required)
I play (99.9% no writing required at all)
So, when writing is required, touch interfaces are the worse thing.
Clumsy, uncomfortable, error prone,... the list goes on. Many improvements have been done but still nothing beats a good keyboard.
For everything else, touch screen are the best way to go.
As humans we're used to point at the things we want and use our hands to reach stuff and on this area touch screens really deliver.
Be aware that we can't blame touch screen for bad UI design... if you don't like an app touch UI chances are it's a development problem.
So my main idea is that you shouldn't have to jump from touch to keyboard on the same task, that's not practical at all but still both interfaces are very good on their own environment.
Cheers!
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AlexCode wrote:
So, when writing is required, touch interfaces are the worse thing.
Clumsy, uncomfortable, error prone,... the list goes on.
For writing pages and pages of text you are right. But most of the time I tend to write obly a paragraph or two. And since there are touch-keyboards with the swype-style, I am almost as fast as with a keyboard.
Admit - I do not write 10-fingers, but with a proprietäry 5 to 6 finger system.
So, for my needs, better touch keyboards alre almost as good as real keyboards.
Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable, let's prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.
Douglas Adams, "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency"
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I agree with you for short texts, being emails or even small documents.
Even for browsing we need to write small pieces of text.
The problems start to be noticeable when your work actually depends on writing all day long, and for that, nothing beats a good keyboard.
Notice the "good" word there... even for keyboards, if you're really a heavy writer, paying attention when you choose a keyboard is as important as choosing a goods chair or a good screen.
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You are right for heavy writers, but that is only a minority.
I think a keyboard will become something like a graphics tablet is today: A specialized tool for a special task. Painters would refuse to work without one, but for all others it is a unneccesary expense.
Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable, let's prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.
Douglas Adams, "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency"
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Yeah... maybe I'm thinking too much as a painter on this matter 
It's kind of fun this matter now as last week I made a speech on my TastMasters group about how keyboards (more precisely the keys layout) were designed to slow typists down.
After that and that and with this discussion I believe touch speeds users but not typists.
So we're heading towards a less typing active future which, in a overall point of view, is more restrictive.
Lets see how this evolves...
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"Lets see how this evolves.."
If consumers keep buying. I think we know how this will play out.
The current trends are driven by the poseurs who wear tech like a fashion accessory.
"ewe iPhone 4, that's so last year!"
"It's true that hard work never killed anyone. But I figure, why take the chance." - Ronald Reagan
That's what machines are for.
Got a problem?
Sleep on it.
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If consumers buy and actually use it it's not bad.
wearing tech it's a reality on several areas like cars for instance, and it never stopped it from evolving in a good direction.
At the end when someone continuously show off something that doesn't actually use he/she will feel stupid and drop it. It's like always caring an helmet without having a motorbike.
I think the trend will stick if people actually feel comfortable with it and use it, otherwise will slowly disappear or simply be replaced by something else.
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I certainly hope so.
Just for the sake of being able to get devices/equipment/software that is *actually useful*.
There's a worrying trend. Particularly at Microsoft for dropping support for products that didn't quite hit the volume sales they'd hoped for. I don't blame them for that so much.
However, they've been caught out so many times (and became complacent with Windows Mobile/WinCE markets) losing ground in the mobile space, that they're basically chasing an Apple model, which doesn't really represent Microsoft's core business. IT Pros.
Apple does hardware, that's their core business. Microsoft hasn't been particulary successful at hardware (the exception being xbox).
"It's true that hard work never killed anyone. But I figure, why take the chance." - Ronald Reagan
That's what machines are for.
Got a problem?
Sleep on it.
modified 18-Mar-13 8:11am.
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jhwurmbach wrote: For writing pages and pages of text you are right. But most of the time I tend to write obly a paragraph or two. And since there are touch-keyboards with the swype-style, I am almost as fast as with a keyboard.
Admit - I do not write 10-fingers, but with a proprietäry 5 to 6 finger system.
So, for my needs, better touch keyboards alre almost as good as real keyboards.
I type at similar rates in most of my web usage; but my tolerance for onscreen keyboards limitations is much lower. Having to look at it while tapping out words gets annoying after about the third and infuriating by 6 or 8 (it's no coincidence that 99% of the test data in the android apps I've worked on looks like "havgbsakjewfcff adfyhl lkjadfhs"). If I spent a lot of my time online watching videos, r ws wlng 2 apear sbltr8 w txt spk in all my communications a touchscreen keyboard would be good enough; but as it is, it isn't.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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To me nothing beats mouse and keyboard. The speed and accurracy you have with those could never be achieved using just touch.
So I think for most of us keyboard and mouse will be the way to go until something else comes along.
However, I write software for dirty environments where a keyboard is all but fast. They get dirty and clogged up.
In those environments you see touch screens more and more often. I'm even thinking 'no-touch' will be the new standard there in a few years (or should be, as touch screens get dirty too!).
It's an OO world.
public class Naerling : Lazy<Person>{
public void DoWork(){ throw new NotImplementedException(); }
}
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I agree with most of this. I think. "no-touch" does not sound all that good - I have had that for many years . Perhaps something like "near-touch".
The post below also hits a note with me. Cramming too much functionality into it just leads to more and more gestures to remember.
Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
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Personally I would prefer a partial touch screen computer/laptop. When referring to partial I'm referring to that there are certain things I would like to be able to do through touch. Making all the features that I can do with a keybord and mouse available on touch would be to much for me. Working with a tool which has certain features which I can use through touch would be better for me.
"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence."
<< please vote!! >>
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Unless things changed drastically (which could never happen in the computer industry) that's how touch screens are (were?).
Many moons ago, in my last position, I was programming for touch screens. They were not common at the time and costly. The operation really was that touching the screen was pretty much a mouse-click (when your finger lifted). You could still use your mouse. I suppose all that could have changed.
It did have a lasting effect on my UI design: things I make are generally large and screen territory was precious. (14" CRT touch screens). One had to take into account fat fingers. Mice have such cute little fingers by comparison.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Touchscreen is good idea
but we need to solve screen size related problems. Pranav Mistri's invention sixth-sense technology can be a big advantage for touch-screen with variable size screen
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Ya Actually they are future, they are a good idea but as per a developer concerns we have to face many problems while developing a application on a touch screen device.....
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A terrible idea with a bright future. 
I wish, I could have written for my mind:
Mind.AsEnumerable().Where(m => m["EmptyCorner"] == "").ToList().ForEach(s => s.SetField("EmptyCorner", "C#, Asp.net, Linq, Java, .....Everyting"));
Mind.AcceptChanges();___________________________________________________
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1. Table Valued Parameters
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