User Centered

Have you seen the magic wheel?

Part unicycle, part skateboard add up to an interesting concept on having transportation you can carry with you. And seems to be something a little more adult looking than a scooter. You stand on the (not clearly visible in this picture) foot rests on both sides of it. You push with one foot like a scooter/skateboard.

Pretty neat overall, but it looks a little difficult to "scoot" on. But this seems like something I'd like to have handy every once in awhile. Aw, who am I kidding, I neither skateboard, bike, nor scoot.


Check the video on the company site
Courtesy of ergonomenon

Eddie and others with "Spoon Thumbs" might be interested to try out Microsoft and Mitsubishi's "Lucid Touch" system. It's a touch screen system that you use by touching the back of the screen. A small dot where your finger is registering on the screen enables you to use it accurately without having to use a stylus. As someone who uses multiple touch-screen devices daily, I am excited to something like this in action. I hate clicking on a GPS screen and having to battle it to make it figure out where I'm trying to click.

You can read more about it and see a video demonstration on Microsoft's site here.

Someone finally implemented an idea I mentioned here, integrating a Bluetooth headset directly into the phone!

Interesting concept, there's only a few details from gizmodo. The usability aspects are interesting- you charge only one device, you can choose to use it or not, but it's always available (not in your car when you want it elsewhere), you don't have to carry the headset around with you. I think it makes sense to combine phone with handset.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/0,39029453,49295452,00.htm

Here's the Modu phone concept. It's an interesting idea of having a core unit that might plug into other UIs that share some core functions and information (like an address book). The article shows a music player, phone and car stereo "plug-ins"

Of course, this is nothing new- we're already pretty darn close to this already. My iPod- I dock it at my computer at home, I (essentially) dock it into my auto's stereo system, I set it up with portable speakers, and dock it at work. It's already a device that works in harmony (sometimes) with all these other devices and interfaces, but with the added bonus of being it's own self contained UI. It's making these modules more meaningful such that the user experience is married to design of the devices that's missing- that's what this concept is looking to address.

I'd like something in the middle- ideally, I'd like an...well, let's say iPhone... that I could slide into a small lightweight keyboard, I want to be able to dock it *into* my computer at home, have it marry up into my car stereo; in which case I'd like to be able to just slide it in like an old cassette tape.

Recently my wife and I had a baby. We were able to do a little "photo blogging" to facebook right from our recovery room (thank god for Opera Mini).

Not to be outdone, other friends of ours seem capable of live status updates using facebook, "Brian is at the hospital. Mandie's being induced, and we should see Ruby sometime today." 3m ago

It got me thinking of how crucial it is to be connected with friends and family during and immediately after big events. Gone are the days when your mom would call and ask how the baby was doing. Now she sends a Skype chat, asking for you to post more Facebook photos.

As much as we would like to constantly post updates, we may not realize that we're kind of busy actually experiencing the event, and won't be able to do the work of involving others and reporting. One thing I kept thinking was, "this would be great to post this," and then immediately afterward, "Sheesh, I'm going to have to remember to go back later and download these pictures to my computer...then upload them...then send a message to mom...then..." I remember the sinking feeling of all the work I would have to do later, and wishing it could just be done for me somehow.

This problem will not go away no matter how usable the tools become for reporting life-event status. It's in the very nature of the problem, (or "problem" some old-timers might suggest). We can't do two things at once.

My prediction: As people appreciate how technology is making it easier and easier to have their family and friends involved "live" in important events, and as they envy their friends who somehow are able to post blow-by-blow accounts of the events as they happen... A new class of service industry will arise, the "personal assistant." Similar to a photographer, the person will be available throughout the event, taking pictures, recording audio, capturing video moments, and then posting them live to their clients website/msn/facebook/myspace/skype/email/etc.

Maybe I should change my line of work...