Interfacing...

There are particular challenges associated with the transition from print to digital medias. I'm talking specifically now about the transition from publications such as newspapers to a digital media as might be found in the form of an eBook or tablet.

There is this deep seated feeling for which so many are valiantly fighting that print media must in some capacity be translated rather then passed over completely, and here are several notable examples of visions for the future of print.

Mag+
Mag+ concept probably pays the most attention to the behaviours of individuals and who's concept is probably the farthest departure from what you might experience in a physical magazine.

Wired

Wired's take on the digital magazine

Sports Illustrated

Probably the worst of the bunch, and the one that clings most to the interactions present in using traditional medias.

These examples however are only some of the proposals to address the interface problems present in all mobile medias. Blackberry keyboards, though good are still rather small, and the iPhones onscreen keyboard, though the best of touchscreen smartphones, still leaves me relying on auto-correct a bit too much for comfort.

And I swear I can still type faster on T9.

So what's up?

Eye Movement

NTT DoCoMo is developing earbuds that allow you to control your device with the movement of your eyes. Neat thing is that it's not actually looking at your eyes but rather reading the nerve impulses under the skin sent to the muscles in the eye.

Pretty cool, and it reminds me of Emotiv, a small company producing Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI's), mostly for gaming, and beyond that I don't think anyone knows, Emotiv included. It can measure both nerve impulses in your face to see whether your laughing, smiling, crying, etc. It can also measure your brain waves, which can be used (with practice) to control objects on a computer screen

Speaking of BCI's researchers at Intel are apparently developing technology to control cellphones with your thoughts, while Adam Wilson, a postdoc student developed the technology to send Tweets with just his thoughts.

Designers at Nokia are working to develop gesture-specific controls for cellphones that draw from culturally universal behaviors from around the world.

It's going to be very interesting to see what 2010 will bring in terms of new ways of interfacing with our designers. How much do things still need to change if my mother can't use an iPhone because the type is too small to read? (Yes, I've gone over the accesibility options), or my dad refuses to buy a smartphone because he too, can't read the small font or push the small buttons.

Current interfaces, while innovative still rely on old models of thought. Mobile is a new media and because of it's particular characteristics (size, portability, power) demand new approaches to interacticion.