Is the Future in Touch Computing?

Chatting on a couple of email threads I have realized that UMPC will soon be all about the preferred input method. There seems to be a paradigm shift occurring, and I�ve defined this for some time now, towards Tablet PC being seen as a �small pc� rather than a pen based computer. Whether it carries a keyboard or pens it is still going to be a question of your preferred input method, or rather, what are you prepared to put up with? With manufacturers missing the mark on many of the UMPC it seems that these �small PCs� of the future will carry one feature in common, touch!




A friend of mine sent me this picture of the Canova Dual Touch Screen Laptop (source: Bornrich). The first thing that sprang to mind was �how cool!� It seems the dilemma of keyboard as your preferred input has been addressed and so has multi-touch on Tablet. Because these two screens are touch enabled it means a user could call up a software keyboard and type as usual or pull out a pen and use both screens at once.

What was most interesting is that my friend, who happens to be a C4 quadriplegic, might have a completely different view to you or I. In fact he might see this as a savior, where you or I might assume it is a gimmick. I still remember when I sent him his first look at a Tablet, boy that raised a lot of eyebrows. To read more about my friend Dave Wallace make sure you jump onto his blog.

I for one am totally enamored with the qualities of the Touch Screen. It makes computing at the speed of thought one step closer, and, as a result has increased my productivity (or at least perceived productivity).

Here are five reasons I like touch:

• The �Start� menu; I can always hit �start� with my fingers/or thumb faster than any mouse or joystick
• Closing windows is always faster (ALWAYS)
• Snipping tool and a fingernail are my new best friend. With this combination I have spread more mail clippings than I care to remember
• Sex Factor; touch is sexy and it turns heads. �Put your finger on it� is my new catch cry�try it! LOL
• Lastly, cost! Touch has brought down the cost of a traditional Tablet PC by more than half, and that has to be a good thing.

I�m interested, is the Pen mightier than the finger, or do we just like little computers? Also, what are your reasons for liking touch (if you do at all).