Apple Researching 'Physics Metaphor' Gestures for Inter-Device Communication

[hollerz]

Since this is explicitly supposed to be simulating real-life physics, I will point out that heavy objects don't fall any faster than light objects.

EDIT: Oh, I see: it's that heavy objects "slide" more slowly. Never mind.

I was going to say the exact same thing. The physics nerd in me was very upset for a moment.

Glad I'm not the only one nerdy enough to think this

 

[The Beatles]

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I'd rather a button that says "Send to nearby device"
Basically AirDrop.

Why do I need to physically exert myself to get files to move around. Very professional.

Exactly, cute but irritating by making me have to sit there while the files transfer. No thanks.

Reminds me of cavemen, dazzled by their new "invention" as they see what else can burn. At some point it just gets silly, to put it mildly.

 

[kdarling]

Though I bet neither came up with the "finger swipe changes focus" I'm sure it was used years before in the development if the technology.

Yes, even though that poster meant flicking live apps, finger swiping through pages of anything is pretty old stuff. I did a book program back in the early 1980s where you flicked through it on the screen by natural finger gestures on a TRS-80 Touch Pad. Remember those?

 

[nylonsteel]

re: original article

Ahh.. How cute
How about gestures like kicking the device or throwing against the wall

 

[toddybody]

Definitely cool. But I wonder at what point do these actions become more effort that just an easy UI.

 

[lilo777]

It's Apple. I do not remember a single patent from them that was first published and then implemented in a real device. The only patents that have real implementation were submitted after the device was announced (like the iPhone patents). So, I think we can show Apple one widely used finger gesture and keep going about our own business.

 

[Vandad NP]

I like it

That's a pretty cool idea. They probably are just testing the waters and doing R&D to see if this is actually a good idea or not.

 

[itsokay]

Might I show you the metaphorical gesture I might make, when I accidentally drop my iPhone on my iPad when it slips out of my hand?

you dont have to blame Apple on that one.

 

[itsokay]

This seems like something that would be cool for five minutes and then be annoying.

dont use it.

 

[itsokay]

Since this is explicitly supposed to be simulating real-life physics, I will point out that heavy objects don't fall any faster than light objects.

EDIT: Oh, I see: it's that heavy objects "slide" more slowly. Never mind.

perhaps could be likened to a feather.

 

[hrishidev]

Somewhat I did not like the idea because don't want to hold my iPhone till entire file transfer gets over. (For larger files , we have to hold it for longer time)
Secondly imagine scenario of file transfer from iPad to iPhone, IMO that will definitely look funny.

Well , Apple may not implement the way it is interpreted by us.

 

[itsokay]

Only the simplest of minds would get excited about this. Just another reason why Apple is falling behind one of the fastest moving industries and will end up just like RIM. The next iPhone is already late, put the extra effort in getting that out on time rather than childish gimmicks like this. Good grief.

there is genius in simplicity and insecurity in complexity.

 

[shartypants]

Those Apple engineers have a lot of time on their hands I think I would rather flick the files and make the other person have to catch them, hehe.

 

[itsokay]

re: original article

Ahh.. How cute
How about gestures like kicking the device or throwing against the wall

dont kick it. sell it and let go of apple.

 

[Gasu E.]

Ridiculous. None of these idiotic things they research ever come to life anyway.

Get off my lawn, you @#%&* kids!!!!

 

[Lennholm]

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Finger swipping was a web OS innovation? Wasn't apple already using that to switch from one iphone home screen to another? So the fact that web os transfered that to switching apps instead of the home screen makes it a web OS invention and not apples?

Yikes

Though I bet neither came up with the "finger swipe changes focus" I'm sure it was used years before in the development if the technology.

The same reasoning can be made about alot of non-innovations Apple gets credit for, like the multi-paged grid of icons, the phone icon itself, the phrase "app store" etc.

 

[the8thark]

Just why?

That doesn't seem to improve usability. Just seems like a dumb phone trick.

Yes but when others want to implement dumb phone tricks they realise "Doah have to pay Apple royalties for the privilege cause they own the patent". And that's how you make money in the phone business.

 

[Carouser]

Finally, Apple describes how devices could sense their relative locations within a room and allow users to simply flick data toward another device or to make sweeping gestures to broadcast the data to multiple devices in a general direction.

So why wouldn't it be good to see this implemented? If I'm in a room for leisure or a meeting and I can say 'look at this website / document / image / whatever' and flick it towards other people just like that, why is this dumb? It would be like 'shared mirroring' rather than AirDrop; I wouldn't have to pass the one device around; I wouldn't have to multi-tap to e-mail or transfer files or web addresses to six different people, etc.

Surely nobody will say 'Because someone could flick over pr0n to every iOS device in the vicinity herp derp'. Apple generally doesn't implement things in an idiotic manner and a simple 'receive X' pop-up or something similar would prohibit that.

 

[baryon]

Well, it's a good idea, since currently there is no proper way to transfer files from one iDevice to another. It's kind of sad when I have an iPod Touch with WiFi and Bluetooth, and my friend has a MacBook and there is absolutely no way I can send him anything, unless I email it to him.

What's worse, is that even if you have two identical iPhones, there's no other way than email to transfer files between them (unless they have a special app, maybe, but of course your friend never happens to have the app when you happen to need it for a quick transfer).

Almost every advanced mobile phone in the world has Bluetooth with the ability to send files to other devices and computers. Except the iPhone. lol

 

[JonoX]

Pretty cool! Even demonstrates the idea of throwing files to a Mac from an iDevice.

 

[Wiesenlooser]

The Pouring is kind of silly if you ask me. The more interesting part of this is that they finally are going to allow file transfer between the devices.

 

[mdelvecchio]

Just why?

That doesn't seem to improve usability. Just seems like a dumb phone trick.

uh, because they patent a million things they never use? its a game. the idea isnt to actually use it all.

why you dudes dont get this yet is what confuses me.

 

[dabirdwell]

Nintendo has already demonstrated this

In the preview videos for the Wii U. The touchscreen controller shows a YouTube video being flicked from the handheld unit to the television.

 

[whooleytoo]

Probably, but that's as it should be. Android comes up with an innovation, let it be shared by everyone. iOS comes up with an innovation, same thing. WebOS isn't as popular, but it came up with some important innovations itself that iOS (and MacOS for that matter) has adopted, such as swiping to switch between apps. That was one of my favorite features of WebOS.

I don't mean just blatant feature copying with 0 attempt at creativity, but some features are important enough that every OS should have them.

I agree wholeheartedly. Pretty much all innovation simply involves taking an existing idea and tweaking it, or taking a concept and implementing it in a different field. Good ideas should be copied.

I've no problem that Apple are 'copying' WebOS or any other; it's the fact that they're trying to patent it.

 

[whooleytoo]

re: original article

Ahh.. How cute
How about gestures like kicking the device or throwing against the wall

They work! Have you not tried?

Drop kick an iPhone against a wall, in order to shut it off permanently and secure your data. Much easier than screwing open the case and pulling out the battery. Apple really do think of everything...

(If it doesn't work the first time, try again. You're kicking it wrong.)