"There was a lot of prior art when we began the Crunchpad project, and having a tablet that was touch controlled rather than with a stylus wasn't really a revolutionary idea since there were a number of component manufacturers at the time who were scaling up their touch controllers to larger dimensions (9", 11", 12" etc.) in preparation for this market."
Having a tablet that was touch controlled rather than with a stylus wasn't really a revolutionary idea since Star Trek: The Next Generation was aired in 1987, with it's touch-controlled screens [0] and PADDs [1] [2].
BTW. I'm surprised by Star Trek not being mentioned at all since the dawn of consumer touch-screen technology. I expected people to be doing lots of LCARS rip-offs on MS Surface, tablets and phones, and there's almost nothing.
> Having a tablet that was touch controlled rather than with a stylus wasn't really a revolutionary idea since Star Trek: The Next Generation was aired in 1987, with it's touch-controlled screens [0] and PADDs [1] [2].
Star Trek: The Next Generation also has FTL drive and matter transporters that don't kill you. The idea may have come from TNG, but I think it's more that using a finger was the next logical step after the stylus than actual "inspiration" on the part of TNG.
> I expected people to be doing lots of LCARS rip-offs on MS Surface, tablets and phones, and there's almost nothing.
LCARS really isn't that practical of a user interface (narrow font, odd color scheme, lack of consistent layouts...) Michael Okuda designed it more to look futuristic and "cool" than to really be something usable.
> Star Trek: The Next Generation also has FTL drive and matter transporters that don't kill you. The idea may have come from TNG, but I think it's more that using a finger was the next logical step after the stylus than actual "inspiration" on the part of TNG.
Those are different kind of ideas. FTL drive and matter transporter might not be treated as real idea, but whatever procedures, safety precautions and logistic considerations were conceived around them may prove to be valuable ideas if we ever get to FTL/transporter technology or something similar. On the other hand, touchscreens in TNG were an useful, realistic concept.
> LCARS really isn't that practical of a user interface (narrow font, odd color scheme, lack of consistent layouts...) Michael Okuda designed it more to look futuristic and "cool" than to really be something usable.
Sure it's not really usable (compared to our current interfaces), but I personally assumed that ST is so ingrained in minds of most hackers that such projects would start appearing immediately, as an 'obvious thing to do'.
I think there's fear of legal retribution from CBS. Sure, you can hack something together for your own personal use, but don't even think about making any real money by selling an app that looks all LCARSy.
Having a tablet that was touch controlled rather than with a stylus wasn't really a revolutionary idea since Star Trek: The Next Generation was aired in 1987, with it's touch-controlled screens [0] and PADDs [1] [2].
BTW. I'm surprised by Star Trek not being mentioned at all since the dawn of consumer touch-screen technology. I expected people to be doing lots of LCARS rip-offs on MS Surface, tablets and phones, and there's almost nothing.
[0] - http://techspecs.startrek.acalltoduty.com/images/galaxy/ed-m...
[1] - http://www.teleread.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/padd.gif
[2] - http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/PADD