Rather odd timing, given some
recent developments in the Apple camp, but Microsoft Research has just surfaced some of its incredibly wild multitouch mouse prototypes. Each one uses a different touch detection method, and at first glance all five seem to fly in the face of regular ergonomics. The craziest two are probably "Arty," which has two articulated arms to cradle your thumb and index finger, with each pad housing its own optical sensor for mission-critical pinching gestures, and "Side Mouse" which is button free and actually detects finger touches in the table immediately in front of the palm rest. Of course, there's plenty of crazy in the FTIR, Orb Mouse and Cap Mouse (pictured), which rely on an internal camera, orb-housed IR camera and capacitive detection, respectively. Of course, there's no word on when these might actually see the light of day, but it should be quite obvious that Apple's not the only game in town thinking about this stuff. Check out the utterly enlightening video of these things in action after the break.
posted October 5th 2009 12:53PM
@Nelson
Microsoft has the biggest R&D expense in tech. No one in silicon valley gets even close.
So yeah, considering that they spend almost ten times the amount Apple spends, Microsoft R&D kinda sucks.
Right, because whatever you hear about first had to be started first.
Decoy - No, I'm sure you're right. After all, Microsoft is well known for their "innovation". There's the Zune - no wait, they only made the Zune because the iPod became popular. Well the Zune HD, which - no, they were just copying the iPod Touch that time. Well there's Windows, which - No, Mac OS was out years before Windows was. Mouse-driven GUI? nope. Office? Well they were only doing that because of the Office-type programs already out for the Mac, but the really funny part is that they made Office for the Mac before they made a Windows version. Bing? Sure, if you weren't aware that Google already existed.
Um... so what else has Microsoft done that actually INNOVATES, i.e. do something that nobody else has ever done? Surface? Yeah, Surface probably. In any case if you actually believe Microsoft had this idea to do a multitouch mouse all by themselves, you obviously haven't been paying attention to how Microsoft does things for the last thirty years.
Wow this is the worst "MS copies" comment ever! So you can't introduce any product if someone has already has something like it out? Good thing google didn't listen to this staggering stupidity since there multiple search engines by the time they rolled around. You do realize that apple did not invent the mp3 player yes? Should they not have introduced one since other companies had YEARS before? Actually, since they stole creative’s UI for the iPod (and had to pay creative royalties after being sued) maybe they did the help.
>In any case if you actually believe Microsoft had this idea to do a multitouch mouse all by themselves
You have not paid attention to ANYTHING in the last 30 years. In Jobs OWN WORDS he saw that PARC Xerox held the future of computing with its GUI and rushed back to apple to begin creating his own version. Hell, everything in the current touch interface everyone is so excited about (pinching to zoom etc.) was written about with months after the first working multitouch screens. (20ish years ago.) These patterns have held. It is not just MS. No one has tech idea by themselves. The programs you know as iTunes, Final Cut, and Garageband were all purchased by apple long ago. Google earth wasn’t google’s idea and so on. There is not a single major GUI convention or hardware innovation out now that was not theorized agos
Danny, you need to pay attention a little harder. You see Nelson's comment up there? That's what I was responding to. He seems to think MS is actually innovative. Are they? Are they really coming up with new things before anybody else is?
Xerox PARC has nothing to do with it. I never said Apple invented the GUI, did I? I said they did it before Microsoft did, which is 100% true. Everything I said in that post was 100% true, and I don't really give a shit if you don't like it. That's your problem. This isn't about every company in the universe, this is about MICROSOFT. This is about Microsoft conveniently coming up with these multitouch mouse concepts after the general public has been made aware that Apple is working on one.
Have you not been paying attention at all? Microsoft doesn't do anything unless somebody else makes it popular first. And now MS just waits for Apple to come out with a new product, and copies it without even waiting to see if it's going to be successful or not. They just figure it will be, so they go ahead with it. Ooh, INNOVATIVE.
@ Jack
You really don't understand how long it takes to create a product.
For Example.
The apple "multitouch mouse" was just a rumour a month ago. If microsoft started making these after the rumour, then why doesn't apple have a functioning device? Why didn't they announce it in the beginning of september? Clearly if MS can create 5 multitouch mice in less than a month apple can produce their one.
Q.E.D
Me too!
I liked every one of those, and would love to see more variety in the market.
Generic humoristic comment about the mental abilities of the people who start this kind of pointless arguments.
Crap... I so much hate this comments system today ( again :-( ).
LOL @ your FAIL
Seems to me that Microsoft are desperate to prove they can keep up with Apple.
First they "leak" a touch screen tablet design with the Courier, then they put this video out days before Apple is almost certainly going to release their multi-touch mouse.
Ya, and then there was that time that they put Surface(from which the tech for these mice and the courier comes) in a film a full year before the iPhone was made public. Wait, what was your point again?
Yes, because according to you, 'researching' really means 'days from release'
I knew about the Courier a long time before this current crop of MacsiPad rumours.
I'm sure they're desperate to be one of the most profitable businesses in the world... Wait, no, they already are.
I know, james. The Courier is a complete rip-off of the Mac's iPad. I use my Mac's iPad every single day to listen to music, read books, create drawings, annotate text, everything. Then Microsoft (sorry, M$) comes along and creates a blatant copy of the Mac's iPad and claim it is new and revolutionary. When will M$ stop copying Apple's every step? They must be stopped now! Don't let people like Mark confuse you, this "Surface" thing is just a made up lie - have you ever seen one being carried around by those Apple haters? And later they will just tell you that M$ had this thing called a "Tablet" for years, but don't you listen to them. It is all an elaborate story to make you think that M$ thought of everything first, when we on the inside know that Apple is really the source of all innovation.
Knew that would wind you up- U GEEKS!
Once ideas are on video it becomes 'prior art' and hard for apple or others to patent.
A flaw in the apple philosophy is that they keep everything secret at all cost so they can't apply the same trick.
Groan....
I got some sort of RSI just from looking at that video, MS can expect a letter from my attorneys shortly suggesting a settlement.
I think the UnMouse Pad from Microsoft will easily get rid of the new mice that are being made right now if you prefer fingers to clicking.
http://www.tvlesson.com/video/39911_how-to-use-the-microsoft-unmouse-pad-prototype.html
Let's see all the MS fanboys getting their panties wet about this hypothetical vaporware MS mouse after all the rabid bashing they did about against latest Apple mouse/keyboard Engadget article (http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/02/new-apple-bluetooth-keyboard-arrives-at-the-fcc-new-mouse-rumor/)
AWESOME! I want arty! And I want the first one and the third one ... I want them all. This is the future!
I'd like one big enough so I can sit on it. Why? You ask?
Did anyone else notice Microsoft is using linux (well at least its not windows) for it's research.
the second gaming mouse is obviously being used on vista.
Oh my aching hands from raking in lawsuit grand$ with carpel-tunnel wrist bands...
Ohhhh my... why even show this crap.
MSI Explorer is a supreme mouse (even tho it will break after aprox 1-2 years).
But this just look like crap and not usefull at ALL...
I think FTIR and Cap could be usable, or generally easier to be picked up by the average consumer.
Arty seems mostly pointless, unergonomic.
I'm glad both MS and are working on devices that should have been out since Surface was popping it's head out.
Oh, and Apple: it's about time you release something. It's been 2 years since this was filed... http://www.macrumors.com/2007/07/05/apple-investigating-mulittouch-mouse/
This video looks like it was made by a homebrew indie developer, not a multi billion dollar company.
The timing and low quality of this video tells us that it is a rushed response by Microsoft on the Apple rumors regarding the multitouch mouse. Unfortunately, one company creates videos and the other creates shipping products. And don't forget that the argument that Microsoft doesn't build hardware, doesn't apply in this case. Microsoft is a well known developer of keyboards and mice.
(I'm writing this on a Microsoft keyboard)
Agreed. The timing is just too suspect.
More and more MS is turning into IBM during its post-mainframe glory days. Loads of cash into R&D with great ideas but unable to execute products that people want to use.
That's a lot of right-handed people.
That first image looks like a part of a leg off a mannequin wearing nylons. I'll have to check out the video at home to change/fix my initial perception.
I believe it was inspired by the lamp in A Christmas Story
OK, so everyone can do multi-touch now. So how about some useful examples?
I didn't see any interaction example in that video, that I use, that couldn't be done with a mouse with a wheel. The only thing relevant in the video was drag and zoom. The examples all looked awkward to do with their devices.
too slow for playing games, get headshot LOL
some are good, but the touch surface is better
why is everyone trying to make some crazy mouse or some stupid touchscreen. I never see a useful application for any of this. "oh look, I can zoom in and out!" I love progress but this is a joke. I am more productive with a regular mouse.
@ Jack
You really don't understand how long it takes to create a product.
For Example.
The apple "multitouch mouse" was just a rumour a month ago. If microsoft started making these after the rumour, then why doesn't apple have a functioning device? Why didn't they announce it in the beginning of september? Clearly if MS can create 5 multitouch mice in less than a month apple can produce their one.
Q.E.D
Based on this boring ass video I’m now convinced that Apple’s forthcoming new input device will slam Microsoft's entry.
Regards,
It is funny that so many people claim that MS copies everything Apple does. Actually lots of iPod touch features are based on Microsoft patents.
LOL. I bet Jobs is shitting in his pants "HEY, THAT'S MY ZERO-BUTTON MOUSE!"
Combining the orb mouse and the ibm nipple mouse will fulfill the fantasies of many men.
No tactile feedback: fail
Needing hold hover your finger above the mouse when not clicking: Fail
Only one gesture at a time (no move AND resize): Fail
Implementing 10 year old technology this badly: Fail
Well, I have to say, looks like a Fail to me!
I am looking at this and I find myself amazed about the limited imagination of the developers.
Here you have the change to reshape the landscape when it comes to point-ware and what do they do? They come up with great ideas and put it into another mouse design.
Granted I am no engineer but wouldn't it be more logical as well as ergonomical to embed this technology in let's say a flatsurface object like a mousemat?
Don't know.. its just an idea.
What everyone seams to be missing the most amazing part. From what I can get from the image gallery for this post, all of these input devices can hover above your desk. That is simply amazing. Way to go MS.
Bad Photoshop aside, my main issue would be that most of these look uncomfortable so far. I will admit I use MS wireless mice with my Macs as the Mighty Mouse as it is just does not feel right to me.
These mice look cool and all, and the idea is definitely worth developing, but is it just me or do all these mice simply look really uncomfortable? I feel like in the FTIR one, you wouldn't be able to rest your finger otherwise it would think your clicking. The guy demonstrating them looks like he's straining his hand/wrist to use these gestures. Hopefully, they refine these to make them super ergonomic.