New Pen Technology

Jim Marggraff (maker of LeapFrog) has done it again! His company Livescribe has created a new pen technology that could potentially connect paper and the digital world. Margrraff thought there was more to pen technology then having users "write" on computer screen displays with a stylus.. Livescribe used a ballpoint pen that can be used on paper imprinted with small dots. There is a camera near the pen's tip that monitors the dots as the users writes. The camera records what is being written. The pen also has two microphones to record sound and a speaker for playblack. Programs and data files can be up/down loading to and from a PC.

Marggraff estimates the cost of the pen to be $200 bucks and will be marketing to college students when it is launched this coming Fall. It will be interesting to see how well this product does in the market and how much impact it will be for students' learning and information recall. There is a concern that students are beginning to move away from the pen and paper era and into typing and texting. Although many students do carry a lap top to class to take notes, I think the majority of them don't and could benefit from such a pen. The pen would be easier to carry. I wonder how much note taking can happen a day without the ink running on e(empty).

This pen would be a more natural way to take notes. However, let's face it, we doodle and draw on our paper as well...back the question of how much ink does thing hold LOL

ID and Engineer Battle

There have been many HCI courses that I have taken since the start of my graduate program. All have been focused on a particular section of interaction design (research, prototyping, usability testing, etc). I pretty much know what the courses will be like from now until I finish my program. So I also know what the courses won't be like as well.

In all classes, there has been discussion (even jokes) about the realities of really working on a design team for a particular product or with a particular company. Class presenters have also shared their real world experiences in this arena with us, giving us the low down about the relationships and interactions between marketing, business, engineering, and interaction design. At this point, I pretty much know that there will be difficulty fitting into a team as interaction designer because in some companies, we won't be taken seriously and there will be pull from each department to try and outdo each other and be "right". In essence, communication will be an integral part of this team effort.

So I wonder, why don't we have seminars or actual classes where the university does its best to integrate all these different individuals (computer science people, engineers, marketers, business people, and interaction designers) into a project in an attempt to simulate what a "real world" experience would be like. I think something like this would be phenomenal and help all parties better understand the different types of people and hence mentalities they will encounter. We would learn so much more from each other than simply reading or hearing about it. Seem like this would really help prepare us for the inevitable.

Since communication will be essential, I think we should start working on that a little early on in the game....just a thought.

Is Google crossing the line?

So Google introduced its Street Map View. As of now, you can only see certain cities in the US map with this feature. Before you were able to see aerial views of what was on the map via satellite. Now they have moved from aerial to street view.

http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/index.html

I must say that I am extremely amazed and impressed with this new map. Not only can you see the city as if you were physically there but you can navigate around the city continuously as if you were taking a stroll down the street. As if that wasn't enough- you can ZOOM IN. You can see into peoples apartments, you can see what people are doing outside, you can see it all!

Now, this is when privacy may come into play. How much is too much for people to handle. This mini brave new world view is a little frightening for some. In an article in the NY Times, a woman in California was disturbed when she tried out the Street View demo and saw her cat in the window of her building. She claims, "If the government was doing this, people would be outraged." I have to agree with that.

Google stated, "This imagery is no different from what any person can readily capture or see walking down the street." It seems fair. However, I do have a slight issue with that. The zooming can really be like a "peeping Tom" kinda thing. Yes people do walk down the street and can see things for themselves- but the zooming is like someone going across your lawn, getting a ladder or stoop, and proceeding to peak into your window. I think that is a little too much.

Maybe they can reduce the zoom??