I ran across a post on Engadget this morning, Bumptop gives Windows 7 touchscreen PCs purpose.
I wrote about BumpTop 2 years ago. I wasn’t convinced back then on the utility of it.
I’m still not.
My thoughts remain the same – BumpTop it going too much in the direction of a literal desktop with their interface, and losing any benefits that come with a more abstracted desktop metaphor.
It’s likely that BumpTop will find a niche industry for their product that lends itself to such an interface, such as kiosks & Microsoft Surface apps in museums, science centers and other such public locations.
My problems with BumpTop echo sentiments my friend Bryan has told me when we were discussing the evolution of video games. We were talking about one of my old favorites in particular – Grand Theft Auto. According to Bryan, Grand Theft Auto 4 for the Playstation 3 is amazing. Amazing story, amazing graphics, amazing sounds, amazing effects. The problem is – it’s too much of a simulation and it begins to approach real-time and real-detail. It’s enough that I have a wife and a job and a computer and a dog in my own life, but now my video game is demanding an almost equal level of attention.
Applications don’t have to imitate every aspect of nature to feel natural and enjoyable.
Be selective in the features you choose to crank up the fidelity on when creating engaging products in experiences – that’s where the true art lies.