The ever-impressive Swedish interface gurus The Astonishing Tribe just posted a new video envisioning what kinds of screens we’ll be using in the year 2014. They stretch fluidly and share seamlessly, and I want to use them right now.
The group thinks we’re on the verge of a screen Renaissance:
Screen technology is now taking the next leap and the coming years imagination is the only thing stopping us. We will soon have dual screens, malleable screens, screens built into wifi connected mirrors, desks or backside of gadgets clothed with e-ink screens, tactile feedback, colour screens with great contrast in sunlight, holographics/stereoscopic screens, colour e-ink touch screens, or screens actually knowing where they are in relation to other screens thanks to ultrasonic emitters and microphones.
This video doesn’t show any interfaces or products that are actually slated to come to market; rather, it’s TAT’s vision of where the industry is heading. I like it! And I eagerly anticipate my iPad Stretch. [TAT]
JImmy
Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 7:40 AMI think i need to change my pants…… If only this was actually real and not an envisioning of what could be.
Kevin Russell
Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 11:46 AMI’ve always imagined that we’d have mobile phone screens that you could make bigger on the fly. I think it’s definitely the future. While this video looked good (apart from dodgy tracking), it didn’t really address how the mechanics of this could work. I imagine that the screen would roll out with a telescopic support behind it.
I think I’d find a see-through screen a bit annoying but the desk screen looked like a pretty good idea.
Good on them for not making the phone look too much like an iphone.
Grayda
Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 4:18 PMYou can tell they weren’t Apple devices they were using. Sharing stuff was WAY too easy
Steve
Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 5:11 PMI don’t think we’ll ever have screens that can just extend like that. We’ll probably have flexible ‘sheets’ but nothing which can stretch like that without hinges, sliders, borders etc. Where would the power supply be? How could it just ‘extend’ as so without any deterioration in display quality?
Another pet peeve: Transparent screens. Sci-Fi films love showing us how in the future everyone’s packing some beautiful clear screen, but why? Sony’s released the Pureness phone and it’s extremely distracting to look at with poor contrast in the background. Transparent screens have their uses (HUDs in vehicles, glasses etc) but definitely won’t replace conventional displays.