Saying Goodbye to the Mouse

Mouse-free computing is something we have just begun to taste. We have touchscreens on many devices including tablets, phones, and e-readers. These allow us to access the Internet; send texts, and emails all without a mouse. Is this the shape of things to come? Can we eventually leave the mouse in the dust and start mastering more advanced ways of communicating with our computers?

Gesture sensing

Gesture sensing is one thing most gamers understand. The PlayStation and Wii both make use of this technology. Simply by using a wireless remote you can control the game using only body movements. This technology has not been perfected or widely applied to computing but think about the possibilities. Perhaps in the foreseeable future we will boot our computer by putting on a sensor bracelet and each little gesture we make will execute a task on our computer!

Multi-touch technology

Multi-touch technology is the one other interactive innovation. This is what is being applied any time you tap your smartphone screen to access programs, or swipe your finger across the surface of your tablet to switch screens. In the past couple of years we have seen lots of growth in this technology. Do you think this will end up being the primary way we navigate around our computers?

Voice recognition

This technology has been around for a while but has had a lot of kinks. As these get resolved, it will continue to gain global recognition. This technology allows people to simply speak commands to their computer to execute them. The most widespread vendor for vocal recognition software is Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Once this technology is refined the possibilities for its utilization in computing are endless.

No matter what happens, though, chances are that we’ll still rely, at least somewhat, on the humble mouse. All things considered, it has served us well for quite some time.