The Aurora Browser Concept

Aug. 6, 2008

7:39 pm

Apparently, Mozilla recently approached Adaptive Path to develop a concept browser that, as the Aurora site states, "explores new ways people could interact with the Web in the future based on projected technological trends and real-world scenarios." Watching this, my first thought is that I'd have a hard time learning all of these gestures, data/presentation relationships, etc. My second thought is that something like this will almost certainly be developed, and my kids will be far more skilled at using it than me.

Comments

August 8, 2008

2:53 pm

I liked the data sets idea, but honestly how often will you get two random data sets to match up at all? Even with standardization it would be hit or miss. A better option would be to have the ability to change window transparencies-- thus you take two line graphs and physically line them up ala “real life”. The closer you approximate reality the better, IMHO.

I’m always slightly bored when I see vaguely futuristic designs. Visual clustering may be the future of the web, but surely it will come about due to advances in interface technology instead of fancier graphic engines. What exactly is Maxine Headroom using here anyway? A trackball combined with an extendo-lampshade? Puh-lease.

Contrary to popular tech trends, I bet the input device of the future will be the glove, not the screen (or the lampshade trackball). The glove can touch a flat surface as well as “take off” to navigate three dimensions. They also fold nicely and will fit in a purse / murse. (And thanks to the Japanese, a prototype already exists.)

Jason (#)

August 8, 2008

5:34 pm

In re: to the data/presentation objects idea, I don’t think it’s really all that far of a stretch to imagine the presentation object “working” most of the time. I think if you looked at ALL CHARTS ON THE WEB FOREVER AND EVER you’d probably find that a surprising number share an axis - time. Comparing the way two things happen over time would work well, and because computers tend to express time the Unix way, the standardization is already as good as built in.

We’re in total agreement about the glove. Tom Cruise has already proved it’s the wave of the future.

Matt Dawson (#)

Whaddya think?