I love my wife’s new nano, the slickness of the interface, its ease of use and the fluid movement of pages on such a small screen is pretty darn cool. I almost wish Apple would release a developer’s kit to add a control interface capability. Aww, com’on you know you agree, this would be the ultimate key fob.
Yet, am I alone in feeling that the new nano and even the iPad is well, soul-less? I am troubled- only somewhat mildly mind you (I DO work in the belly of the beast)- by the frictionless gloss of icons. In fact, in the spirit of true disclosure I have to admit that I do not get surround sound, having compared it to overblown quad some years back on a pro AV forum on AOL. I still, mostly, stand by that assessment today.
Which brings me to my main point; I miss the tactile feel of a physical interface. Perhaps it is simple nostalgia but I long for the clickty-clack-clunk of an 8-track tape, the solid mechanical ka-chunk of open reel tape decks, and the tactile feel and response of weighted gain knobs. I am not sure just why I love these knobs so much, the sheer pleasure of them in my hand – they just feel right, perfectly balanced in my fingers and against my palm. I could make an innuendo here, which would be apt and very Miss September 63, but I think you get the gist. So deep is my love for the classic high-end gain knob that I argued vehemently to include a version on a product, I was asked to do some preliminary concept work on. (I also wanted it to have a more ‘retro’ look with a maple or cherry wood front. Perhaps I do have too many vintage Playboys with their Cutty Shark ads). The product got its gain knob but the front is basic black and silver.
Additionally I tend to gravitate toward older looking games. I still watch in awe at the offerings G4 reviews and get that reflexive itch when I am near new game consoles but I am drawn by a greater gravitational pull – the text based Zork. If you have ever played this game, you know what I am taking about. It is a simple game really; it is a treasure hunt with fighting trolls, endless caverns, singing demons in hades and an abandoned dam. All of this, and your action commands, are in text for which you have to draw maps if you are to get through it all. It is work, hands on paper and brain imagining in 3 dimensions. Do you know the old saying, that things are far more provocative when a little is left to the imagination, yeah – Sophia Loren like.
So, why I am blathering on about all this? What point could I possibly be trying to make? I really dig this video by HOLLERADO:
The Video is a one shot, one chance to get it right, human analog of effects. 'There was a time when we made things with our hands'
I COMPLETELY agree with your feelings and in fact I share your pain. Beides the poor haptics of a real world button it's the fact that buttons cannot be changed easily. If they are great units using them become legends and even if the controls are unergonomic or plain ugly it adds to the personality of the product. ProAudio guys will think about old British mixing consoles and rightly so.
ReplyDeleteWhen Steve Bobs decided to change the RF-Meter on the iPhone via a software update in order to "get it right" I had my magic moment. This is simply WRONG! A button or a meter is part of the soul and therefor unchangeable.
However, maybe we simply get old but for the time being there will be no e-books either here and you already know the reason!
P.S. This is indeed a great video!