How might the new Apple iPad be useful for BIologists - not just for the apps but as a multi-touch interface to our machines, networks and more.

1. the iPad:
an interface for Biologists?

2. what is it?

3. The official description
http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/

4. for biologists?

5. my ‘home’ screen

6. the usual stuff
• Literature - Papers app
• Websites - Safari Browser
• News - News Rack, etc.
• PDFs - GoodReader
• Presentations - Keynote
• Documents - Pages
• Spreadsheet - Numbers

7. NewsRack
NB: Use RSS to have literature (and news, etc) pushed to you, no
need to go to PubMed all the time for your regular searches

8. DropBox
‘cloud storage’ of your files, with a copy on your desktop this is a
good way to move things to the iPad. ‘Star’ the file to keep a copy
on your iPad/iPhone rather than downloading from network

9. Papers

10. but what is it... ...really?

13. 9.7” touch
screen

14. 9.7” touch
screen
WiFi
Bluetooth,
3G

15. 9.7” touch
screen
WiFi
Bluetooth,
3G
GPS

16. 9.7” touch 16-64Gb
screen
WiFi
Bluetooth,
3G
GPS

17. 9.7” touch 16-64Gb
screen
Dock
Audio in/out
WiFi
Bluetooth,
3G
GPS

18. A thing you can touch that will
hold lots of data, knows where it
is, where its going and can
access the web and anything*
that you can find (or put) online
*http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/

19. Digital Interface
the ‘real’ Korg Electribe

20. Digital Interface

21. Digital Interface

22. Instrument Controls?
+ +

23. Touch interface....

24. Would you untagle this..

25. With only one of these?

26. How about this?

27. with this...?

28. two hands please!

29. http://mattgemmell.com/2010/05/09/ipad-multi-touch

30. http://mattgemmell.com/2010/05/09/ipad-multi-touch

31. other multitouch ideas
http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_han_demos_his_breakthrough_touchscreen.html

32. Data Review?
Stacks of genes instead of photos? Show connections within & between stacks in
real time? Sort/save like cards on a table, not with clicks and checkboxes.

33. Augmented Reality
These are iPhone apps, but how about an iPad
with a camera or external video feed +
medical imaging

34. What else?
• Implications of touch screen on user interface?
• Change how we do (design) things?
• Life beyond mouse + dropdowns, radio buttons, scroll bars!
• Portable documents (iPad is big enough to read. Almost
like...uh...paper but, brighter and more glossy! So what else
should it do to leverage this new medium?)
• Portable web connection (wifi/3G) - always online
• Interface to hardware - what can we do with this?
• Location - Field work, GPS coords of sample, patient, etc.
• Clinical uses (will a normal web-style interface work?)