[monkeynotes]

I have a hard enough time getting multi-finger gestures to actually work on my iPad and that's while it is right in front of me with my full attention. I can't imagine this all happening while trying to drive the car too.

I think we have too much shit distracting us in the car as it is. I am more than happy with physical dials and sliders for A/C, dials and buttons for the audio, and hopefully someone will come up with a descent Siri-like voice command input for messages/voice and GPS.

Asking me to interact with a blank screen and having to look at it to make sure it's doing what I want is asking for trouble. Just the other day a cop was walking the line-up at the traffic lights and booking anyone who was fiddling with their phone.

[matthaeus]

The thing is though: What if in the future, every car primarily has touch interfaces? Touch screens certainly took over a lot of other product categories by storm. I'd rather be on the side of exploring out-there concepts now, and hopefully have some cool solutions in the future.

[monkeynotes]

In the future cars will drive you. You'll pay higher insurance premiums to have the right to drive the car yourself.

Touch screens that you have to actively look at to interact with will still be distracting and therefore I cannot see how they will become a primary interface of future driving. Voice command with feedback will take over here when it is mature enough.

[ajcarpy2005]

Is it really illegal to use your phone while stopped at a stoplight?

[monkeynotes]

Here in BC you can't use a hand-held cellular device in stopped traffic:

http://www.icbc.com/road-safety/safer-drivers/distractions

"The law applies even when you’re stopped at a light or in bumper-to-bumper traffic"

[SimHacker]

Since when did something not really being illegal prevent a cop from booking or at least harassing people doing something he didn't like? ;) Not that I totally disagree with him in this case, though. ;(