MESH : Supporting Mobile Multi-modal Interfaces

Handheld devices possess limited input and output functionality when compared with desktop computers. However, many mobile interfaces are simply adaptations of desktop GUIs, and not designed specifically with this reduced capacity for communication in mind. Multi-modal interfaces may serve to redress this discrepancy. In particular we suggest that input in the form of motion and output in the form of vibration is a powerful combination. We describe MESH, a novel expansion for iPaq handheld computers featuring such functionality and a number of application domains that we exploring to showcase how its capabilities can be employed.