Microsoft Surface Computing is here!!!!!

[rassmatic]

At the D: All Things Digital conference Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will unveil Microsoft Surface, the first in a new category of surface computing products from Microsoft that will “break down traditional barriers between people and technology”.

A Surface computer is able to recognize physical objects from a paintbrush to a cell phone and allows hands-on, direct control of content such as photos, music and maps. Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a dynamic surface that provides interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects.

The new product is aimed directly at hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and public entertainment venues and should be commercially available towards the end of the year.

It’s an interesting product in that it’s completely out of left field. Microsoft gives examples of ordering a beverage during a meal with just the tap of a finger and quickly browsing through music and dragging favorite songs onto a personal playlist by moving a finger across the screen. Build this into a bar and you’d get one-touch beer service although I’m not sure if they’ve found a way to work out when your beer glass is empty so replenishment becomes automatic, maybe in a later version.

The practical uses for Surface at the point of sale are broad. This is touch screen point of sale technology at a new level.



Official Website: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Videos: http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=4907

Amazing technology. computers of tomorrow are going to be amazing......not to mention expensive.

[Czar]

Right now it's limited to retail use...especially when you consider the US$10000 price tag. But it looks quite promising indeed.

[Arcmanov]

Imagine having this in an electronics store.  Now employees can SHOW rather than explain how to hook up that new
HDTV you just bought.

The possiblities of this thing for learning and business are almost limitless.

[CMR170889]

I know it limitless but how quick do you think the employees will mash it up?

Im thinking mostly those workers in stores that doesnt want to work and are always with a hard face and looking super frustrated due to the small pay they HAVE to collect due to their own downfall........lol.........

Is it really that easy to use ?   and also How can we tweek it and upgrade it...........anyone thinking RTS gaming on this?

[Beomagi]

consider the advances for the gui in general.

It need not be a table. multiple mouse pointers, looks rather useful in how they're implemented. touch a picture with two fingers and you can enlarge it, move it, spin it! that tech surely isn't 10k, but more like an expansion to vista.

Heck I remember when 30" plasmas were low crappy res, and 10k back in nov 2001 (my first maximum pc magazine issue!). So even as far as commercial lines go, this is a nice start.

The toughest thing they had imo, was detecting that a wifi enabled device was on the table. It's easy to detect that a wifi device is near, that one is in range. I haven't a clue how they'd see if one is on the table, unless they're using multiple wifi detection sensors to triangulate it. Otherwise, say you got 2 zunes on the table. The wifi will tell you there's 2 zunes. The touch screen, tells you there's two objects on the table - but that's it. a precise setup to detect the location of a wifi object can't be cheap at all - but that is unnecessary. detecting a zune is in wifi range, and drawing a random circle somewhere would be fine.

[rassmatic]

can u imagine just how much fun Pong and Breakout will be on this thing?