Surface Computing

[Adri]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html

"Microsoft Surface: Behind-the-Scenes First Look (with Video)
The software giant has built a new touchscreen computer—a coffee table that will change the world. Go inside its top-secret development with PopularMechanics.com, then forget the keyboard and mouse: The next generation of computer interfaces will be hands-on."

Technology is advancing more quickly every day. Sure it won't be available for personal use right away but soon. So much for people sitting on the coffee table, I guess ;)

[GeckoGeek]

Soooooo, what happens if you put a coffee cup on this coffee table? Does it start a java applet? :p

[Hellbent]

cool, i saw another version of this on another website and lost it.
the main problem i think would pop up is...
right now if you plugged in a pci card into the pc - it might not recognize it. will this surface thing be backwards compatible with bluetooth devices or will there now be a new standard and new devices be required?

the version i saw also had a restaurant scenario, the waiter put down the 'cheque' and 2 ppl put down their credit cards. the cheque had pictures of food and drinks and the ppl split the cheque by dragging the pictures to their credit cards.

[craigwatanabe]

I would imagine that a lot of people will start having neck aches from looking down all the time.

And if you put your head down for a power nap, does the computer go into sleep mode too?:D

[sophielynette]

Ah man, you guys are punny :D

Would they have tv-tray versions as the equivalent of laptops? Seriously though, I don't have room in my apartment for a coffee table..

I'm not sure I can retrain myself for a touch screen computer. I'm so used to screeching at my friends to not touch the screen. Why -is- it that people feel the need to point at things by actually touching it with their finger? And after eating?

[Pomai]

Soooooo, what happens if you put a coffee cup on this coffee table? Does it start a java applet?:D

If that's the case, I'll keep a basket of Apples on my table so that it runs OS X instead of Vista.

I wonder what command it would execute if someone were to sit on the table surface? :eek:

Of course, touch-screen interfaces are nothing new. Ever since the first iMac was introduced, I remember a company was offering touch-screen retrofit overlays for the machines so that businesses could use them for customer kiosks and such. For current Mac machines and PC monitors, there's Troll Touch (http://www.trolltouch.com/pages/products/imac.html).

Shoot, the iPhone is already heading in that direction.

[pzarquon]

There's already a pretty funny parody video, taking the original demo reel that Microsoft created and adding a voiceover:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY

[Adri]

Thanks for sharing that. I passed that along to a friend who has seen the original video, too.

[Peshkwe]

They showcased this on Good Morning America, the name has been updated to 'Microsoft Surface': The Coffee-Table PC. Looks like it'll be coming out by the end of the year.


Wonder how it'd work with Photoshop and other similar art type programs.

*sigh* I wish I was stupid rich.....*drools*

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2138251,00.asp


This is way cool too:

http://www.perceptivepixel.com/

[Miulang]

They showcased this on Good Morning America, the name has been updated to 'Microsoft Surface': The Coffee-Table PC. Looks like it'll be coming out by the end of the year.


Wonder how it'd work with Photoshop and other similar art type programs.

*sigh* I wish I was stupid rich.....*drools*

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2138251,00.asp


This is way cool too:

http://www.perceptivepixel.com/
Heheheh. Coming soon to your T-Mobile local outlet...T-Mobile phones that will synch up to that MS Surface (http://www.microsoft.com/surface/)device. A sales guy at one of their "prototype" locations said they're rolling out the new phones in the Oct-Nov. timeframe. The bummer is the Surface is slated to price around $10k.:eek: He said all you have to do is set your phone down on the top of that new device and you can get your songs, data, etc. synched up automatically.

Miulang

[Peshkwe]

Here's instructions to make your own:

http://www.instructables.com/id/EJIXKOEF3ER7VN5/

And the guy that is in the last link has instructions for $10.00 here:

http://multi-touchscreen.com/#makemultitouch

[Random]

Surface = Tablet PC on steroid.

The wargamer in me would find some good use for it.

[craigwatanabe]

It interesting after seeing the iPhone's ability to resize and flip through digital pages is about what this huge MS table can do.