Aqua-Soft ForumsMicrosoft Surface
It's kinda cool, but I don't really see the point. In a home situation, I'd still prefer a computer. If this were installed at a kiosk, I still don't see the point, because why would it be good for multiple people to use one kiosk? If I'm at the zoo, and want to see a map, I don't want 5 other people looking at it as well, with 5 different goals in mind. It seems kinda redundant.
I am honestly impressed with the interoperability between media devices they showed in the demo.
Yeah, and the ability to differentiate wine glasses, credit cards, Zune, etc..
Wonder if it has a blue screen of death...
Ertai88 thanks for the link Amazing if you ask me 
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if you look at it, the surface logo looks a little bit like the curly mac icon.
looks really cool, but i don't think the software will be able to live up to the capabilities of the hardware. hopefully more companies will dive into multi touch technologies (apple uses multi touch in iphone, i thought it was one of the 200+ patents but guess not)
Yeah, I thought that Multi-Touch was Apple's creation, but turns out that it's kind of U of T and Bell Labs.
Apple still have Multi-Touch patent... but Surface used different method for "Multi-Touch". Apple's uses screen's surface as sensor grid to detect and process multiple touch points, while this MS Surface uses 5 cameras to detect multiple touch. So in short the method is different from Apple's patent.
Truly Amazing I wonder what the cost is though. I hate to say it but this beats anything apple has unvealed yet. Digital Furniture! EDIT omg it's gonna cost $10,000!
"Such sweet tech comes at a price, naturally, with the units running $10,000 a pop. But, Microsoft expects prices to plummet over the next three to five years to the point they'll be in your homes. In the meantime you'll be able to play with them at T-Mobile stores, Harrah's and Sheraton hotels."
i love this as a concept, but i seriously doubt the future is as optimistic as this show puts on.
1). Seriously? who is going to buy a $10,000 piece of furniture unless it can turn into a tv, and then we'll end up watching the table instead...
2). How many driver errors and uac are we going to see before the table can communicate with your phone?
3). I can't think of any mainstream restaurant that is willing to install one of these into every table.
4). Do you really trust a computer with your credit card when you can't see even what is going on in the background of it running? Seriously?
5). Its quite similar to the vista advert, and the wow didn't really catch on that great there.
6). Ooh wow, a table that shouts SPAM at you whereever you are! (the drinks bit)
7). I'd rather type in or speak the music i'd like to hear rather than dragging my hand sideways until i see an album art out of the 1000 others there.
This reminds me a lot of the sims 2, for some reason, maybe it's the music or the way everything seems to want to just work.
Anybody else feel their fingertips start to get filthy after dragging them across a touchscreen table? it'll be great for hygeine!
did i miss any point? it looks cool but it doesn't seem worth it, in this computer literate age why are we being asked to go back to the drawing board and rethink the mouse and keyboard? Also, any idiot could have planned that journey, all the roads in his area are STRAIGHT.
AT, it's called a Saint Hannes cross, or clover.
And yeah... that multi-touch isn't Apple's alone?
its certainly got potential... dare I say it, the next big thing in computing.
But I think it could go further than Microsoft's implementations.
I think it should have dual displays, one to operate (say on the coffee table, moving some photo collections around) and the other to simply display the photo in say a slideshow mode...
It would be great to have in a lounge room. When friends are over; not everyone wants to crane thier neck over a coffee table. so why not just have the coffee table as the visual input and the second display as well... the display.
What Im wondering, is what happens to the folder hierachy of windows. I mean.... lets say you have over 2000 photos.... you cant just have them all sitting in one clustered mess. there needs to be some sort of way to sort them into collections.
It is a different surface technology than other versions. The cameras make it infinitely more useful as they recognize objects, barcodes, object codes, credit cards, etc. Some of the others use touch sensors that recognize pressure. One thing I like about this is it's durability. You break or scratch a touch screen and it's toast. This one seems like you could easily replace the glass(plastic?) surface if it gets scratched or dirty.
This wasn't designed to be made for personal use, but commercially it will be big. 10 grand is nothing in Vegas or New York, etc.
For those of you who haven't seen a propper photo/image of Microsoft's "Surface" yet, here you go...
>> Microsoft Surface <<
Please don't flame me about it being a mere photo on the Wiki site, I only thought I'd link this photo cause it's the best one i've seen of it.
[update]
Heh, after posting this I just noticed the "Microsoft Surface" thread below. Perhaps I should haved linkied in there? Feel free to move if you wish mods! //Post Moved. -NC
Nice one, Slewed. I watched it twice, soo funny.
They shoulda left the iPhone hit out, though, kinda killed it...
I don't think the idea will truly take off. For this thing to truly work, MS would have to get companies to put fancy sensor-chip thingies on their products (credit cards, cellphones, PDAs, iPhones) so it could communicate with the table.
Nice find Slewed.
I don't think the idea will truly take off. For this thing to truly work, MS would have to get companies to put fancy sensor-chip thingies on their products (credit cards, cellphones, PDAs, iPhones) so it could communicate with the table.Nice find Slewed.
There's this cool technology... it's called Blue Tooth. Perhaps you've been in a cave for the last 5 years and missed the memo? 
That's how it identifies "what" is on the surface. 
It also isn't really meant for home use just yet.
More for the retail industry.
Cool concept though.
Um. They're cameras. They explain that the cameras recognize things like the brushes, cups ets, so those devices need no bluetooth etc.
Um. They're cameras. They explain that the cameras recognize things like the brushes, cups ets, so those devices need no bluetooth etc.
He was talking about digital devices, not objects in general. A camera can't retrieve the information about your cell phone or PDA.
(credit cards, cellphones, PDAs, iPhones)
Some credit cards already have RFID chips in them for things like Express Pay. The same technology can work with this.