Microsoft unveils coffee table 'surface computer'

[Fluff]

Were there no patents on multi input touch table technology lol?

Add foot switches. And make it the size and form of a A0 Draftsman board (you know the things designers used before computers) which tilts. And that is the perfect interface.

[DGhost]

i'm not positive how modular the design is and how "isolated" the screen/touch tracking technology is from the computer, but... it would seem to me that it would be in Microsoft's best interest to try to decouple the display from the PC as quickly as possible...

not so much for any particular software/platform issues... just that if the screen/surface portions of it was modular enough, it would open development and design up to more companies and you would eventually come up with a display that is more compact and more easily deployed..

the table is cool, but the technology is really going to take off when you can put it on a wall...

[schmosef]

Steve Ballmer at D5...

Part of the interview includes a presentation of the "Surface" device. You can see from them interacting which the photos that it's still a little glitchy: link.

[Dr Mordrid]

http://www.theregister.com/2007/06/01/fentem_microsoft_surface/

>
But let's set the record straight.

Microsoft's Surface Computing isn't "a new paradigm", nor is it adding any innovation to an existing paradigm. Table computing isn't a new market, either, and Microsoft's demos are years away from being productized.

In fact, according to Bill Buxton - ironically a Principal Researcher at Microsoft's own research centre - these kinds of multi-touch interfaces have been around for over twenty years. Perhaps the Surface Computing marketing guys at Microsoft should check out Bill's web site.

Moreover, perhaps Microsoft and developers like Jeff Han at NYU, who are building these 'old-school' multi-touch interfaces out of cameras and projectors, should consider the fatal flaw in their 'innovations'. This being that all back-projection interfaces are enormous. Think about it - you've essentially got a small cinema in a box behind a screen. Forget mobility and portability. Is it even moveable?

Another major concern about this pioneering work, was pointed out by Reg commenter Nick Ryan.

"Notice something about all the examples? It's only used in the dark, which is nice considering that on average it's dark only 50 per cent of the time!"

The systems developed by Microsoft and Han do indeed look pretty on YouTube, but more pragmatic developers have known for some years that a successful commercial product would have to be flat and portable. People just don't want huge cabinets in the era of mobile computing and flat-screen TV's.
>

[schmosef]

http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2007/06/brilliant-video-on-microsoft-surface.html

[Jessterw]

Bwahahahaha

[ND66]

...



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[Claymonkey]

awesome video. I still want a touch screen table but not for $10k

[DGhost]

how about a laptop?

[schmosef]

I hate it when I get greasy fingerprints on the screen.