Remember that Warcraft 3 game you can play on a wide LCD table? Microsoft is making one (almost) just like that an is calling it Surface.
Surface is essentially a Windows Vista PC tucked inside a shiny black table base, topped with a 30-inch touchscreen in a clear acrylic frame. Five cameras that can sense nearby objects are mounted beneath the screen. Users can interact with the machine by touching or dragging their fingertips and objects such as paintbrushes across the screen, or by setting real-world items tagged with special bar-code labels on top of it.
Microsoft Surface is basically a multi-user, multi-touch coffee-table PC. Under the hood hides 5 infrared scanners, a projector and a wireless modem.
And it interacts with your other devices seamlessly…
One of the most revolutionary aspects of Surface, though, is its natural interaction with everyday objects and technologies. When you place your Wi-Fi-enabled digital camera on the table, for example, Surface “sees” the camera and does something extraordinary: It pulls your digital pictures and videos out onto the table for you to look at, move, edit or send. Images literally spill out in a pool of color.
One should really see the video here at MSNBC to realize how cool this one is.
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Yep, it looks like the href=”http://www.jozzua.com/2007/06/01/touch-screen-technology-the-future-of-computing/future of computing alright. Touch screen and surface computing looks very promising. Problem with surface is the large price tag. Jeff Han says touch screen technology is affordable.
I think this table is not suitable for its name “coffee table”. It more likely an “image table” or live-edit-photo-album table.
I can’t help but smile and be amazed as I was watching the video for surface. This is a really cool piece of gadget. I wonder how much it will cost. Let us hope we dont leave any coffee stains on it.
It costs around 10,000$
Thanks Jeffrey Wong for the price. I am not surprised that it would cost that much considering its advanced technology. Do you guys think it will be available here in the Philippines?
Having this on Starbucks would be a plus. Or in an office setting where people could meet and talk around Surface.
Well, combine Microsoft Surface with Microsoft Photosynth, a demo of which I saw just now (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/129) and I’m sure Microsoft will regain it’s coolness factor.
P.S., Surface reminds me of this office table I saw in the film The Island. Does anyone recall that?
I can’t recall that I’ve seen a similar technology on the film. However, with the futuristic setting the film is in, i guess having such technology is possible.
Remember the time Lincoln was asked to go to the doctor’s office and complained about nightmares? Lincoln drew the renovatio boat on a drawing app on the table. Prior to Lincoln entering the office, the Doctor was looking at Jordan’s files on the same table.
Oh yeah, I remember that scene. Well, what do you know, it’s science fiction no more.
I’m really looking forward in how Surface would fare in the future. Not just as a coffee table, but in the general application as a whole.