Microsoft Surface

[Kire]

Multi-touch interface, big ass screen, recognizes several different inputs and stuff (like laying your credit card or a digital camera on the screen). God damn...that's pretty neat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VfpVYYQzHs

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Microsoft Surface

I remember seeing some tech-demos for this a while back, probably linked off of here. Still not completely convinced it will be more efficient than what we have now, but certainly more intuitive and cool. Of course who knows how far off this is, as Microsoft couldn't even roll out a new File System for Vista like they had originally planned as it was too ambitious. So I wouldn't be expecting this to become common too soon, maybe within 5 years though I would put it at around 10 or so before it becomes affordable for the common consumer. Hmm seems it will be commercially available in a year, so maybe this is what Microsoft was focusing on instead.

Still really awesome though, and there has been tons of research into this, including some on taking advantage of this for gaming. Being able to play Chess like in the one Cowboy Bebop episode (Bohemian Rhapsody I believe), or other table top like games by recognizing the pieces. I know a few companies have researching using these as collaborative tools for things like interior design and the like. So it looks really promising as the new way to interact with your computer, probably in conjunction with a mouse or at least a keyboard. Still would be nice to have a 35" or something computer screen, though I'm not so sure I liked the ease of putting something on someone else's credit card shown in the final scene.

Another video on this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlZxuqjJDgk&NR=1.

[Alex]

Re: Microsoft Surface

Remember when Steve Jobs patented that.

[altoecko]

Re: Microsoft Surface

I believe this is the same type of technology: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-RhyopUmc

I want a Reactable SOOOOO bad.

[neobi]

Re: Microsoft Surface

Remember when Steve Jobs patented that.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Smurtle again.
~~~~~


Yes indeed, even the new iPhone has multi touch capabilities.

Microsoft can kiss my *** and when google comes out with their new operating system microsoft is going to plumet for microsoft users, and I'll stick with my mac. The future of computers has it so it doesn't matter which OS you're using cause 90% of everything will be on the web. Even photoshop has announced a web version where you pay a monthly fee. Yeah, it's going to be a sweet world....well until we blow ourselves up but blaaah.

[Funk]

Re: Microsoft Surface

This won't give my fingers the blue screen of death, will it? 'Cuz I'm kinda fond of my fingers.

[Kefka Jr.]

Re: Microsoft Surface

I'll get one once they release the Pre-Crime Buster app.

[Kire]

Re: Microsoft Surface

This won't give my fingers the blue screen of death, will it? 'Cuz I'm kinda fond of my fingers.

[Funk]

Re: Microsoft Surface



I remember that! And I love it!

[Dusk Raven]

Re: Microsoft Surface

I know what Star Trek: TNG episode that's from (minus the blue screen, and I know what it is but not the name)!

[Denmo]

Re: Microsoft Surface

Apple beat them to it. The iPhone already uses the multi-touch technology.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Apple finish the same thing long before Microsoft does it.

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Microsoft Surface

Apple beat them to it. The iPhone already uses the multi-touch technology.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Apple finish the same thing long before Microsoft does it.

Well who's to say they didn't get it from the computer research community, since I know I saw demonstrations at conferences online of multi touch technology and the exact things shown in Microsoft's Surface (also had a graphics program which created a bouncing ball on each touch, and the whole image thing), before this iPhone came out. Are we all against competition with similar products, I thought that's what we wanted (it tends to drive costs down). So I'm pretty sure MS came up with their own way to implement this that does not infringe on the patent of Apple, just because it looks the same to the consumer does not mean it's the same under the hood. People have been 'stealing' ideas from each other since computing began, it's what computing has been built on. So sure it's not as innovative as Microsoft claims, but does your iPhone recognize things put on it or next to it?

So it's still cool.

[Kire]

Re: Microsoft Surface

geez, I'm sick of people saying "iPhone already has multi-touch, dur dur." The fact that it's able to recognize different shapes and inputs and react accordingly is more amazing to me...I saw a different demo where the guy put his phone down, and menus popped up all around it with options of what to do with, or add to the phone.

[neobi]

Re: Microsoft Surface

Okay Jeff Han was one of the main pioneers of this technology. He has most the copyrights, he's seperate from Apple but has been in co-op with them as of late, he's helped on the iPhone. And you're right a lot of ideas are stolen in the comp world, just sucks that 90% have been stolen by Microsoft and never developed by them. Yaay recycle bin?

[Caciss]

Re: Microsoft Surface

Oh, noes he stole the recycle bin.

No one yells at Coca-Cola for stealing some of Pepsi's advertising techniques.

It's called a competitive market.