Microsoft Surface: a little special table
Microsoft somehow shocked me this morning when he announced a really sweet new product. We don’t know this yet, but it may be the same revolution as Apple’s mouse few decades ago. Microsoft Surface, which will be demonstrated today at the All Things Digital conference, provides instant interaction between people and digital content using hand gestures on a touch screen. “With Surface, we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said. We see this as a multibillion dollar category, and we envision a time when surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the hallway mirror. Surface is the first step in realizing that vision.”
In its current form, Surface is incorporated into a 30″ display mounted into a table. This allows user involvement to expand beyond just one person. Surface is capable of recognizing input from not just one finger, but multiple up to dozens of inputs simultaneously. This technology isn’t exactly new as Apple uses a less complex version on its iPhone and “multi-touch” technology was demonstrated by Jeff Han to much fanfare last year. Microsoft, however, is bringing multi-touch to the masses. Users can perform tasks such as browsing through pictures and music files by simply using their fingers. For users operating Surface in restaurants, a simple touch of the screen could allow you to order a beverage during a meal.
Surface also has the ability to read bar codes on items to provide further information to the user. “This means that when a customer simply sets a wine glass on the surface of a table, a restaurant could provide them with information about the wine they’re ordering, pictures of the vineyard it came from and suggested food pairings tailored to that evening’s menu,” said Microsoft. “The experience could become completely immersive, letting users access information on the wine-growing region and even look at recommended hotels and plan a trip without leaving the table.” Microsoft also notes that the transfer of digital content is also possible with Surface. So it’s not too hard to envision being able to set your Zune on Surface and transfer your playlist or video files for playback on the 30″ display. Microsoft also released a nice short video clip showing the features of this new super gadget. With a 30-inch screen, Surface will initially sell for between $5,000 and $10,000. Damn, I’m quite excited, and that doesn’t happen that often with MS products.
Comments(56)
Remember it from “Minority Report”?
Well I do, it’s goddamn amazing. Good thing we have magical desks but still finance wars and leave Africa to die and diseases to kill us for ages.. good thing about gadgets, though!
emmh,
Apple invented mouse, as far as I recall
looks nice
LOL “apple invented the mouse” .. yeah right
Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse, Apple was among the first to implement the mouse thats all
http://vectronicsappleworld.com/macintosh/mouse.html
They put a touch screen into a table surface. Big deal microsoft its revolutionary!
I doubt at that price anyone will buy one, I mean it’s not really very useful it’s just more for showoff rich peeps.
@McV
I swear to god, i had that thought before i even read your comment – haha
It’s totally stolen from minority report.
.
“Remember it from “Minority Report”? ”
Actually remembers The Island a little more.
Never the less, i prefer a mouse.
To much work just to move files.
I am not a hand person. ^^
I thought of Minortiy Report when reading this as well. I hope it works like the touch screens in that movie, lol. Probably not, but future versions of Surface probably/hopefully will.
Seems quite neat anyways.
This is just sick!
Another reason to remind your children to wash their hands right after coming home. You don’t want them smudging your “surface”.
I guess someone needs to explain this to you guys.
THIS IS MULTI TOUCH DISPLAY. Yes, this IS revolutionary.
And yes, it works EXACTLY like minority report, google “multitouch display project” to see the early demo videos of it in action.
You can use ALL your fingers, and then some, as controlls. A normal touch screen can detect 1 input, multi can detect as many as you have.
The scenes of photo manipulation in Minority Report are recreated for real in the demo of this display, the original not microsofts.
This is the second step. The first was the Iphone the first public device using multitouch display.
OH and it removes the need for a keyboard, they use an onscreen virtual keyboard in the demo.
Apple of course did NOT invent the mouse. Do some research next time. Neither did they invent the GUI as some people think. Xerox did.
Multitouch screens are nothing new. I’ve seen videos with fully functional demos of such screens for years now. Microsoft probably bought some company that specializes in them.
I think it sounds cool!
Bill Gates demonstrated that table last year when he came to the University of Waterloo during his little tour in the fall of 2005. Microsoft has been developing this technology for awhile, so its nice to see that it will be available in the near future.
This little gadget looks really nice, no doubt about it, but the price? It will take ages before we’ll be seeing them in restaurants or in our homes (as depicted by the short movies on microsoft.com). 5k-10k? and for what? wireless networking? trip planner? music transfer? pictures? come on, a 300EUR home-computer is able to do all of that. Show me some real uses for this ammount of money…
its more like the table sean bean used in the Island
I dont like microsoft but this is pretty cool, I just saw a video of it in action, but one thing I think will be a problem for most people is sitting in that hunched prosition, alot of back problems I think. I am sure the kids will love it though, it can bring families together for a common goal.. orangize photo’s
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html
this is the one!
imagine how ..porn sites would be
You morons, touch screens have been around since the 1970’s in specialised industries and a MULTI TOUCH DISPLAY was first demonstrated by NEC at Tokyo in 1988. This shit has been around for 20 years and the only difference is the grahpics have got better.
There would be sheep’s sperm on these touch sreens in england because in Yorkshire that’s all they do.
fuck all this touching displays….the best way to interact with a computer would be if the computer could “read” your thoughts.
exampel:
i want to log on to rlslog.net, so i think it out laud in my head, firefox>rlslog.net and the computer just does it!
that would be really amazing!! if they can manage to make that i would buy it in an instant, no mather the cost!!!
@ traian
Think loud?
Start thinking before posting stuff like that
I thought the Surface looked amazing
Hmm it kinda looks like smth i saw at SAM in 2004 or 2005 cant quite remember. Even photoshots are simillar.
ok i just saw movie on http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html.
And hmm jeff han who presented that stuff on SAM is now workin under M$, thats explains a lot.
What *did* MicroSoft invent – what *didn’t* they steal ?
@ traian
IT’s already been done. There was a guy that implanted computer chips in himself and is able to “think” and make the computer cursor move and type etc.
As for microsoft stealing this, not quite, they probably just bought one of the companies producing these.
Yes touch screens are old news. Yes multitouch has been played with for years now.
You sir are the moron as this is one of the FIRST devices to be marketed at the home user.
That’s nothing new. Hardly revolutionary.
Microsoft completely ripped that off from some work done by NYU back in late 2005/early 2006:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-y3ZNaCqs
http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/
Furthermore, it’s ripped off from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra’s reactable:
http://www.iua.upf.es/mtg/reacTable/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-RhyopUmc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPG-LYoW27E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEDia3CFdfg
Also: This has “vaporware” written all over it, in regards to the home market.
i guess this touch screen” is just an intro into this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muibPAUvOXk
P.S
if someone knows what music plays, i would be thankfull.
This has been already been done in a much cooler way with the Reactable project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-RhyopUmc
Way to innovate, Microsoft.
Multi-touch has been around since 1982 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-touch
And I can bet that Microsoft just bought the rights to the technology and now is trying to make it seems as though they are the holy creators of the technology. It’s nothing new with microsoft, over-hyping everything they have a chance to.
Who gives a fck who invented the mouse?
jesus christ, get real! 
Nobody cares that multitouch was invented by some unknown dude in ‘82, this product still looks fcking awesome… and expensive!
Oh yea, Linux fanboys, typewriter was invented 1714, your OS is such a shameless ripoff!
I think it’s just great to spend 10k on a device that does the same thing a $5 mouse can do sure it looks really cool but think about it other then those tech demos In every day use can you think of one good function for that.
I done once a work at school about cyborgs based on a article on Wired magazine where they hocked up a paraplegic guy with a computer and he was able to control the computer throw thought that for me is break throw.
About that thoughts reader, what if one day you are showing your hot female boss a project report when a ‘thought’ comes to bang her…..
woahhhhhh thats truly amazing… i would love to have one! nice one microsoft! now just give me one to try out
Nice but too expensive if you ask me. Guys check out this website http://adbux.org/?r=yubo They pay you just for clicking on ads
Looks pretty, and the technology is amazing, but what nerd will pay 5+k for a little table that lets you plan your traveling, organize pictures, and for an application that lets you draw with your fingers. I’ll wait for some more advances before investing into this toy. This will probably be good for the rich guy who likes to draw digitally nothing more from what I see.
very cool.
reminds me of the table in ‘the island’ at the shrinks office.
OR
the one from ‘minority report’ but the islands version is waaaaaaaay cooler
wonderful how everyone is so optimistic!!
Martin for the record you put little BEFORE special
a special little table
ive seen compiz-based implementation of this shit half a year ago. microsoft cant even come up with ideas anymore
BEFORE=AFTER
Hi!! This is great product from Microsoft. Microsoft is really picking up gear into hardware technology aprt from its superb software products.
This can be one of the biggest succeesser of all products.
Oh please, some of you don’t even know what you’re talking about: “this has been done before”…yeah, okay.
Ultimately, the basic concept has been created previously. However, Microsoft is bringing it to the forefront unlike any other company (particularly because they are huge) and are integrating different features into one product.
The overall concept is DIFFERENT from anything else, admit it.
Nice interview and hands on at Redmond
“First Look: Microsoft Surfacing Computing!”
http://on10.net/Blogs/larry/first-look-microsoft-surfacing-computing/
If it can read the bardcode on a glass of wine, how far will it go? Think about it – everybody has fingerprints, so it may be possible that these devices could be used to track a lot of information about us as individuals… sorry folks, but ever since I saw Space Odyssey I have been suspicious of anything more powerful than pocket calculator
SoniKalien is right
MS is “trying” to control the world
I hope the software of this thingy is bug free
but noone with a normal wage will ever know
Ahh, the 10 grand Wank Table – I was wondering when this would arrive on the scene.
Might be nice to invite the Jehovah’s Witnesses or similar god-botherers round for a chat over your livestreaming hardcore bestiality porn table. More tea Vicar?
I dont see what the big deal with this is, Im more amazed with my Nintendo DS Lite than this. This will go nowhere.
If this was Apple selling this, everyone would be praising it. Be honest.
Objectivity in your rating of the product is preferred.
people are saying it isnt a big deal but this will be huge in the years to come…
im pretty sure they will use more things than a table…
overall when most of us reach the senior age i see this being a normal item worldwide
this ain’t stolen from Minority reports you moreons, even it existed long time ago in bank atm’s, restaurant touch screens, etc. even the nintendo ds…..this ain’t nothing new
i remember those touch screen casino game things in a local pizza store. this was like 5 years ago. is it the same? lol well yeah except its a pc and not just a basic casino game >.>
but still
Wonder if it can identify your body parts like say some erogenous part and allows you to… you know choose stuff XD *flees*
1 word:
m
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> phishybongwaters
> I guess someone needs to explain this to you guys.
Not really.
> THIS IS MULTI TOUCH DISPLAY. Yes, this IS revolutionary.
No, it is NOT a multitouch display. The display isn’t even reactive! It’s a projector and a collection of motion sensing cameras! Actual multitouch systems have already been developed and demonstrated and they are light years ahead of this cobbled together crap. Throw in the fact that the demos are faked (bar codes? are they fvcking serious?) and you have another Microsoft brain fart that won’t go anywhere.
> And yes, it works EXACTLY like minority report, google
> “multitouch display project” to see the early demo videos > of it in action.
Did you even SEE Minority Report? THERE WAS NO TABLE! Microsoft’s “Surface” has a lot in common with the computer effects in Minority Report, however. Neither of them are real products.