Remember in Steven Spielberg’s movie Minority Report, when Tom Cruise uses his hands to manipulate data on a giant computer screen? It’s here.
Today at the D: All Things Digital conference near San Diego, Microsoft unveiled Microsoft Surface, a tabletop computer. No, it doesn’t sit on top of a table. It is the top of the table. Microsoft Surface is a translucent, interactive façade that recognizes motion and objects, and interacts with cell phones and digital cameras. No more searching for the remote controls on the table because the table is the remote control, and the video game system, and just about anything people over the next few years can dream of.
It will be tested with the public in November in restaurants, hotels, casinos and stores. Industry analyst Roger Kay says, “This is game-changing and will cause companies like Apple and Google to go back on their heels. I try not to gush too much. I think this is a really big deal.”
Read more about it:
- USA Today
- Reuters
- Tech Blog has a demo of PlayTogether using MS Surface
- Watch this description of multi-touch computer screens from Popular Mechanics.
- Watch this earlier demo from Perceptive Pixel, an early inovator of multi-touch-driven computer screens.
The integration with wireless a wireless camera and phone are excellent. Bravo Microsoft.
This is not an apple and google killer though. I would much rather have a multi-touch device that weighs 5 oz (not 150 lbs).
The demo link you specified is not for Microsoft’s product, unless they have bought out this company. See http://www.perceptivepixel.com/
Was it cnet that called it a $10,000 dollar lavalamp? I’m not sure what functionality advantages this has over using a mouse at this point in time. Touch screen is not exactly new technology…
I dunno… I’ve long wished for a card table that shuffled the cards for me — especially when I’m playing large hands, and such.
But I’ll believe this when I see it… Microsoft is famous for vaporware.
And this is just before Apple WWDC.
David,
I don’t know that Microsoft bought Perceptive Pixel. I didn’t mean that this demo was of MS Surface, but that it was an example of uses of touch-screen technology. I’ve reworded my post above to clarify that.
Microsft has been partnering with several companies for years to develop this surface. While it uses different technology then Jeffrey Hans (Han uses IR while Microsfot and its partners use cameras) they both have remarkable potential.
We’ve looked at this technology for Museum Exhibits and the Perseptive Pixel stuff is extremely expensive and he is only licensing to government right now. Microsft is one of hte few companies that can make this mainstream enough that we can even begin to afford it.
Plus, Apple has been rumored to be working on it’s own multi-touch monitors, but we all know how rumors go. I think for certain things, this really COULD revolutionize the industry.
I think I saw this about 10 years ago…. on a star trek show. Seriously now, star trek was all about interfacing with the computer using flat surfaces. I never did figure out how those star trek characters could type up anything on those things though.