9 replies to this topic

[bthaxor]

now this is what you call innovation

for me, it is the first useful thing that microsoft has done so far

imagine being able to convert a tabletop into a supercomputer (slight exaggeration) . most importantly, one which you can control enitrely by touch!!!

this is what microsoft have done - and i am at a loss for words

i don't think i could explain this any better literally - watch the videos to find out yourself.

links:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player...bctid=933742930

microsoft.com/surface

[Lyon2]

I saw the video, absolutly awesome, i just can not buy it know but i am hoping in a near future i will.

It is not to use as a personal computer exactly but, for images and maps sharing/viewing/showing, including to personal friends and/or family that comes to our house, it is a way to impress them "BIG TIME"!

Edited by Lyon2, 12 November 2007 - 07:53 PM.

[t3jem]

I've seen this, it's neat, but a bit impractical for the people who are on their computers all the time anyways, but great for the families that watch tv in the living room. So while they're watching TV or there's a party they could use the table and stuff. I don't think it'll revolutionize computing, but I do believe it's starting to bring computers into house furniture.

Edit: ok, so i didn't see the video, just heard about the table. Decided to watch the video and the whole interacting with real items on the table (such as the glass) and stuff, that's unbelievable. Maybe it'll be more than just a cofee table, lol

Edited by t3jem, 13 November 2007 - 12:19 AM.

[crazyfray]

I'm more impressed with the wireless handling of the camera and the phone (though I wish he'd demonstrated the photo on the phone at that point ), in that while that technology is already around, the speed and usability of the devices in sequence was superb. I can imagine my parents, for example, being able to use that fairly comfortably.

I suspect that while the use of the multi-point technology is probably impressive back-end stuff, there is likely a limited object library that isn't much more than the glass, camera, map and phone we saw shown. If something like this is going to take off, you (and by that, I mean programmers ) need to be able to define your own multi-touch objects fairly easily. How does this work in terms of linear programming languages...how do you account for dual event listening in a fairly instantaneous fashion? I'd love to be able to see how they code it (though I likely wouldn't understand it!).

Impressive, and I'll keep an eye out in the sales.

But at £10k a pop, would you dare put a glass on there? What's the object recognition like for coffee stains?

[bthaxor]

haha, yea, i do agree with you on that one, crazyfray

if i ever got my hands on surface, then i sure wouldn't be using it as a coffee table! although i suppose they would have thought of something to counter this - after all, their main argument is that it is inconspicuous - it blends in with your living room, and may be used as a table. there is probably at least 5cm glass separating the actual thing you touch and the screen, with sensors attached to it or something. in any case, i am sure that htye have thought this through.

then again, it is microsoft we're talking about...

[silver_wolves]

is cool and all, but why the hell would you need a computer that big? its a waste of space and money. the thing would be about 30,000 bucks, if not more. sure, it has some cool features, but half of em prolly barely work, seeing as the product is from microsoft. it would be great if it was practical, but it really isnt. it probably breaks pretty easy too. but if it was better and a mac, i would buy it in a heartbeat.

[bthaxor]

hmm.. well you see, that's the whole point. it's dual purpose. it serves as a table and a computer/whatever you want to call it.

i fully agree with you when you say that you wouldn't buy it just because it is a microsoft product, however why would you buy from apple? they are just as bad. i would only buy it if it were linux based

also, what you said about the price will probably be true: it will have a nasty price tag. and you can't even torrent it like you can with windows

Edited by bthaxor, 04 December 2007 - 05:32 AM.

[adriantc]

I am speechless.... WOW! I have heard about a new multi touch (screen) technology, but I didn't know they have got so far. It is absolutely awesome. As much as I hate Microsoft I do have to admit they invest a lot in research something that Linux can never afford.
Everything is great about this technology, but what I really liked was the way they exchanged files. Oh my God, it was like a dream come true. So easy and so fun. It will revolutionize the way we interact with the computer. It will take some time till they will make it smaller, but the concept is extremely interesting.
Still I think we are at least 5 even 10 years from mass production. As I am a future programmer I have to say things are really going to get really hard. But I guess they said the very same thing when they saw the first PC. A new advanced programming language will be required, not only as a language but as a programming concept. The future sure looks bright! I can only imagine what our children will have....

[mindtec]

I saw this new technology a month ago in the news. I loved how he could just transfer the photo from the camera to the cell phone in a matter of seconds. I've never seen something that fast, my computer can't even beat it. . My computer sucks anyways...*grumbles*

I think Microsoft should have used the "Wow" slogan for this, not Vista.

Why would you want to make it smaller? It's a table that's been turned into a computer, it's suppose to serve as that. A table. You wouldn't put a cup of coffee on a 5" surface, right?

[patrickcurl]

This is definitely a cool innovation, perhaps it will repairs microsoft's bad rep after the whole vista fiasco. (eh, I hate vista).