All About The Microsoft Surface

Wow. Recently, Microsoft announced a very impressive product, the Surface.

The Surface fully interacts with the touch outside forces. And not just fingers. Sure, you can use your figures to paint, but you can also use a real everyday paintbrush.

Other uses:

1) In a cellphone store, it can recognize models just by placing them on the table. It will then give information about the product

2)In restaurants, you can view a menu on the table, order the drinks from the table, and even pay for the meal all by using the interaction features

3) AND MANY MORE

In order to get the best impression of what the surface can do,
you must check out this video

Video showing off the Surfaces' capabilities

Also, be sure to check out Microsoft's impressive official site:

Microsoft Surface Official Site

Ok, So you're impressed and you want one, right?
Well sorry folks, as of now it is only going to be available for commercial uses. Great if you are a Casino, bad if you are a private home.

But don't worry, as long as this technology is on the table (pun intended) it won't be long until you can have one.

This is from Microsoft's Surface Website:

Features:

Multi-touch display. The display is capable of multi-touch interaction, recognizing dozens and dozens of touches simultaneously, including fingers, hands, gestures and objects placed on the surface.

Horizontal orientation. The 30-inch display in a table-like form factor allows users to share, explore and create experiences together, enabling a truly collaborative computing experience.

Dimensions.

22 inches high, 21 inches deep and 42 inches wide.

Materials.

The tabletop is acrylic, and its interior frame is powder-coated steel.

Requirements:

Standard American 110-120V power

System:

The custom software platform runs on Windows Vista and has wired Ethernet 10/100 and wireless 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity.

Availability:

Beginning at the end of this year (2007), consumers will be able to interact with Surface in hotels, restaurants, retail and public entertainment venues

From
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/touch-me/microsoft-surface-confirmed-touch+sensitive-10k-minority-report-table-264338.php

What is Microsoft Surface? Microsoft Surface%u2122, the first commercially available surface computer from Microsoft Corp., turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface. The product provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that's easy for individuals or small groups to interact with in a way that feels familiar, just like in the real world. In essence, it's a surface that comes to life for exploring, learning, sharing, creating, buying and much more. Soon to be available in restaurants, hotels, retail establishments and public entertainment venues, this experience will transform the way people shop, dine, entertain and live....

Read More:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/touch-me/microsoft-surface-confirmed-touch+sensitive-10k-minority-report-table-264338.php

From
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/05/30/surface.touch.table/

Microsoft has officially debuted "Surface," a new umbrella brand for computers that can recognize physical objects (via barcode scanning) and react to human touch. Eschewing mice and keyboards, the first Surface platform uses a 30" table-like screen that is meant for simultaneous multi-user input. "From digital finger painting to a virtual concierge, Surface brings natural interaction to the digital world in a new and exciting way," said Microsoft....

Read More:
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/05/30/surface.touch.table/

From
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/30/microsoft-surface-surface-and-gesture-based-computing-lands/

Over the years we've seen plenty of surface and gestural interface computing systems and prototypes, but nothing mass-market -- nothing consumable, if you will. Microsoft aims to change all that with Surface, its first foray into surface / gestural interfaces; arriving in the form of a 30-inch table-like display, Microsoft envisions its eventual uses as pervasive as imaginable, like ordering beverages from your restaurant table and silently scanning your wine bottle's RFID tag to automagically present information on the vineyard and vintage....

Read More:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/30/microsoft-surface-surface-and-gesture-based-computing-lands/