Microsoft's vision of the future...

Spit

Spit

Spit

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Yes the long one, i went straight in at about 12 minutes and there was some cool stuff.
 
If it was as workable as they make out it would be great.

Unfortunately, the coffe tables (debuted 30th May 2007) - and began development about 18 months prior - still need major hardware to work flawlessly and in unison. It's a long way off before they are even 50% reliable - and more importantly, can communicate with everything that comes up against them by the time they go mainstream.

As with everything in computers/mechanics - the simpler the better.
 
I'd like to see a hardware manufacturer converge usage of a keyboard and mouse, into one mega-intuitive device suitable for work, games, painting, everything.
 
Looks cool but fail to see how it's really going to add any value to the majority of businesses at the moment. Clearly something to keep an eye on, but really needs a killer application of this technology to blast its way into mainstream
 
I'd also just like to point out, this isn't "Microsoft's Vision" this is "Some other people's visions, bought out by Microsoft" and has actually been proven tech for nearly a decade. The 'Surface' (properly known as 'Multi-touch') stuff has been available since the turn of the millenium, but because Microsoft bought the patent/product/whatever from the guys who invented it, they have stalled it and we are infact getting it late.

Yes, I hate Microsoft's 'strategy'.
 
With the "surface" link, am I the only one who is confused as to why Microsoft aren't using their own Silverlight rather than Flash to create rich content :confused:
 
Spit said:
On a side not anyone ever had a go on the microsoft surface coffee tables?

http://www.microsoft.com/SURFACE/index.html

I just sooo want one of those for the lounge.
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Rather than actually playing with your children, you can now watch other people's children playing by themselves.

Why use a small, portable device to find directions to somewhere when you can do it on a device the size of a small car?

When ordering your food in a restaurant, how about, instead of talking to real human beings, you order your food right from your table?

No, it's not an iPod, it's a BIG ASS TABLE. Take that Apple.
 
I had a go on the MS surface last week and it's pretty clever, but the novelty wears off quickly....oh and I broke it after 30 seconds which required a reboot (it runs on Vista btw).
 
My phone has a decent touch panel (800x480) and limited multi-touch features and thats pretty nice... I could see the advantages of it for some things on a larger every day scale... tho I don't see everything coming together like MS's vision for a very long time if at all.
 
Dj_Jestar said:
I'd also just like to point out, this isn't "Microsoft's Vision" this is "Some other people's visions, bought out by Microsoft" and has actually been proven tech for nearly a decade. The 'Surface' (properly known as 'Multi-touch') stuff has been available since the turn of the millenium, but because Microsoft bought the patent/product/whatever from the guys who invented it, they have stalled it and we are infact getting it late.

Yes, I hate Microsoft's 'strategy'.
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Perhaps a little more research then?

Multi touch has been around since Bell labs since the early 80s and MS research came up with thier first multi touch "tablet" late 80s, although granted is bares little resemblence to multi touch devices of today. Essentialy large flat screen and projectors making multi touch usefull on a device beiiger than a PDA have not been practical or affordable until now (and most would argue it's still not particularly affordable to anyone outside of a company purchase).

Surface is not, and never has been more properly known as "multi-touch". Multi touch capabilities are part of what surface does, however some of surfaces most inmpressive and practical capabilites are object & tag recognition, direct device interaction and communitcation.

A good example is Surface recognising a phone dropped on to the table, establishing a blutooth (or wireless) connection allowing you to drop photos and music onto, or off of the device and then establishing a link over the internet to your online billing to tell you how much data you've used, how many free minutes you have left. Drop a generic pre pay card (or perhaps special offer 60 free mins type proomtion voucher) onto the table at the same time, have it display exactly what the offer or minutes credit it contains and drag them to the phone to be credited to your account.

If you believe surface is just a multi touch "coffee table" then you are mistaken. Plain multi touch it's built into Windows 7 (and single point touch has been built into Windows since XP), surface tables do a lot more.
 
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Athanor said:
Perhaps a little more research then?

Multi touch has been around since Bell labs since the early 80s and MS research came up with thier first multi touch "tablet" late 80s, although granted is bares little resemblence to multi touch devices of today. Essentialy large flat screen and projectors making multi touch usefull on a device beiiger than a PDA have not been practical or affordable until now (and most would argue it's still not particularly affordable to anyone outside of a company purchase).

Surface is not, and never has been more properly known as "multi-touch". Multi touch capabilities are part of what surface does, however some of surfaces most inmpressive and practical capabilites are object & tag recognition, direct device interaction and communitcation.

A good example is Surface recognising a phone dropped on to the table, establishing a blutooth (or wireless) connection allowing you to drop photos and music onto, or off of the device and then establishing a link over the internet to your online billing to tell you how much data you've used, how many free minutes you have left. Drop a generic pre pay card (or perhaps special offer 60 free mins type proomtion voucher) onto the table at the same time, have it display exactly what the offer or minutes credit it contains and drag them to the phone to be credited to your account.

If you believe surface is just a multi touch "coffee table" then you are mistaken. Plain multi touch it's built into Windows 7 (and single point touch has been built into Windows since XP), surface tables do a lot more.
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No, I'm referring to Microsoft buying the rights to all of what you have listed from a bunch of Adobe funded MIT students who invented all of what you have listed, and called it all "Multi-touch" and even trademarked it as such, in around 2001. Here we can Jeff Han presenting it in 2006 at the TED. I've done my research ;)
 
Basher said:
I still fail to see what relevance this technology has at the moment - how will it value to businesses?
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Loads. White boards? Thing of the past. Written minutes? Thing of the past. Multiple people interacting with the same spreadsheet or document, or whatever from multiple locations? Now possible. Using your hands to directly interact rather than a Keyboard or Mouse? Now possible.

The list is endless. The days of being sat at a desk and typing like a machine are gone.
 
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