Incredible new Microsoft technology

[Mystic]

On FOX News I saw some new computer technology being demonstrated by Microsoft. I think it was called Microsoft Surface. A computer is basically like a desktop table and people can control programs on the computer with their hands. If you place a digital camera on the desktop the photos will appear on the desktop, and you can even resize the photos with your hands. There is apparently no keyboard or mouse. It was like watching something out of the future.

This technology is apparently available now but is very expensive. But the prediction is that the cost will go down in a few years and most people will be able to afford it. I think I have seen the future of computer technology. And all these critics of Microsoft imply that Microsoft copies everybody else and has terrible software.

I have never seen anything like this from anybody else-Apple of Linux or anybody. It looks like it came out of the Starship Enterprise.

 

[simple_gifts]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Saw that too. Cost over $10k. Be a while before I own one.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

My guess is that it's not compatible with Vista.

 

[Mystic]

This is the first time I have seen anything like this. Maybe it has been under development somewhere or in a few different places but I have never seen anything like this myself. It was like watching magic. I watched as a person resized photos with her hands. Photos downloaded from the camera jusy by putting the camera on the desktop. People wrote their names in applications using their fingers. It was an incredible sight for me. Of course I am an old guy but I think I am fairly knowledgeable about computers and I simply have never seen anything like this.

Maybe the Linux people will claim that Microsoft stole the technology from the open source community.

Apple comes out with a lot of very smooth technology but I can't remember anything like this being displayed by Apple. The iPhone is cool but it seems to me like a tool compared to this technology.

And remember this technology is apparently available today. It is too expensive unless you are a very rich person. But the prediction is that in a few years most people will be able to afford it.

This technology for computers is so far ahead of anything else I am aware of that it seems like it came out of a starship. If Microsoft can make technology like this affordable and useable in a few more years I guess the others might as well give up.

 

[Mystic]

The closest thing to this technology that I have personally seen are devices where a person can draw right on the screen and stuff like that. But it still did not seem as impressive as this.

There is all kind of stuff under development. Using holograms for memory. Hard drives that can store far more information than anything today. Quantum computers. Using light beams that actually travel at the speed of light (rather than about a quarter of the speed of light because of resistance in wires) to carry information.

Like I have said before, the computers of tomorrow will go far beyond anything we have today. Anybody who has tremendous affection for any operating system today (Mac OS X, Windows Vista, some Linux operating system, or whatever) is going to be left in the dust. Someday our present time computers and operating systems will seem like some kind of very primitive tools. It is best to lose your attachment to any current operating system.

If Microsoft can move forward with this new technology they are going to leap out far ahead of everybody else.

 

[simple_gifts]

I think you are assuming all computers do interactive work with people. Not sure how this technology with help me identify spam better or look for viruses on a mail server. Can you see NYSE using this in their automated trading? I can't.

 

[sprintman]

'Minority Report' interactive interface unveiled.

Microsoft has unveiled Surface, a tabletop device that can recognise physical objects and allow direct, hands-on control of content such as photos, music and maps.

The technology takes users one step closer to a Minority Report style interactive interface.

Microsoft hopes that Surface will break down the traditional barriers between people and technology, making interaction simpler and more intuitive using touch, natural gestures and physical objects.


Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a 30in dynamic touch sensitive surface that provides easy interaction with all forms of digital content.

By the end of the year products using the technology will be available in hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and entertainment venues.

The intuitive user interface works without a traditional mouse or keyboard, allowing people to interact with content and information on their own or collaboratively with friends and families.

"With Surface, we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology," said Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer.

"We see this as a multi-billion 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 realising that vision."

Surface computing recognises many points of contact simultaneously, not just from one finger like a typical touch-screen, but up to dozens of items at once.

The technology also features the ability to recognise physical objects that have identification tags similar to bar codes.

A suggested application is a restaurant customer setting a wine glass on the surface of a table.

The restaurant could then provide information about the wine, pictures of the vineyard it came from and suggested food pairings tailored to that evening's menu.

Users could also access information on the wine-growing region and even look at recommended hotels and plan a trip without leaving the table.

Surface computing came about as part of a collaborative effort over a number of years between the Microsoft Hardware and Microsoft Research teams looking for a more natural way of interacting with information.

 

[Shannow]

I saw the thing 3 years ago or so on a technology type TV programme.

Pretty sure that it wasn't Microsponge who initiated it.

Doubt it ever would have seen mass production but for microsponge

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Quote:

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http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html

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A few of TnS's musing about the video and the technology:
If you've watched the TV show NCIS, this technology is already on display (CSI has it, too). They were the FIRST to have the multitouch technology! I think Microsoft copied the technology from these TV shows.

The word 'paradigm' was used by 0:30 in the video. When a company uses that word to tout their new product, that means that the product is doomed to failure. LOL

Can't carry that table with you on the airplane. That might REALLY pizz off your mates in the seat next to you.

Infrared cameras are in the table. This only means more EMF pollution. How long before someone brings Microsoft to court because of a cancer threat?

Given the magic happens in the wireless realm, given Microsoft's track record on security, I see a new market: how to wirelessly steal data from other devices connected to these table(s), especially in casinos.

This was a Microsoft 'top secret' project. Hmmm. I can't recall ANY top secret MS projects in the last 15 years. Was Microsoft BOB also as Top Secret as this project?



Lastly, I seem to remember table computing a long while ago:

 

[CivicFan]

I am trying to think whether the touch screen tabletop has any advantage over a regular computer.

 

[Mystic]

I think all technology can potentially make a computer better, regardless if you are talking about voice recognition or this highly advanced touch screen technology.

Saying you are working on photographs. You are using a mouse, a keyboard, voice recogition and this touch screen technology. You can quickly size a photo by using your hands and telling the computer to make the picture 12X18 inches in size, using your voice. If you want to change the color in a background you just touch the color you want and then touch that color to the area you want changed. Endless possibilities. You can still use the older technology (keyboard, mouse, etc.) but you can have greatly expanded technology that will help you work faster and be more productive.

Check out some of the short videos online about this new technology. This technology goes way beyond just touch screen or being able to draw right onto a touch screen. We have been using touch screens where I work for quite a while. This technology is better.

I don't know who invented this technology. But Microsoft certainly has advanced the technology. Pretty impressive stuff. Photoshop people would love this new technology once it is incorporated into Photoshop which someday it probably will be. Computer graphics people would be able to work more accurately and much more quickly.

And this technology can be used in all kinds of businesses. Think about it a little bit. Heck, there could be greater security in transactions. Instead of typing something in you can use your hands on a touch screen. It could speed up ordering in a cafe, create new possibilities in bank transactions, etc. Heck, watch the online videos.

 

[simple_gifts]

The chance of this technology changing the business computing paradigm is 0%, and that is being optimistic; home use is a different story.

 

[Mystic]

Did you watch any of the videos? Microsoft demonstrated ways that businesses could be enhanced with this new technology. I am sure that when the first automobiles were produced there were people saying that automobiles would never amount to anything. It takes imagination to see the possibilities.

I have been using Photoshop for a long time. I certainly cannot speak for Adobe, but as a Photoshop user I CAN see the possibilities.

There are all kinds of ways that various businesses can be affected by technology like this. This technology goes way beyond simple touch screen technology. It goes beyond being able to draw on a screen.

But, in the not so distant future, this technology will be affordable. Then we will ALL be able to see if technology like this can have any affect on businesses. And we will find out if companies like Adobe have any interest or not. We will see.

 

[Virtuoso]

It would be my luck, I would spill coffee all over it and fry the thing.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

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And all these critics of Microsoft imply that Microsoft copies everybody else

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http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US6061177&F=0

Patent from Y2000. Any questions?

 

[javacontour]

Looks like that patent expired due to a failure to pay the maintenance fee, if I understand the current legal status of the patent.

 

[unDummy]

http://www.perceptivepixel.com/

Saw a similar video months ago. What microsoft can't copy, they simply just buy into!

Every idea needs money to develop and push to the consumer. No money=no product. No money=no R and D budget.
No money=no staff of engineers working on it.

Microsoft brings money whether you like them or not!
Whats wrong with copying something and bringing it to the masses? generics anyone?

I'll wait for Surface to be on its 3rd or 4th service pack before looking at it

 

[Mystic]

Really and truthfully I think everybody copies everybody. Apple probably got the idea for their GUI from Xerox. Microsoft probably 'borrowed' the idea from Apple.

And it is not just computers. If somebody develops some good new technology in any field you can bet that everybody else will be copying it somehow.

Heck, if the new technology is good enough, everybody else will have to copy-right?

Bottom line it is all just technology. All of the computer technology that exists today, regardless if you are talking about Unix, BSD, Linux, Mac OS X, Windows XP, Windows Vista or whatever will be museum pieces in not so many more years. Does anybody here really believe that people will still be using Mac OS X 50 years from now? Or that Microsoft necessarily will still dominate the desktop OS market 100 years from now?

I can think of people who are actually fanatical about this OS or that OS. That is silly. Computer technology is just a tool used by human beings. Some tools stay pretty much the same for a long time. A sledge hammer is a sledge hammer. But don't expect your favorite computer OS to be worth much 50-100 years from now.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Interesting article from Computerworld: Kaffeeklatsch PC

The product that Microsoft unveiled last week under the name “Surface” isn’t a technology, a reference design, a user interface, an application, a PC or an appliance. It’s furniture. And yes, that really is the business Microsoft intends to get into.

Why? Maybe because after years of bleating about “Microsoft innovation,” someone in Redmond finally understands why that’s an oxymoron. The IT industry hates real change — and big and powerful as it is, Microsoft can’t move the entire IT industry.

But move furniture? Now that’s a possibility.

His perspective is sound. My wife wants a new coffee table, perhaps she I could convince her to make the jump from $150 to $10,000?

On second thought, I can buy a cream-puff used Saturn and still buy that Pac-Man table. And have a grand or two to spare to take the family on vacation.