Amazing touch screen technolgies

renesis · Post by **renesis** » Wed May 30, 2007 1:09 am

Channel 10 has revealed the Microsoft Surface Computer, a fully functioning multi-touch computing system – an idea for which started four years ago. "Surface computers will start with Microsoft partners getting first shot at various public applications, you'll most likely see them in action in Las Vegas first. Eventually prices will come down and production will go up and I expect we'll all be waving through our playlists on our coffee table before we know it," according to Larry Larsen.

In the video, Mark Bolger, Director of Marketing Surface Computing, explains to Larry Larsen what surface computing is all about. “We’re looking at Microsoft’s first surface computer. We’re excited that we’re going to make an announcement for this product on May 30th, at the Wallstreet’s Journal D-conference. What we’re going to be doing is announcing that this product will be available later this year in commercial partners that we have lined up. Specifically, we’ll going to be going into hotels, retailers, entertainment venues, such as casino resorts.”

Microsoft just now brought out it's "Milan" project to the media and it is looking VERY promising. I would love to have this type of stuff in my house.

Remember Minority Report?

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technol ... 17348.html

Post by **joe** » Wed May 30, 2007 1:34 am

boooring :P

Delinquent · Post by **Delinquent** » Wed May 30, 2007 2:32 am

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

no, not boring. no matter how much you dislike microsoft, this technology WILL change the way we live.

/.Delinquent

ps: the neenja'd apple's, like good ol' times.

nightmare 101 · Post by **nightmare 101** » Thu May 31, 2007 4:38 am

joe wrote:boooring :P

I'm with him on this one.

I just can't bring myself to watch and read about it and become interested.

Post by **joe** » Thu May 31, 2007 8:40 am

del don't take this personally but i don't see this new "innovation" as anything more than a tablet PC embedded into a table, with some interesting UI improvements. i saw a video of a guy at MIT doing this stuff a few years ago. the minor added benefit of whatever UI efficiencies it has, are made up for by the fact that it is just not that comfortable to wave your hands around for hours. not to mention any super-specific form-factor like that is going to be expensive. i don't really see this going anywhere. of course i could be wrong :P

hypesystem · Post by **hypesystem** » Thu May 31, 2007 9:10 am

ok i must admit it.. i've never read one single of these news posts :S the quotes are so annoying...
cant u just post links? (not that i visit them anywas

:D)

renesis · Post by **renesis** » Thu May 31, 2007 12:31 pm

Read the article and watch the video. This is mainly meant for businesses to be used at special kiosks. This is not some major push to have this kind of thing in your house by the end of next year.

Hypesystem, there are links already in this thread.

Lobsters · Post by **Lobsters** » Thu May 31, 2007 1:19 pm

Yeah....this isnt going to really change our lives I think from what I know.

Disgruntled Postman · Post by **Disgruntled Postman** » Thu May 31, 2007 1:34 pm

joe wrote:del don't take this personally but i don't see this new "innovation" as anything more than a tablet PC embedded into a table, with some interesting UI improvements. i saw a video of a guy at MIT doing this stuff a few years ago. the minor added benefit of whatever UI efficiencies it has, are made up for by the fact that it is just not that comfortable to wave your hands around for hours. not to mention any super-specific form-factor like that is going to be expensive. i don't really see this going anywhere. of course i could be wrong :P

Tablet PCs and smartboards and stuff like that can only utilize one touch at a time. If you touch a smartboard in two places at once, it gets really confused and just draws lines all over the place.

I also like the whole being able to just put a camera on the table, then taking the picture that falls out of it and sliding it to a phone. That's pretty neat.

The last video on the microsoft site has something pretty cool in it. You just put your credit card down on the table and then drag the food you ordered to it to pay for it so you can split the bill n such.

Funny Hat Man · Post by **Funny Hat Man** » Thu May 31, 2007 1:55 pm

The iPhone can do multi-touch

Disgruntled Postman · Post by **Disgruntled Postman** » Thu May 31, 2007 2:00 pm

And it's not even out yet. The point I'm making is that multi touch is a relatively new technology.

I bet you can't pay for your food with iphone!!!

Post by **joe** » Thu May 31, 2007 2:04 pm

for it to work it has to have several little cameras pointing around the surface area, to read the barcodes and stuff. it just seems very impractical. it's fun to watch someone use it but in real-life situations it would be pretty klunky.

don't get me wrong - it's a cool concept, it looks neat, someday computers will be more embedded in everything. i'm just saying, right now, the technology doesn't really have a place in the world.

renesis · Post by **renesis** » Thu May 31, 2007 3:25 pm

I see this at ALOT of places. Guess you have to think outside the box.

Delinquent · Post by **Delinquent** » Thu May 31, 2007 10:03 pm

joe wrote:for it to work it has to have several little cameras pointing around the surface area, to read the barcodes and stuff. it just seems very impractical. it's fun to watch someone use it but in real-life situations it would be pretty klunky.

No, it's not camera's. In your last post you said you saw someone at MIT using it years ago? Well it was developed at NYU first and copyrighted by apple from them. they developed the iPhone with it (there were rumors of a new ipod with it, but they took it to a phone)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 8326&hl=en
(a vid i posted long before iPhone)

Now before you say anything else, look at the microsoft videos I POSTED.

don't get me wrong - it's a cool concept, it looks neat, someday computers will be more embedded in everything.

No, it's not just a cool concept. It's already reality. That's the problem with technology, it can do so much yet it's so hard to make it happen. With microsoft and apple both backing this new technology the money is there and it's already been made. Las Vegas already has thousands on order and they're being produced right now. This is an amazing acomplishment for ANY product. That's the problem with cell phones. There are so many better ones that America doesn't have, but that technology is hard to mass produce and spread over the entire country. This leap (that it's already out) is an amazing leap and probably one of the hardest.

i'm just saying, right now, the technology doesn't really have a place in the world.

seriously, look at the videos I posted. Your wrong, and they prove it.

This has so many possibilities. Just watch Minority Report, that just touches the surface. This can go so far it not only changes how we input into a computer, but it does it efficiently. It also braudens computers so much. Think about someone that can't use a keyboard and mouse. Think about placing a piece of paper and it doubling as a copier. It just goes on and on... The microsoft website shows a great NOW uses for it. Ren and Postman have it right.

And you say it'll get tiring using a computer that way? wtf do u call using a mouse? not waving your hands around? This isn't a magic trick, it's a multi-touch system. Sure it's not done yet, but since when is technology ever done?

Think about windows that open different ways depending on how you drag your fingers across them? it can be totally secure using fingerprints. I also think the medicine world will be hit by this soon. Could be used so much in doctors offices and hospitals.

/.Delinquent

Post by **joe** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 2:08 am

relax del :P i can see you feel strongly about this, no need to freak out on hairy's funny comment. anyway i think it's impractical, you think it will be popular. i can live with that disagreement