Announcing Microsoft Surface

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

KI Fulgore — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:44:08 GMT

that looks amazing

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

Isac — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:44:08 GMT

Wow thats really really Nice.Crazy how technology changes quick

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

maxjive — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:12:46 GMT

I wonder if you can re-size the blue screen of death!!!

Just Kidding! Looks sick, would have awesome control over RTS games....I love the device recognition and reported ease of data transfer.

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

RyGon2 — Thu, 31 May 2007 18:37:09 GMT

Thanks for the On10 link. I can't wait to see these things usable at restaurants and places.

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

VapidFrog — Thu, 31 May 2007 17:33:59 GMT

Don't see much use for this yet. BUT DAMN IT'S COOL!

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

Big Buck — Thu, 31 May 2007 09:23:21 GMT

Now, lets see our coffee table displaying BSODs in a next few years

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

Bob — Thu, 31 May 2007 07:23:20 GMT

Ha ha ha ha! There goes MS again. Stealing others ideas and then claiming THEY "invented it!" LOL!

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

Eric the Unread — Thu, 31 May 2007 04:25:10 GMT

Well, with actual commercial interests (Microsoft) behind this, I'm excited about it again. I remember seeing the videos about it in research labs at universities and whatnot, and wondering when it - or if - it would start trickling down.

10 grand? Seems cheap for this point of time in its development.

I'd put it at 2012 when we start seeing these over in Best Buy, etc. for home use at $1k. Yes, there's a lot of setup (multiple IR cameras, wireless, etc.) at the moment - but how many people have 5.1 or 7.1 surround systems, remote lighting, etc? It'll get there.

And once it no longer needs the cameras and can be brought into "mainstream" computing - wow.

No more explaining to Mom or Grandma how to open email. "Just drag the envelope over. You want to save that picture? Drag it to your photo album - yes, literally drag it and stick it in. Oh, you want to see the picture a bit closer? *zoom with fingers*"

Yes, some input is still going to need a keyboard and mouse (how are you typing in a web address when this becomes part of a system, for instance) but otherwise... Look at how it could make databases "home friendly." Drag your addresses over. Drop them on a map to get a geographical distribution. Grab a state or city just to contact the people there - no filtering through a list of names or creating a list. Yes, I'm looking more at people finding ways to manipulate the data... and those are really shallow examples, but it's something to get excited about.

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

Big Shaboozie — Thu, 31 May 2007 03:13:47 GMT

this isn't a counter by Microsoft. it's a new product for businesses as said in the video. if it was a counter to the iPhone it wouldn't be a humongous "thing" that sits in your living room. i don't even think the iphone will be compatible with that "thing"

OS X doesn't mix with Windows very good.

all you do is clean off the fingerprints.

What isn't scrathc-proof?

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

iWhat? — Thu, 31 May 2007 02:40:13 GMT

@nuro.

Dude, you need to get off that stuff you're smoking! Surface and the iPhone only have multi-touch in common. Multi-touch is an OLD technology!

1- Watch this video @ http://youtube.com/watch?v=89sz8ExZndc

2- watch this other video @ http://youtube.com/watch?v=5JcSu7h-I40&mode=related&search=

3- Read this 1980s PDF @ http://www.billbuxton.com/leebuxtonsmith.pdf on the technical details of multi-touch

Give credit where it is due. MSFT has always had a tablet/touch device since XP. It supported pen and normal passive (finger) touch. Jeff Han (see video #2) displayed mult-touch in Aug 2006! The iPhone was displayed Jan 2007. Unless you have an iPhone to prove me wrong, I don't think I can rest the iPhone on a surface to download stuff to it and it surely can recognize my American Express Card!

I can only conclude that you are a fanboy who only wants MSFT fail at anything they do. If you are so smart and innovative, why don't you bring something new to the "table" and be the first trillionare?!?!?

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

Nuro — Thu, 31 May 2007 01:14:22 GMT

-10 points for 'stealing' this from Apple. I don't really care who invented it first, Apple has shown it all off already on it's iPhone.

I really do wonder who will use these. I can see potential but not beyond a novelty level. I can't really see it becoming a mainstream thing.

Well, they don't interest me anyway. Come on MS, make something truly revolutionary that hasn't been shown before! I'm tired of seeing MS copy rather than innovate.

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

Alex Atkin UK — Thu, 31 May 2007 00:45:14 GMT

To those asking if it will lock up - name ONE computing device that doesn't lockup!

The only computing device that DOESNT lockup is one without a complicated OS. That pretty much limits you to simple pocket calculators, ALL other computing devices lockup once in a while.

Just look at Cisco routers. They are some of the most robust, expensive pieces of hardware and they screw up regularly. Its simply the nature of electricity to not always behave how you expect, then add human error in coding the software, theres a glitch in EVERYTHING. Power fluctuation or coding bug, all the same result.

So while I do occasionally poke fun at Windows locking up its purely joking around, because MacOS and Linux lockup too. ALL computing devices can crash, just as all animals can get ill. Its all based in a world thats not perfect.

On topic now, I LOVE the potential of these devices. I have a Windows Mobile PDA and while its cool to use as-is it would be extra cool to be able to pop it onto a desk and access Word Mobile or surf the web using my own bookmarks from the PDA. This technology has HUGE potential.

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

ivan — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:08:35 GMT

HDTVs used to be 15 grand and now a real good one is only 2000 buck. I see this one getting to consumer prices in about 3 years. The artwork I could make with a device like that...

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

hahaha — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:07:18 GMT

what happens if you flop your doodle on it?

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

El Stevo — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:52:00 GMT

Man, that's pretty awesome. I need a new coffee table too...

Major Nelson with his gadget lust must be all over this tech.

re: Announcing Microsoft Surface

Xerx3s — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:22:30 GMT

Phillips tried to market this exact thing a couple of years ago and it was a total disaster. There is absolutely no livingroom interest in this outside the 6% early adopter/trendsetter group.

So yes, it looks cool and no, it's not new and no, you most likely won't see this around until it has the price of a current day dvd player.