Microsoft’s Surface Tabletop

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News.com has more information on Microsoft’s new Milan tabletop PC platform including a picture slideshow of the new surface computer in action.


Microsoft on Wednesday is taking the wraps off "Milan," five years in the making and the first in what the company hopes will be a long line of "surface computers." The Microsoft Surface tabletop PC, for which the company has created both the hardware and software, offers shades of the technology seen in the sci-fi thriller Minority Report. The whole unit is controlled entirely through touch; there's no mouse or keyboard.
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Basic question. HOW do you words and numbers on the thing? As in typing?
 
Probably a soft keyboard on screen.

There were some demos from MIT or something like that of this exact type of thing and I think that's what they used. So, did MS get the idea for this from them or was it joint development or are there many different companies out there trying to make these types of computer interfaces?
 
Ok... what about those of us that are obsessed with keeping our monitors clean? This thing is going to have fingerprints all over it! :p


It's a really interesting and exciting piece of tech though!
 
aramis said:
Ok... what about those of us that are obsessed with keeping our monitors clean? This thing is going to have fingerprints all over it! :p


It's a really interesting and exciting piece of tech though!
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Anal retentive monitor wipers will probably not buy this product.
:)
 
qdemn7 said:
Basic question. HOW do you words and numbers on the thing? As in typing?
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It's running a Vista-based OS so I don't see why we can't just use a wireless keyboard. I mean if it can interact with phones and the Zune, it should be able to interact with a simple keyboard. But a virtual keyboard would be fine too since you should be able to rotate/scale the virtual keyboard to suit your preferance. So yeah, whatever works best. But judging from the demos, they're not trying to do things that would require a keyboard, just simple drag/drop applications. For applications that do not require typing speed, I think a simple handwriting recognition would suffice. And if MS continues to refine their speech recognition system, that could be another method as well.
 
Meh, I'm pretty skeptical about this. Tablet [Notebook] PCs were suppoed to have taken over the universe, at least in the eyes of Microsoft. That didn't happen. Now you got this. Nice idea, but will it actually be a hit? :confused:
 
Even though I've seen this kind of technology demonstrated before, way before this, I'll give kudos to Microsoft for actually getting a product out the door using it. Kudos, it looks great! I'd love to have one of these in my livingroom but I doubt that will be anytime soon ;)
 
i wonder what would happen if you were to take a dump on it? would it tell you what you had ingested to create the dump? if anyone has access to one of these things please try it and report back.
 
I saw this today on the Today show. the part that really wow'd me was when they took a picture on a camera that had wifi. put it on the table, and the pictures when right onto it where they could pick one out to email it.

also, ordering food and being able to split the order between two cards (laying on the table of course) was also awesome
 
rhexis said:
i wonder what would happen if you were to take a dump on it? would it tell you what you had ingested to create the dump? if anyone has access to one of these things please try it and report back.
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Now that made me laugh. Chances are with a Microsoft product though, you have a better shot at it taking on dump on your floor.
 
Playing a fast paced game on the touchscreen will keep your upper body fit :D
 
rhexis said:
i wonder what would happen if you were to take a dump on it? would it tell you what you had ingested to create the dump? if anyone has access to one of these things please try it and report back.
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lol it would BSOD.
 
ir0nw0lf said:
Meh, I'm pretty skeptical about this. Tablet [Notebook] PCs were suppoed to have taken over the universe, at least in the eyes of Microsoft. That didn't happen. Now you got this. Nice idea, but will it actually be a hit? :confused:
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These are mostly meant for professional use, not really for Joe Consumer.
 
I can just see the headline now:

Man shocked while interacting with Microshaft table top computer during pron surfing session.

Some idiot is gonna lube it up, go watch some Porn and get electrocuted humping it.... :D
 
Who the hell wants to look down at the damn thing all the time?

Repetitive neck injures FTW! :D
 
I saw the first incarnation of this deomed at MSFT around 2002 IIRC. It has been brewing for a LONG time (in internet years) at MSR.

It is very cool. The videos don't to it justice.
 
ianken said:
I saw the first incarnation of this deomed at MSFT around 2002 IIRC. It has been brewing for a LONG time (in internet years) at MSR.

It is very cool. The videos don't to it justice.
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ditto, and the key is that it's not something you would use as a computer but as a supplement.

i'd love a simple device like this in my family room / kitchen area that could do photos, show my email, provide voip/phone services, yellow pages, recipies all kinds of neat things that even a non-computer user could be at home with.


Price is still the problem, and requiring a dedicated computer... IMO the future is an enhanced "terminal server" in every home and a bunch of thin clients / devices that connect to it.

Even for gaming there is no reason why DVI can't be sent over fiber to thin client systems around the house from a system with say dual 8800gtx's right now. Throw in USB and everything and all you have is a server in a closet/garage/inwall and your monitor and input devices on the desk.

Add in ubiquitous broadband and you can connect to your systems from anywhere and access everything, even play your own games, etc.


It's 95% here today, problem is in cost and implementation
 
Microsoft recently provided a public demo of their upcoming interactive tabletop named Surface.

Surface — the product formerly codenamed “PlayTable,” and later “Milan” — is a hardware-software bundle that Microsoft is building itself. The first models are slated to debut this coming November in Starwood Hotels, Harrah’s Resorts and T-Mobile retail stores.
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Yeah the thing is pretty interesting. I am in sales, and a few of the hotels i work with have already expressed interest in it. I'm sure some casinos will also jump right on it.

I see the thing being pretty cool, but i do not like the whole...put your credit card here, and the "surface" will read it, and bill accordingly. I can see problems with that. I do still look forward to getting a demo at work.
 
dtess17 said:
I see the thing being pretty cool, but i do not like the whole...put your credit card here, and the "surface" will read it, and bill accordingly. I can see problems with that.
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Could you please elaborate on what type of "problems" you foresee? How is this really all that different than giving your credit card to some stranger (your waiter or waitress), having them run it thru a card reader (to read the account numbers) and then bring you back a bill. What do you actually know about the person taking your credit card? or the machine that is reading it out of your line of sight? It appears to me that this "Surface" system cuts out the middleman (just like paying for gas directly at the pump). Not flaming, just trying to get a handle on what issues might come up using a product like this.
 
sdsdv10 said:
Could you please elaborate on what type of "problems" you foresee? How is this really all that different than giving your credit card to some stranger (your waiter or waitress), having them run it thru a card reader (to read the account numbers) and then bring you back a bill. What do you actually know about the person taking your credit card? or the machine that is reading it out of your line of sight? It appears to me that this "Surface" system cuts out the middleman (just like paying for gas directly at the pump). Not flaming, just trying to get a handle on what issues might come up using a product like this.
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I do see your point, and in truth i really wouldn't know anything about someone at a bar that i give my card to to go swipe it ( I pay cash as often as i can). In the info i have seen so far, you just place your card down, and there is like a list of items purchased, and you kind of move them towards you card to pay...there is something about that i don't trust.
Say for example you put your smart phone down on this same surface...will it be able to read that data? can this be hacked?

I wasn't trying to down on this, i am just a little concerned about it...Microsoft is not known for their security. For the record, i hope i am wrong, because i think this is a great idea, and i look forward to seeing other advances in technology.
 
I can see these getting some use in the casinos of the future. Digital gambling!! :cool:
Yeah, as if anyone would trust that.

I still think that if this can ever get down into the commonly affordable level, it would make one hell of a coffee table! :D
 
LeTUOtter said:
I can see these getting some use in the casinos of the future. Digital gambling!! :cool:
Yeah, as if anyone would trust that.

I still think that if this can ever get down into the commonly affordable level, it would make one hell of a coffee table! :D
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all the slot machines are already digital.
 
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