belez

amazing...

telekinetic

I played with this at CES last January. It's fun. I dunno if it's as much of a revalation as microsoft is trying to build it up to be...seems more like a logical evolutionary step in the "big monitor" plus "iphones are cool" chain than something super revolutionary.

Plus, I'd rather have a Minority Report wall than a surface table.

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fresnelly

Yes but it's much more tiring to work with your arms up in the air like that than down on these tables.

Besides being featured in Hollywood techno-spy thrillers, I think regular folk like us will first start seeing these used in information kiosks (mall, convention centre maps etc...).

I'd like to use it with CAD, laying out bluprints in large scales on worksites. You could make changes to the original working files instead of marking up a blueprint and having to edit them later.

I would also hope they allow compatibility with "oldskool" peripherals such as keyboards and mice. It's always good to have alternative methods of inputing data. You never know with new technology exactly what's the most efficient technique to get your work done and it can be very personal. I still use a number of Windows shortcuts rather than mouse when I work. It would be stupid to entirely discard these legacy techniques.

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Nisses

fresnelly: rather than the mouse? I consider the shortcuts to be simply the best way to do it. It's simply the fastest way of getting there.

I think I'd go nuts without my windows+R or ctrl+shift+esc


I personally think this will not replace the mouse+keyboard any time soon, simply because mouse+keyboard give the average user more than enough interface with their computer, and replacing a broken mouse or keyboard is really cheap, compared to what this thing is gonna do.

Plus, even in professional areas I don't see too much use , except for people like yourself working with blueprints or big images.

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BadNick

It's pretty neat...and not even one large button!

It's probably a strange association, but I can't stop thinking of ways to connect this kind of technology with photonic textiles and other apps for highly flexible/formable light emitting circuitry.

settie

Didn't you look at its features and its possibilities?! It can do nearly as much as the minority report wall, and will soon do more.

To me, it is revolutionary. I have to transfer and copy files back and forth a lot between some of my tech tools, and its a royal pain in the ass to do on and on without it being any faster or easier. All that prep time and transfer time and load time and hunting for files and syncing items, I'd gladly do without.

If I could have a tool that made it that simple, I'd definitely start saving up for it.

CheapBastid

While Surface is kinda cool, this parody nailed it:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY

BadNick

Maybe it's hardly even a parody. I feel likewise about the "progress" from DOS to Windows.

troit

As they said - once these things start communicating with it other we will live in a whole new world....

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777

I remember this gadget. We had a thread on it some time back. That type of multitouch surface tech can be seen on the tiny iPhone and iTouch.

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Roger Zelazny

Derwood

isn't this what runs the "Big Map" on CNN?

Redlemon

Yes, that was Holy Crap! Microsoft Surface! back in May 2007.

"Big ass table". Heh.

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