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Wow, this has impressed and amazed me very much! It's so cool, looks like Minority Report!

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

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www.WOW.com

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Just saw it on the NEWS this morning. Said something about booking events, and it being used at hotels for conferences and guest services. Will have to read more.

I wonder If I can find a blue screen of death, or a dll not found message on the web already. How long do you think it will take?

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I love how this 'multitouch' technology has already been patented by apple with the iphone.

This is pretty damn cool though.

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Ok, Don't see any crash pictures yet, I'll have to photoshop one later, don't have time right now. In the meantime here...

I had setup a brush, and rotated the layer, but It wasn't readable and messed up on the hand. oh well!

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Didn't we all see videos of this ages ago? I'm sure there was YouTube videos of someone using Google earth in the same way and a War Craft game. Think they used projection tech at the time, but the interface was almost identical (2 fingers for zooming and rotating etc). At the end of the day though it is a big touch screen rotated with a computer hidden in the table and a (admittingly very nice) decend F/E.

Cheers

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Just think of all the fingerprints and coffee rings after about a weeks usage.

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This is a uniquely bad idea. Too many clumsy people out there who like to spill drinks, and if I know Microsoft, it won't be liquid-proof until Service Pack 2 or 3.

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Looks very like something I used to play as a kid...

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lol at Batvink ^

Then again, I'm using my new computer to play Goldeneye for n64...

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Did you see the video? The thing lagged in the paint program.
I think that Dell is doing something similar.

If it can use a Linux version of the software, I'll get it.
Awesome idea, but I am afraid that Microsoft will make Windows 98 bad software, and make it ridiculously expensive.

Project64?
I play Perfect Dark with my mouse and keyboard all of the time.

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I can't imagine looking straight down for too long.

@BatVink, Nice one!!! On a serious note, that's what it will feel like. I remember playing those games, including, Ms. Pacman, Galaga, Baseball, on that type of setup. After 15 minutes your neck begins to cramp.

I'll either wait for Holographic projection to be afordable, or actual 3D display technology

(no not those 3D flatscreens) but TRUE 3D

!

I want this in my living-room!!!!

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yea, Project64.
My friend(uber-nerd) that showed it to me... he has his entire basement wired with speakers to his computer, he's torrent downloaded over 15,000 songs ...

Too bad the Zelda games are protected, it won't let me download (legally-ish, trying not to get into too much trouble with this)

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Zen that reminds me of that display that uses dust particles to project light. Produces although a bit wobbly a full projected 2D display with upto 65k colours and resolutions up to 640x480.
You can even interact with things it displays.

they come in 12" and 15" displays, but would set you back £15,000
forget the name but i've posted about them in the past after i saw one working at a conference i went to.

definately watching this new projected 3D technology with great interest

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wow

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that's pretty freaking cool.

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Whoa, I was right!

Dell has patents on the coffee, Microsoft is going to get the heck sued out of them.

Plus, Dell is going to sell PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed that are cheaper (Since Vista costs more).

I am starting to actually [like] dell.
[sarcasm]
But not nearly as much as I love Microsoft!
[/sarcasm]

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And that is the problem with corporate mentality - patenting the obvious. I think the liability of a patent should be proportional to the effort made. So, to patent the concept of making a computer screen in table format should net them around £1.50.

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Dell has been offering Ubuntu (atleast to UK Customers) for about a year now. Aparently they get quite a few returns though, so they now only offer it to business customers.

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According to the news this is another MS innovation. Funny how it's virtually the same device that appeared on Beyond Tomorrow this time last year.


http://www.beyondtomorrow.com.au/stories/ep43/multitouchscreen.html
http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/index.html

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And it was at CES 2006 as well at the Microsoft Keynote as they announced the new Windows Live system

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They've had this in japan for awhile, i remember i saw it on discovery channel, the "pilot guides" travel show about a year ago or something. Pretty awesome stuff.

I can't imagine ever saying "my coffe table crashed!", i want one anyway.

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I invented this device (for the classroom) over 10 years ago.

Just about the same time I created the "nanner" (notebook planner) that M$ stole and renamed the TabletPC.

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i liked the file swapping between devices, that was just cool!

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without a patent good luck fighting the infringement
on a more serious note, there was actually something like this shown off a good few years back at Siggraph or GDC or CES.. one of the technology shows about new and innovative desktops.

Basically the same principal, only running a custom build of Linux on a touch screen that you could move documents like in real-life.

The real main difference here is this isn't concept technology.
It's running with Windows Vista Embedded, not only that but you get all the connectivity you could expect from Vista/Media Center. For example you notice how the guy picked up the camera and the images disappeared.. this is because when you put it down the screen will then scan for bluetooth or wifi devices and connect it. So you get instant access to your mobile phone, ipod, digital camera, etc. No waiting, just put it down and it's there.

At CES this year they showed off in typical Gates fashion their concept version of this, as a cooking table. He put a bag of flour on the table, and aparently could tell it what it was.. so brought up recipes based on flour as an ingredient. It then went on to show how large you needed to roll out the dough for what he wanted to make. At CES this technology was concept, and fake. This is same often when other companies show off concept technology; it's often pre-programmed to do exactly what they want to show off rather than what's possible.

Microsoft Surface, isn't just a prototype concept; but a working model. This is what has quite a few reviewers extremely shocked, because they actually were allowed to play about and ask real questions about it. This is the second instance this year (after Mix '07) of Microsoft after Gates. We're not being shown what might happen but what they've worked on and will be delivering for us.

To me, this certainly marks a change in Microsoft. I hope that it continues, so that they become a more trusted company.. they have the ideas that could seriously change how we live and work in a digital lifestyle, with the resources usually aimed at making more money rather than real innovations and industry changing products.

For me this is the hardware equivilant of what Silverlight will be for the internet in the coming months. The biggest turn around in all of this is the fact they're no longer just thinking "we will support only Microsoft".. With Windows Vista now supporting *nix applications, .NET being officially ported to other OS, Silverlight making the rich-internet experience more open and better for programmers as well as designers.. not just performance wise but access-wise.

These are very exciting first steps for the company with Bill Gates no longer in the "final say" seat. His business ethos helped the company grow in the 80s, but recently it's been killing it off to the competition.. it's about time things changed, and from what seems to be coming monthly for the better. I mean we've been seeing what's come from Gates slowly loosing more and more true control over the company, best success story of this is with the Xbox 360. We're could argue about who came up with the idea for Surface until we're all blue in the face, but just think about this:

Who has a working version capable of going to market now, and the resources to do it? Who the hell cares who it's by or who came up with the idea, I don't want to wait 10years while someone keeps tinkering with an idea. I want this technology today.

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Invest in back ache remedy companies now!!!!! Heh, seriously though, imagine surfing for hours hunched over a table, or even worse playing a game through the entire day. Ouch. Me bones....

Cheers

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sorta reminds me of table-top pacman all over again

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Now if I could have this built into my counter top... It could interact with the ingredients for a recipe, and give me feedback on how to prepare meals.

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Aw crap! Guys, the coffee table has another virus!

@ Zen, that's an awesome idea!

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Think iPhone interface but a lot bigger.
Think no need for textbooks or paper.
Think no more straining to see the board or video.
The future.

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Good thing I live there.
I wish I had known that, even though at the time it was probably Ubuntu v4.0 which would explain the returns.

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Its pretty cool but i can't really imagine it being useful for home use, especially with the 15k price tag, i must say i do like those graphics tablets that are also monitors, may have to invest in one of those...

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Hehehe I just had a idea... Grab someone and slide him into your phone.LOL

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If I understood correctly, Microsoft didn't invent the multi touch table thing, they are just programming it to work with their own software or something like that. But I could be wrong.