charlestheoaf on 30/5/2007 at 19:01
This certainly seems like an interesting device, but I wonder how practical it will be outside of programs that rely heavily on the GUI alone.
I know that it would be difficult to bring up a keyboard on screen and adjust it to your own preferences (especially since I tend to move my keyboad all over the place depending on what I'm doing).
The Alchemist on 30/5/2007 at 20:12
Oh be quiet. We all know multitouch screens aren't new. MS is just the one with the money/resources/knowhow to finish a design/produce/market them. And more power to them for doing so. If we wait for the other guys, it'll take forever and it wont get as much implementation and won't be as compatible etc.
Aerothorn on 30/5/2007 at 20:25
Bill Gates did not design Surface. He's the goddamned chairman - he didn't even know of it till they had sketched up the plans.
Second, it's not stealing ideas when the idea isn't owned by anyone - this is not a radical notion. There have been touchscreens available for years (I remember using one back at Microsoft HQ when I was 4) - this is simply the next step, which many people have been working on.
*Zaccheus* on 30/5/2007 at 20:55
It's really a coming together of various existing technologies. Touchscreens and bluetooth enabling the exchange of images accross devices, for example.
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Interesting:
Quote Posted by www.popularmechanics.com
Surface uses many of the same components found in everyday desktop computers — a Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and a 256MB graphics card. Wireless communication with devices on the surface is handled using WiFi and Bluetooth antennas (future versions may incorporate RFID or Near Field Communications). The underlying operating system is a modified version of Microsoft Vista.
Aerothorn on 30/5/2007 at 22:39
It uses a Core 2 Duo? Aren't those all faster than 1 Ghz?
I think the P-I might have screwed up again.
Kolya on 31/5/2007 at 02:33
Cool, a hardware that's completely incompatible with all existing software. Buying it will be like giving MS your credit card.
Aerothorn on 31/5/2007 at 02:36
As noted, this is not marketed towards consumers, so you need not worry, Kolya.
Plus, there's no reason other folks couldn't develop software for it.
Ko0K on 31/5/2007 at 03:17
Something like this could definitely come in handy in a conference room. Gotta love that ******-style window-resizing technique.
(edit) Um, I guess we're sick of talking about stretching orifice. Duly noted. :P
doctorfrog on 31/5/2007 at 16:53
A reporter at NPR said that the coffee table style model would likely be used mainly by large businesses such as hotel chains or casinos. Stick this in the lobby, and you can have dynamic advertisements flipping and flying all around. Set your drink on it, maybe it knows your name or what you're drinking, or asks you if you want another once it is empty. Slap your credit card on it to pay for the drink, etc. It phones home, looks up your spending habits, delivers targeted content, and so forth.
