# Microsoft Surface!!!



## 12-Gauge (May 30, 2007)

This has got to be the coolest thing i've seen all year:

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

What do you guys think??? We could be looking at the future of mainstream computer interaction.


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## codeman0013 (May 30, 2007)

Its really cool but it seems to be kind of another way for microshaft to get into everyone's lives..


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## apj101 (May 30, 2007)

codeman0013 said:


> Its really cool but it seems to be kind of another way for microshaft to get into everyone's lives..



funny when this technology was shown a while ago by the manufacturer everyone thought is was awesome, now Microsoft have bought into it suddenly all the abuse starts....typical I guess

This technology has been arround for a while, its on the new iPhones, albeit in smaller scale, basically its touch screen that detects mutliple inputs


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## 12-Gauge (May 30, 2007)

> basically its touch screen that detects mutliple inputs



But how the hell does it recognize, say, when you put your phone on it?


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## Ben (May 30, 2007)

12-Gauge said:


> But how the hell does it recognize, say, when you put your phone on it?



Wifi? Bluetooth. It may only work with particular phones.


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## apj101 (May 30, 2007)

> But how the hell does it recognize, say, when you put your phone on it?


huh, i never watched that video, that is pretty cool.



Halian said:


> Wifi? Bluetooth. It may only work with particular phones.



it will only work with certain models i bet,


problem is you cant really spend long periods of time hunched over the table like that, would kill your back


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## dragon2309 (May 30, 2007)

apj101 said:


> funny when this technology was shown a while ago by the manufacturer everyone thought is was awesome, now Microsoft have bought into it suddenly all the abuse starts....typical I guess


It's always the way, its like a social stance that everyone everywhere adopts no matter what thier technological orientation, somewhere along the way, we have all been groomed to hate MS and everything they do, and for no viable reason either.

This is a great product from microsoft using existing technology. Note that it is existing, it already exists and MS didnt make it, this is just their product uising multi-point touch screen technology. I can't quite see where everyone get's their hatred from

dragon


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## 12-Gauge (May 30, 2007)

I can see useful applications for the technology but, then again, some of the scenarios shown in the videos were somewhat farfetched. I mean, when it showed the couple selecting their food at a restaurant using an on screen interface I kept thinking: "what's wrong with a bloody menu?"


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## codeman0013 (May 30, 2007)

No one said i ever hated microsoft. I was just saying it sounded like another way to get money from us basically. I knew the techonolgy existed as i had watched a video on youtube like 6 months ago from a guy in chicago that made one himself. Microsoft just will glob onto this and undercut to make all the money off of it and you will end up with a bunch of microsoft products and no competitors fo ra while but i'm not sayin gi woudlnt get one i think its freaking amazing with alll the cool technology involved.


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## dragon2309 (May 30, 2007)

codeman0013 said:


> I was just saying it sounded like another way to get money from us basically.


They are a business... what are they supposed to do, lay back for 8 months and let all the other people beat them to the market...??

If some other company, like, i dont know, oh Apple... for example did this, there wouldnt be nearly as much fuss, it would be "oooh look, antoher innovative, new and dashing product from apple, lets all go and buy one, but when MS do it, there are always negative views, and there is no reason for them at all

dragon


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## apj101 (May 30, 2007)

> Microsoft just will glob onto this and undercut to make all the money off of it and you will end up with a bunch of microsoft products and no competitors fo ra while but i'm not sayin gi woudlnt get one i think its freaking amazing with alll the cool technology involved.


they arent that hot at hardware developement, hence the reason you still have the logitechs, IBM, et al


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## monoman (May 30, 2007)

I'd say that looks pretty amazing, but I'm sure it will have a pretty amazing price tag as well.

I do like the whole credit card bit though with the fingerprint recognition. Also the little effects with the drinks, I could imagine drunkenly playing around with that at my local boozer on the weekend.


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## 12-Gauge (May 30, 2007)

> I could imagine drunkenly playing around with that at my local boozer on the weekend.



Where a pint will soon be £10 cos they need to pay for the new digital tables


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## monoman (May 30, 2007)

hahaha too right mate!


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## apj101 (May 30, 2007)

> Where a pint will soon be £10 cos they need to pay for the new digital tables


they'd cost that much if IBM or Dell made them as well


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## monoman (May 30, 2007)

12-Gauge said:


> I can see useful applications for the technology but, then again, some of the scenarios shown in the videos were somewhat farfetched. I mean, when it showed the couple selecting their food at a restaurant using an on screen interface I kept thinking: "what's wrong with a bloody menu?"



I do agree with this to an extent, I thought they were milking it a bit, but I suppose that it is their perogative as a company in a competitive industry, to try and appeal to the average joe too, who does not have a PHD in computer science etc... so in that respect I can understand it.(even if they are morealess 'the big cheese')

To be honest I think that this is a good way for the industry to be moving myself, and the pioneers behind all these new technologies have got great vision. I'm sure, as with all good technologies, this will need alot of time and input to find useful applications that are worth spending money on, and develop.


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## 12-Gauge (May 30, 2007)

The technology certainly has a future. But my guess is that it's a distant future, and, for now, it will not reach mainstream status. It would be just too darn expensive.


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## apj101 (May 30, 2007)

12-Gauge said:


> The technology certainly has a future. But my guess is that it's a distant future, and, for now, it will not reach mainstream status. It would be just too darn expensive.



it will be mainstream in under 5 years imo. Technology moves bloody fast. This would have great application in a lot of industries


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## 12-Gauge (May 30, 2007)

> it will be mainstream in under 5 years imo. Technology moves bloody fast. This would have great application in a lot of industries



I suppose you're right. A lot can happen in 5 years.


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## ducis (May 30, 2007)

Microsoft is needed desperately to develop the work/research of people who can not develop it themselves


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## Rambo (May 30, 2007)

According to this video, http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2007/05/10893/ , the technology uses infra-red camera's to detect what object is placed on the surface.


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## 12-Gauge (May 30, 2007)

> According to this video, http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2007/05/10893/ , the technology uses infra-red camera's to detect what object is placed on the surface.



But how does it recognize the magnetic strip on a credit card with infra-red ???


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## Rambo (May 30, 2007)

12-Gauge said:


> But how does it recognize the magnetic strip on a credit card with infra-red ???



It doesn't necessarily mean what you saw is how it will work. You only saw them put the credit cards on the surface and start assigning each different meal to different cards. It might just be that they had to enter their card details into a system beforehand, or perhaps 3 separate bills will be printed.


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## 12-Gauge (May 30, 2007)

> It doesn't necessarily mean what you saw is how it will work. You only saw them put the credit cards on the surface and start assigning each different meal to different cards. It might just be that they had to enter their card details into a system beforehand, or perhaps 3 separate bills will be printed.



I suppose so.


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## dragon2309 (May 30, 2007)

Alot of it might well be done with RFID tags, alot of devices can easily be installed with one, or you can put them in yourself, obviously amybe not in credit cards, but phones it would be quite easy to assign and name a device


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## apj101 (May 30, 2007)

dragon2309 said:


> Alot of it might well be done with RFID tags, alot of devices can easily be installed with one, or you can put them in yourself, obviously amybe not in credit cards, but phones it would be quite easy to assign and name a device



yeah but you cant communicate with the phones storage via an rfid tag


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## monoman (May 30, 2007)

Rambo said:


> It doesn't necessarily mean what you saw is how it will work. You only saw them put the credit cards on the surface and start assigning each different meal to different cards. It might just be that they had to enter their card details into a system beforehand, or perhaps 3 separate bills will be printed.



It seems to be just a concept at the moment, meaning that perhaps the cards they are using aren't supposed to be conventional magnetic strip cards at all, but some other (conceptual) form of card which is able to communicate with the table in some other way, whether that be infra-red, rfid tags, bluetooth, lasers, or maybe some form of mysterious microsoft magic?? 

..fact is I think they are just trying to show off potential applications, and not actually using a working model, or prototype.


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## tlarkin (May 30, 2007)

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

This technology is already in use, its called multi touch, and MS didn't come up with it, they are just using it.

I think its pretty awesome.


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## Rambo (May 30, 2007)

tlarkin said:


> http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html
> 
> This technology is already in use, its called multi touch, and MS didn't come up with it, they are just using it.
> 
> I think its pretty awesome.



You're right, they didn't come up with the technology. However, it's the way they are implementing it that is clever.


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## tlarkin (May 30, 2007)

just imagine the medical applications this technology could have.  Imagine viewing real time 3-D xrays of patients...

MS is doing something that may or may not take off, I know that when I go out for drinks I'd rather have a person interact with me rather and a machine.  I mean there are so many factors that come into play.

I also think that some of the applications of this technology will be very practical and some will just make humans look extremely lazy.

anyways it is way too early to say what they will become.


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## 12-Gauge (May 30, 2007)

> some will just make humans look extremely lazy.



I see. We must abandon this technology or else aliens will think that we are all couch potatoes


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## tlarkin (May 30, 2007)

12-Gauge said:


> I see. We must abandon this technology or else aliens will think that we are all couch potatoes



No, its more like the guy who has a remote for everything.  You know the people who want remote control pants because they are so lazy they can't put on their own pants.


Plus who knows it could make us, as a race become even more socially awkward than we already are with less and less human interaction.


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## bigsaucybob (May 30, 2007)

Wow, that looks awesome to me.


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## bluedishwasher (May 30, 2007)

reminds me of the computers in the minority report


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## Irishwhistle (Jun 2, 2007)

Last night I was looking at the Mac Mini computers and then I saw the Surface. Isn't it weird how Apple is all about small and Microsoft is all about big?  Does it run Windows?

~Jordan


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## Tuffie (Jun 3, 2007)

Those are some awesome ideas right there, I would be right into that if you could use it as a monitor, think about it, set it up so that when your using your pc to game and other stuff you could have it on a 90 degree angle, and then when you want to do some tricky stuff with it you flop it flat onto the table.

To be hounest that technology will become very promenent in exclusive offices, restraunts, and things like that.

Kent.


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## 12-Gauge (Jun 3, 2007)

> set it up so that when your using your pc to game and other stuff you could have it on a 90 degree angle, and then when you want to do some tricky stuff with it you flop it flat onto the table.



That would be awesome! It would be like the best of both worlds.


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## INTELCRAZY (Jun 3, 2007)

It looks about retarded, why do they keep targeting the 'family ppl'? Why not the gamers, Microsoft hasn't done a thing for us, as gamers. They need to make a gaming OS.


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## Tuffie (Jun 3, 2007)

INTELCRAZY said:


> It looks about retarded, why do they keep targeting the 'family ppl'? Why not the gamers, Microsoft hasn't done a thing for us, as gamers. They need to make a gaming OS.



So So So True.

It would come with all the games in the world rofl.

Kent.


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## Tuffie (Jun 3, 2007)

In the film "The Possibilitys" Does anyone know where that beat is from I really like it.

Kent.


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## tlarkin (Jun 3, 2007)

INTELCRAZY said:


> It looks about retarded, why do they keep targeting the 'family ppl'? Why not the gamers, Microsoft hasn't done a thing for us, as gamers. They need to make a gaming OS.



maybe you didn't realize they are targeting gamers, these will be in casions with tons of various touch screen games.  

Plus gamers are dumb and the market is set, there is too much risk for something like that in the game market.  Remember the hologram games sega made?


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## Twist86 (Jun 3, 2007)

Its right something like this would not be very use full gaming wise....it would be like a Wii cept we use fingers instead of a controller.

Tho I would kill to get a "gaming" OS...but that won't happen still its a good dream to dream.


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## ian (Jun 3, 2007)

dragon2309 said:


> It's always the way, its like a social stance that everyone everywhere adopts no matter what thier technological orientation, somewhere along the way, we have all been groomed to hate MS and everything they do, and for no viable reason either.
> 
> This is a great product from microsoft using existing technology. Note that it is existing, it already exists and MS didnt make it, this is just their product uising multi-point touch screen technology. I can't quite see where everyone get's their hatred from
> 
> dragon


Over here, they call it the tall poppy syndrome, people just tend to hate market leaders, the big corporation, etc
But the amount of good that Microsoft dollars do in the world, due to the philanthropy of Bill gates is in my opinion something to really be admired.
Those surface touch screens reminded me of back in the day when I used to play pacman and star wars and galaga on those tabletop game machines. 
I dont think it is so much about games, it is more about the future and search/advertising, I dont think microsoft will ever rest till they have beaten google at their game. They have shown they can come from a position of nowhere to take on sony in the console market.


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## Jonyboy (Jun 3, 2007)

It's a good idea, but it would get to the point where cash is none existant and banks will know eveything you've brought. All your medical files will be on computers, cameras everywhere and your tv is intergrated with your computer and your web cam is always on.

Was george orwell right?

Lol, just joking. (or was i?)


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## INTELCRAZY (Jun 3, 2007)

Jonyboy said:


> It's a good idea, but it would get to the point where cash is none existant and banks will know eveything you've brought. All your medical files will be on computers, cameras everywhere and your tv is intergrated with your computer and your web cam is always on.
> 
> Was george orwell right?
> 
> Lol, just joking. (or was i?)



Welcome to June 3, 2007


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## INTELCRAZY (Jun 3, 2007)

tlarkin said:


> maybe you didn't realize they are targeting gamers, these will be in casions with tons of various touch screen games.
> 
> Plus gamers are dumb and the market is set, there is too much risk for something like that in the game market.  Remember the hologram games sega made?



I don't want touch screen, that is for convienience. They already have those touch-screen arcade games, Megatouch or w/e it's called. If they were targeting gamers, Microsoft would implement something of their own to stop background tasks and maximize performance.


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## tlarkin (Jun 3, 2007)

http://www.hortonaviation.com/timetrav/ttpics.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Traveler_(video_game)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holosseum

no gamers don't want that crap, they want the same old recycled crap over and over again.  How many times can you play a FPS and think its original?

And please a Gaming OS?  Just disable all that crap you don't need from running in the background from windows and you have yourself a gaming OS.






This is a screen shot of the holographic fighting game sega put out.  I remember playing this game when I was a kid and liking the conecpt.  It never caught on.  It reminded me of the holographic chess like game that R2D2 plays against Chewbacca aboard the millenium falcon, but like street fighter instead


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## m0nk3ys1ms (Jun 3, 2007)

That is ****ING AWESOME!

Edit: I see we have a language censor thingy now...


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## INTELCRAZY (Jun 3, 2007)

tlarkin said:


> http://www.hortonaviation.com/timetrav/ttpics.html
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Traveler_(video_game)
> 
> ...



Since Microsoft wants to own everything anyway, I don't see why they wouldn't make a gaming OS.


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## Irishwhistle (Jun 3, 2007)

Does it run Windows or does it have an OS of it's own?

~Jordan


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## tlarkin (Jun 3, 2007)

INTELCRAZY said:


> Since Microsoft wants to own everything anyway, I don't see why they wouldn't make a gaming OS.



why would they need to make a gaming OS when every hardcore gaming moron already goes out and buys vista ultimate?


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## INTELCRAZY (Jun 3, 2007)

tlarkin said:


> why would they need to make a gaming OS when every hardcore gaming moron already goes out and buys vista ultimate?



Not many gamers are morons, except for the ones with more money than brains. Vista is far from a gaming OS, it is so "user-friendly", for the ppl who think their mouse overheats.


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## pies (Jun 3, 2007)

It seems to be a neat twist on already out there technology, I wonder the price of one of those things and could it be a part of future homes?


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## The_Beast (Jun 3, 2007)

sweet, looks really cool


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## Irishwhistle (Jun 4, 2007)

The_Beast said:


> sweet, looks really cool



And expensive.


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## ADE (Jun 4, 2007)

eh. its OK. I wouldn't buy one.


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## LaxNasty (Jun 4, 2007)

American's are not ready for this new technology.  It is just too different.


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## ADE (Jun 4, 2007)

I would. But watch, it worse than Vista. LOL!!! 

"SHIT!" It wont recognize my cell phone!"
"didn't you just buy it for that thing specifically?"
"Yah, i didn't see they were still beta drivers..."
"............................................................"


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## liquidshadow (Jun 4, 2007)

INTELCRAZY said:


> Since Microsoft wants to own everything anyway, I don't see why they wouldn't make a gaming OS.



Maybe because heavy gamers are less than 0.01% of the world's population?


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## INTELCRAZY (Jun 4, 2007)

liquidshadow said:


> Maybe because heavy gamers are less than 0.01% of the world's population?



But Microsoft is even trying to own Youtube, the news network, why not gaming? I don't get it, you would think they would. If they don't make a gaming OS, they sure as hell better hope they don't leave it open to ppl like me, after I get some programming experience.


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## tlarkin (Jun 4, 2007)

I am sorry I have to disagree.  Just because you can throw a bunch of components in a box (which a trained monkey can do) and then put a bunch of specs you read off the box in your computer forum sig does not make you a computer expert by any means.  Gamers are dumb, listen to what they say about technology.  How many people on this forum went out and bought vista ultimate not even knowing the differences between home premium and ultimate?  Listen to what they say about macintosh or linux, or when they tray to talk about servers and networking.  They assume they know everything which makes them look dumber in my eyes compared to the person who just asks questions. And yes, if you are so inclined about using the OS you should be able to stream line it.  I have in the past when I was big into gaming tweaked my windows boxes to run games faster.  It is possible to take chunks out of the windows OS you don't need.  Google it. 

As for 5k for that table, in all honesty that is not a bad deal for what it does and for the technology under the hood.  AFAIK it doesn't run vista but most likely a proprietary version of windows specifically designed for that platform of computing.


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## 12-Gauge (Jun 4, 2007)

> Just because you can throw a bunch of components in a box (which a trained monkey can do) and then put a bunch of specs you read off the box in your computer forum sig does not make you a computer expert by any means. Gamers are dumb, listen to what they say about technology. How many people on this forum went out and bought vista ultimate not even knowing the differences between home premium and ultimate? Listen to what they say about macintosh or linux, or when they tray to talk about servers and networking. They assume they know everything which makes them look dumber in my eyes compared to the person who just asks questions. And yes, if you are so inclined about using the OS you should be able to stream line it. I have in the past when I was big into gaming tweaked my windows boxes to run games faster. It is possible to take chunks out of the windows OS you don't need. Google it.



Where did that come from?


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## tlarkin (Jun 4, 2007)

12-Gauge said:


> Where did that come from?



my mouth, or would it be considered my keyboard?  I dunno it was early I was hung over and hadn't had any coffee.  My old man bought me a bunch of beers last night, then I took a friend out for her birthday (belated) and we had more drinks.  Not a good idea when you have to wake up at 6AM every day for work.  I still think that gamers tend to think they know more than they actually do, and I have seen lots of bad advice.  Actually, narrow minded advice.  They tend to give all their advice towards gaming and do not take anything else into consideration.

didn't mean to offend anyone in general its just that gamers get under my skin some times.


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