April 4, 1975 was a historical date. Bill Gates created the powerful corporation called "Microsoft". Everyone has heard and mostly likely bought a product from Microsoft. This super-company has made trillions of dollars since it first opened.
Microsoft has been working on a project called "Microsoft Surface". Surface is a Windows Vista PC that is inside a table that has a 30-inch reflective surface in a clear acrylic frame. You lost yet? Picture the IPhone laid down on a table that was expanded to 30 inches. Pretty cool, huh!
How does this work?
Inside this future technology there is a projector underneath the surface. This projector projects an image onto its underside. There are five cameras in the machine's core that record reflections of infrared light from human fingertips. This is the technology used for touch screen. The camera can also recognize objects such as digital cameras if placed on the surface.
What kind of interactivity are we talking about?
Users can interact with the machine by touching or dragging their fingertips and objects such as paintbrushes across the screen, or by placing and moving objects. Surface has been optimized to respond to 52 touches at a time. That is considered a decent amount unless someone wanted 6 friends around this 30 inch screen and poke it with all your fingers!
That's cool, but what is this going to do for the future?
Microsoft Surface can automatically offer additional wine choices tailored to a dinner at some restaurants, based on the type of wine set on the Surface. Other companies will use the Surface in their hotels, restaurants, and retail stores. The Surface is used to choose meals at restaurants, plan vacations and spots to visit from the hotel room.
The Starwood Hotel already has the plan to allow users to drop a credit card on the table to pay for music, books, and other amenities offered at the resort.
Just think about what will happen to stores in your town in the future! Not only that, think about how creative people can be by creating objects by touch!
How much does this thing cost?
Commercial Microsoft Surface unit is $12,500 (unit only), whereas a developer Microsoft Surface units costs $15,000 and includes a developer unit, five seats and support.
That is some serious cash! However Microsoft said it expects prices to drop enough to make the consumer version affordable in 2010.
Check out this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxk_WywMTzc&feature=related
