Surface

Did we really reach the future? Some would stop and think on such a question but it surely is a leap ahead for the Microsoft Surface. The device is actually sculptured into a kitchen table topped with a 30 inch touch screen in a clear acrylic frame. It has got five cameras to enable multi touch access to music, photos, surf the web, exchange files and many more.

Surface history takes us back to 25 years of history when Toronto University started working on the multi touch screen (Bell Labs). The surface idea came later on 2001 with the Microsoft Company. In 2003 a go ahead was given by the Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. After a month a T1 prototype was later design which was based on IKEA table.

Surface is said to be a new era of computing, although it uses mostly the same consumer technology such as a 2GB of RAM, Core 2 Duo chip etc, which seems that “it is going to replace old machines”. The frustrating mess of cables, drivers and protocols that people must use to link their peripheral devices to their personal computers, seems to have come to an end. Surface has no cables or external USB ports for plugging in peripherals. Surface has no keyboard, no mouse, no trackball — no obvious point of interaction except its screen.

Surface specifications are, a 30-inch multi touch screen displayed in a table-like form, 22 inches high, 21 inches deep, and 84 inches wide. The Surface interior frame is powder-coated steel. The software platform runs on Windows Vista and has wired Ethernet 10/100, wireless 802.11 b/g, and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity.

How it works, the Surface features a touch interface, but it doesn’t use a touch screen. Instead, five separate cameras are used to record motion on the table’s surface. The cameras were needed because of field angle issues. In order to get the table in a small size, five cameras are used so that each one can control a small area of the surface. Having multiple cameras also helps in a better resolution and speed than a single camera with an exceptionally wide-angle view of the table surface. Data is transferred as dots which are called “domino”. The entire surface of Surface is bathed in light, by illuminating the top of the table; the cameras can easily see when things are placed on it. Shining colored light across the surface of the table would spoil the effect, so near-infrared light is used for invisible illumination and not reading heat signatures.

Microsoft notes four main components being important in Surface’s interface:

· direct interaction

· multi-touch contact

· a multi-user experience

· object recognition

Surface’s actual use is not very clear yet as it seems like a rich man’s gadget. The real question that still lies “Is it worth $10k when all that could be done, can actually be done”? Using a normal PC, most of the functionalities can actually be performed in fact by just moving a mouse a couple of inches. The market has seen wonders of Microsoft launching products but all that really matters is consumer’s experience. One wonders if the Surface actually has a blue screen of death.

Can you create your own surface? Well I think we all can, having a touch screen with the necessary consumer technology, what is left is applications to display graphic and understand movements, not to forget that a carpenter also plays part in the design.

Link to Microsoft surface: http://www.microsoft.com/surface

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