Microsoft Surface

Earlier this year I had written about Jeff Han's Perceptive Pixel project. (http://therajahs.blogspot.com/2007/02/perceptive-pixel-future-for-gis.html) Perceptive pixel is a montior with which multiple users can interact just like Tom Cruise did in Minority Report. When I first saw the video, I was truly blown away at how close we were to this technology. (Perceptive pixel already has working models). Today I came across Microsoft's interactive monitor technology called "Surface". The reason that I think that this is way cooler is that MS has thought of how to bring this technology into every home. Where Perceptive Pixel made me think of how cool its use would be at work in areas such as GIS, Military intelligence, Surface makes me think of all those and more. I can see Surface being used in our conference rooms, during code reviews, showing our prototypes to stake holders..... but I can also see it as a coffee table in my house, a game console for multiplayer games, a way to show my pictures, the uses are endless. Check out all the videos at Microsoft Surface. The ideas that they have dreamt up are pretty cool. (The one I like the best is - splitting your tab at a restaurant! - its in the 3rd video) For more technical info check out this PopularMechanics video -> http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html