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Want to see a MultiTouch laptop?

Posted By: Larry Larsen | Oct 26th, 2007 @ 4:54 AM
Channel 9's Charles Torre took a trip to Microsoft Research in the UK and got to look at some of our work behind MultiTouch laptops and LCD monitors. See the people shaping MultiTouch at Microsoft, the thought behind it, and what makes it different from Microsoft's Surface Computer.

Very cool video and technology, check it out.
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Bjork tours with multi-touch surface computer

Posted By: Larry Larsen | Aug 20th, 2007 @ 1:50 PM
Bjork may be as crazy as a soup sandwich, but I'll give her credit for her latest phase being technologically interesting. She's put Grammy-nominated Damian Taylor on tour playing a reactable.

The reactable is an open-source application that runs on a surface computer. There are builds for a number of operating systems, but the device that immediately stood out to me, of course, was the Microsoft Surface. Read more on Tech Digest, read an interview with Damian Taylor about reactable on Wired, check out the reactable site here, or just watch the demo videos (1 and 2) on YouTube.

The videos are worth a watch if for no other reason than to get amped about the future of computing UI. How cool would it be to drop volume knobs specific to your applications all over your physical desktop? Or throw down some knobs tied real-time to properties in a 3D Studio Max model?
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First Look: Microsoft Surface Computer!

Posted By: Larry Larsen | May 30th, 2007 @ 12:00 AM
About a year ago I gave a presentation to a group of journalists about gadgets of the future and showed a video about a theoretical multi-touch computing system. When asked when we would see something like that in the wild, I optimistically ballparked 5-7 years. You can imagine my surprise when I walked into a room at Microsoft and found a fully functioning Microsoft Surface Computer (more than one, actually.)

I played with it long after the shoot was over. It's incredible. And I know many of you have the same question I did; when am I going to have one of these in my house? Surface computers will start with Microsoft partners getting first shot at various public applications, you'll most likely see them in action in Las Vegas first. Eventually prices will come down and production will go up and I expect we'll all be waving through our playlists on our coffee table before we know it. You'll also see in this video that wifi on the Zune can be used for more than just bursting a song or picture to a stranger.
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