The fantastic Microsoft Surface

Any idea what's brewing at Microsoft?

Well, the latest offering is hot, sleek and shiny. It's a hi-tech coffee table shaped computer called 'Surface'!

Surface is a Windows Vista powered computer placed inside a shiny black table base. These machines are user-friendly and have a 30-inch touch screen in a clear acrylic frame.

The Surface can interact with cell phones, digital cameras and other physical objects wirelessly. Users can interact with the machine by touching or dragging their fingers across the screen, or by setting real-world items tagged with special bar-code labels or identification tags.


So when a customer keeps a wine glass on the surface of a table, a restaurant could provide them with information about the wine they are ordering and even pictures of the vineyard it came from.

It will help users access information on the wine-growing region and even look at recommended hotels and plan a trip without leaving the table!

You can also order food from the hotel menu and play games. Travellers can search maps and surf the Web without a mouse or keyboard, by using simple touch gestures across the screen.




It allows people to interact with content and information on their own. Since it has a 30-inch display in a table-like form, small groups can use it at the same time.

According to Microsoft, this breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology.

"Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, dynamic surface that provides effortless interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects," says Microsoft.


With Surface, we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology," Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft says in a release.

"We see this as a multibillion dollar category, and we envision a time when surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the hallway mirror. Surface is the first step in realizing that vision," he points out.

Consumers will be able to interact with Surface in hotels, retail shops, restaurants and entertainment venues by the end of 2007.

At hotels, you can order a beverage during a meal at just a click of a button. You can quickly browse through music and drag favorite songs onto a personal play-list by moving a finger across the screen. You can download photos from your camera by just placing it on the tabletop, then play around with the digital images by just moving your fingers.


Microsoft believes these breakthroughs make technology entertaining and enjoyable.

Surface is priced between $5,000 and $10,000 per unit, the prices are expected to come down in the next 3-5 years.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc., Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., and T-Mobile USA Inc. will be some of the first companies to provide Surface experiences for customers.

A bridge between the physical and virtual worlds, Surface is set to transform the way people shop, dine, entertain and live!