Microsoft Surface: direct interaction, multi-touch contact, multi-user experience, & object recognition.

Very happy to see that we’ve (Microsoft) announced Microsoft Surface.  I’ve met with the team 1 or 2 (I forget…) times over the years (back when they called it a "PlayTable").  Several other WPF team members have had more interaction with them (see Kevin’s post).  After v1 a few key people from the WPF team joined their team. [1]  It was amazing several years ago, I’m happy it is going to market!  Sounds like they are going to have devices shipping this year.

Watch the 3 videos of the functionality @ microsoft.com/surface and read more details.

From the Fact Sheet

Surface computing features four key attributes:

• Direct interaction. Users can actually “grab” digital information with their hands and interact with content through touch and gesture, without the use of a mouse or keyboard.
• Multi-touch contact. Surface computing recognizes many points of contact simultaneously, not just from one finger as with a typical touch screen, but up to dozens and dozens of items at once.
• Multi-user experience. The horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.
• Object recognition. Users can place physical objects on the surface to trigger different types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content.

Nice device to leverage some of your WPF programming skills on!

Other posts open in my browser about Microsoft Surface:

• http://wpfwonderland.wordpress.com/2007/05/29/microsoft-surface-touch-sensitive-big-screen-interactive-desktop-device/
• http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html
• http://on10.net/blogs/larry/first-look-microsoft-surfacing-computing/
• http://www.windows-now.com/blogs/robert/archive/2007/05/29/microsoft-surface-the-computer-is-personal-again.aspx
• http://www.istartedsomething.com/20070530/microsoft-surface-wallpaper-hint-touch-zune/
• http://blog.xsive.co.nz/archives/223
• http://scobleizer.com/2007/05/29/ahh-the-playtable-er-surface-computing-how-it-works/
• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18928656/
• http://blog.digitalbackcountry.com/?p=836

[1] This is another great thing about working @ Microsoft. Work on one cool thing, make it great, ship it.  If the time is right, go find another great idea to refine and ship — or maybe the initial idea is yours this time.  A few years ago, I wrote how I started @ microsoft (it got linked to from an information week article)…