Microsoft Surface really does cut the distance between technology and real world, and the Natural User Interface proves that. There’s no more mouse, and everything is hands on. Objects are even recognized uniquely.
Well, wait! If Surface can read a byte tag.. does that mean that the cameras can image the screen? As in, if there was a paper with words on top of the screen, It could take a picture, and have that picture pulled up later to be read digitallly?
Well, I think you know where I’m going with this… if I’m not mistaken, the new Microsoft Surface Killer App could be a scanner. It’s simple, yet powerful.
My next app idea is in the public sector – in homes – and has to do with television. I figured that if I were to get a Surface table, the best spot for it would be in the living room, and I’m guessing that’s where most people would put it. Since most households have their main television in the living room, this opened up lots of ideas for communication between Surface and the T.V.
First off, a simple remote control probably isn’t a bad idea. It would never get lost, and you could make it bigger for bigger buttons.
Second, you could play any movies you have on your Surface computer right on your television. A good way to share a video with a big crowd.
And lastly, in partner with idea #2, you could rent movies right from the Surface computer and then play them on your T.V. It’s a blockbuster right in your living room!
There are many more possibilities, but what would be the fun if I did all the work for you? If you think of some more ideas tell me about them.
Windows 7 will be open to the public in just over a month (October 22). Many of the techies have heard a lot about it, and know whether or not they’re interested. However, some people may still be unsure.
Personally, I think that Windows 7 is worth upgrading too myself. Here are seven reasons Windows 7 will be a success (and is worth the purchase).
1. Taskbar Improvements: The taskbar has improved so dramatically that developers call it the Superbar. This is probably because of the way Microsoft combined applications that are open with ones that aren’t (as if they took the quick launch and merged it with the taskbar). And in order to tell if an application is running, there is a small glare/glow on the corner of open applications, which will then turn orange (without an annoying flash like before) if the application requires attention.
Also, the “Aero Peek”, which allows users to hover the mouse over a Superbar Application and see a small thumbnail of that app, goes a step further. It will now also temporarily hide all other apps and show the selected app as it is on the desktop, full sized.
Lastly, there is now an easy way to open files through applications on the Superbar. You simply drag and drop an icon onto the app that you want to open the file with, while holding shift. This is nice because it speeds up the process of opening a file with a non-default app.
2. Cheap: Microsoft must be doing some price testing, because they have some great deals going on. If you preorder Windows 7 in US, Canada, Japan, UK, France, or Germany, you can get up to 75% off! It is only $49.99 for the Home Premium version and $99.99 for the Professional version in the US.
In addition, anybody that bought a new computer running Vista after June 26th can upgrade for free to the similar Windows 7 version.
3. Lightweight – Competition in Net book Market: With netbooks now outselling desktops, Microsoft knew windows 7 had to be strong in that particular market. In order for that to happen, it needed to be lightweight.
Lightweight means that it uses low amounts processing, memory, and energy. First, Windows 7 doesn’t add as much memory usage when you open new windows as before. Second, background processes, such as multi-touch, only run when necessary. These and more lets Windows 7 run on low end machines, such as netbooks.
In addition, Windows 7 increases security, and makes networking much easier for when you are on the go and constantly changing your wireless access point.
4. Performance Improvements: As mentioned above, Windows 7 is a lot more lightweight, and runs on netbooks very well. This also means that the performance for high end machines is even better.
Windows 7 is even better than XP in terms of performance, which is a big accomplishment on Microsoft’s end. Usually, newer OS’s require more memory/power than the one’s before it. zdnet.com did a performance test and recorded the data on a nice chart. As you can see, Windows 7’s score is much lower than all the other OS’s, including XP and vista, making it much faster.
5. Aero not just for looks anymore: As previously mentioned in point #1 (Superbar), Aero is no longer just for looks; there is actually a reason for it. The Aero Peek lets you easily find an app by hiding all other windows and bringing the one you’re interested in to the top, and the Superbar allows for files to be dragged onto app icons to be opened.
Another neat Aero feature new to windows 7 is Shake. Do you ever find that there are too many windows open and it is causing eye clutter? Or you only want the window you are using to be displayed? By clicking the title bar of a window and shaking it, all other windows will be minimized. To get all those windows showing again, just shake one more time.
There is also Aero Snap. Aero snap helps neatly organize your windows. When you drag a window to the edge, it will snap and reshape the window to take up that edge of the screen. Do it on the otherside to take the other half, all neatly and easily.
I would suggest watching this playlist for a complete array of videos on windows 7 aero.
6. Multi-touch support: The future of computers is touch screens, and although it’s hard to believe, they are already here. That’s why it is important that Windows 7 has touch abilities.
Many of the applications in Windows 7 already have touch support built in. For example, the icons on a Windows 7 desktop are purposely bigger so that they can be dragged. There is also a touch supported keyboard that glows when you touch a key for better UI feedback.
The multi-touch aspect will get developers thrilled and will spark the interest of customers.
7. Unsure consumers have XP option: This is the most important reason by far. Lots of consumers, especially small businesses, are still running windows XP. To them, it’s not worth the risk of upgrading and not having programs work, plus it is a lot of money for something not a necessity.
By Windows 7 having XP mode, consumers will be more willing to upgrade, having the blanket of security that their programs will work, and decide that with all the other reasons, it is time to upgrade.
When it came to Virtual Machines, VMware used to be the name of the game. But that may now change. Microsoft Virtualization may be the new way to go, as Microsoft has been working hard lately on new and improved technologies. But at the same time, VMware has what Microsoft doesn’t in the Virtual Machine world: Experience.
Virtual Machines are software applications that allow users to run a separate Operating System inside. For instance, if you were running Windows Vista, and wanted to run XP instead, you would run the Virtual Machine Software (VMWare, VirtualBox, Microsoft Virtualization), and then run a whole new OS from inside the Virtual Machine.
This can be useful on many levels. For one, if you wanted to run Linux from a Windows computer, or vice versa, you can do so without rebooting, dual booting, etc. On a larger scale, hosting companies can host multiple sites on one machine through mass virtualization. All it requires is that each Virtual Machine has its own IP Address. Also, big companies with networks can host or “house” multiple machines on one machine, and each computer that employees use are based off that “house”, helping centralize the network. This is called a hypervisor.
Microsoft argues that it is cheaper, has superior hypervisor features, and has flawless migration. On the other end, VMware argues that it has a cheaper disk footprint (size of program and files), is independent of OS’s (windows), and has drivers that are optimized with hardware vendors.
The floor is open. Who do you think has the best Virtual Machine? Or is there another competitor that you like?
Need to see it for yourself? Here are some videos starring Microsoft Surface for your viewing pleasure! They range all the way from Bill Gates’ unveiling back in 2007 to the new Surface Sphere of July 2008. As you can see from that time period, this is a VERY new technology.
Currently there are two types of Microsoft Surface packages for sale.
Commercial Package -These are for businesses such as hotels and casinos that do not plan to develop. Currently, it is not available to private consumers. It comes with Vista Business and Surface Platform 1.0 software. This does NOT come with the SDK. The price tag on this one is around $10000, depending on how many you buy.
Developers Package – If you plan on developing with the SDK, this is the package for you. This is a little pricier than the commercial package, but comes with a Surface SDK, two seats in a Microsoft Surface Essentials training session, and 5 license’ to the Surface SDK workstation software. It also gives you access to the developers forum where you can download applications. The developer package sells for just over $13000.
Both packages come in either a plain metal or a black frame.
Availabilty – Microsoft Surface is available in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. Prices on this page are based on the U.S. Dollar.
Price to go down – The price is expected to go down as this technology advances, just how the price of computers have gone down significantly since when they started.
Ever wonder what’s inside Microsoft Surface that makes it all possible? Well, here’s your answer.
Since Microsoft Surface sports a Natural User Interface (NUI), it has less input devices than the average and traditional Graphical User Interface (GUI). GUI based computers have a mouse, keyboard, webcam and maybe a microphone while a NUI has only a multi-touch screen.
But although Surface has less hardware in the ‘input device’ category, it has more in the inner workings. It requires more in the core for features such as multi-touch and object recognition capabilities.
Multi-touch: The most important and most noted feature of the Surface table is its multit-touch capabilities. It boasts 5 near-infrared cameras that can recognize when something makes contact on the screen, since contact changes the “invisible lighting” (near-infrared lighting) on the top of the table. The use of five cameras rather than just one adds higher resolutions. It also helps to make the table more compact, as just one camera would have to be far away to be able to “watch” the whole screen, rather than 5 cameras taking a (fifth) small section of the table. Having five cameras also increases the processing speed.
Since the cameras recognize contact on the screen and not heat, electrical resistance, or capacitance, the cameras recognize more than just your finger. For example, you could play air hockey with a real air hockey puck and “player”. Or you could paint with a real paint brush.
The multi in multi-touch is greater than any multi-touch device you’ve ever touched before. It allows for up to 52 interactions at once! That’s 5 people using all 10 fingers plus 2 objects all at once, or 9 people using 5 fingers and 7 objects all at once, or even 26 people using 2 fingers all at once. The greatest part is, it’s not the camera system that limits the amount of interactions allowed at one time, it’s the processing power. That means in the future, we could see bigger numbers far larger than 52, maybe one point in the thousands , or even no limit to the amount of interactions one table can process at once.
Object recognition: The object recognition feature uses the same hardware as multi-touch uses – 5 near-infrared cameras. But I mention object recognition for a different reason.
With object recognition, Microsoft Surface can recognize any object with a byte tag on it. For example, if you were to put a byte tag on a digital camera, Surface would recognize the byte tag as a digital camera, and you would get the photos to spill out to play with.
Since we can put a byte tag on any object, this means that Microsoft Surface, in one way or another, has infinite pieces of hardware. Or, at least up to 52 more than Microsoft Surface has inside (since Surface only recognizes up to 52 touches).
You know how Surface recognizes objects now, but you may be wondering how it transfers data with it? This is where the built in Bluetooth 2.0 comes to play. The Bluetooth 2.0 technology can share photos and music at lightning fast speeds. So when you put that mp3 player down on the table and drag a song from a playlist into the mp3 player, it automatically uploads the song in just a few seconds.
Processing and Memory: Currently, Microsoft Surface has:
250 GigaByte Sata Hard Drive
2 GigaByte DDR2 RAM
Intel Core 2Duo @ 2.13GHz
But according to Bill Gates, this is the specs that Microsoft hopes Surface will eventually have:
1 TeraByte Hard Drive
4 GigaByte DDR2-1066 RAM
Intel Core Quad Xeon “WoodCrest” @ 2.66GHz
Frame: Microsoft Surface’s dimensions are 42 inches wide x 21 inches deep x 22 inches high with a 30 inch display at a 1280×720. The tabletop is acrylic and the interior is powder coated with steel. It weighs in at 150 pounds.
The Rest: The OS supporting Microsoft Surface, believe it or not, is a custom version of Windows Vista. This may change to Windows 7 once it is released however. For internet connection, there is wired Ethernet 10/100 or wireless 802.11 b/g.
The object recognition feature on Microsoft Surface is the first of its kind. Since most touch screens are dependent on electrical resistance or heat, it would not work. But since Surface is simply based on touch (which cameras recognize (see the Natural User Interface (NUI) article for more info)) it can recognize not only human touch, but objects as well.
In fact, object recognition is almost exactly the same as touch recognition. A game with bouncing balls would bounce off of a camera just as it would a finger or hand. The nice thing about this is that it helps merge technology with the real world. That means that in the paint app, you can use the paintbrush rather than your finger, and have the same effect. And in the air hockey app, the puck and goalie mallets from any other table work perfectly.
But when it comes to Microsoft Surface, there is object recognition and there is object recognition. What I mean is that Surface can do more than just say “hey, there is an object on me”.
Microsoft Surface can also recognize specific objects, what they are, and interact with them!
In order for Surface to recognize what an object is you have to put a tag on it. These are called byte tags, and they look a lot like a domino:
When an object with a tag is placed on the Surface, the relation between the tag and the object is recognized, and from there on out, it is recognized as that object. So if you put a camera down with a tag in relation to that camera, the Surface recognizes the object as a camera.
This has no use in simple things such as a paintbrush or airhockey puck/goalie mallets as mentioned before. This is used when sharing data between digital electronics and Surface, such as cameras, mp3 players, and cell phones.
But you need more than just a tag to do that. For the data transfers, Microsoft Surface uses Bluetooth 2.0. So once you place your camera (which has a tag on it), and it is recognized as a camera, Bluetooth 2.0 downloads all of the images onto surface, and creates a spill out effect. It’s as simple as that, but at the same time, very advanced.
A Natural User Interface (NUI) is a term used when interaction between digital data and the user is done so in a natural way. Hardware in a Natural User Interface is very minimal, leaving out input devices such as a mouse or keyboard. Interaction is instead done with “natural” gestures that have direct control of the data. These gestures are used to manipulate data, and can be anything from a “touch and move” to a “fling” to a “pinch”.
The NUI is truly a huge jump in computing, in fact, Microsoft said that it is “as significant as the move from DOS to GUI”. Let’s take an example to prove it – how about the simple task of making an image bigger. In DOS, well, it isn’t really plausible. In a GUI it is very tedious. You would have to select the image, fill out forms on how much bigger you want the horizontal to be, do the same for the vertical, and click submit (and possibly do this again if you guessed the wrong size). In a NUI, it’s MUCH simpler. Put your two fingers down and resize. Walla! Not to mention that you can physically see how much bigger it is while you resize it, and you can resize it continuously.
Microsoft Surface further defines the NUI by allowing for real world objects to easily “communicate” with the digital interface of Surface. By allowing these real world objects, the interface becomes even more “natural”, because the objects on the surface (you can capitalize that “s” if you’d like) are actually a real, natural object.
When the first computer was made, it used vacuum tubes, magnetic tape for storage, and weighed in at 29,000 pounds; it was the size of a garage. Next was DOS based computers, and soon enough came the microprocessor. Since then, 1991, the internet, operating systems, software, and computers continue getting better and faster. But for almost 20 years now, despite the improvements, users have used the same, limiting setup: CPU, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, microphone, and all the cords that come with it. Now it is time for something new, and that something is Microsoft Surface.
Microsoft Surface first started under the code-name ‘Milan’ in 2001. The “Milan team” went through over 80 different designs, and built applications such as the famous photo browser, mapping software, and more. In 2003 the project was presented to Bill Gates, and from there the project and its team grew even more. The final prototype was chosen in 2005, and then presented to the public in 2007 (May 29th) by CEO Steve Ballmer. Now even more applications are being made for more specific purposes, and even for clients such as Harrah’s Entertainment and AT&T that have already taken advantage of Microsoft Surface.
What started as a small project has grown into one of the most known and most advanced projects in consumer and business computing. Microsoft Surface IS the future of computing.
