Microsoft Announces New Surface Computer

Microsoft announced its latest product, the Microsoft Surface. The Microsoft Surface is a new computer based on a surface interface. A surface interface means no peripherals for input. There is no mouse nor is there a keyboard. The Surface is a horizontally mounted touch screen computer. Moving your fingers on the screen will allow you to interact with it and the files on it. Five cameras watching the screen read your movements. The screen is a 30-inch flat display screen embedded into a table. This makes the surface completely horizontal allowing for multiple user interaction.

Microsoft is set to have the Surface Computer available near the end of this year. They have plans to manufacture the machine themselves and sell it initially to corporate customers, deploying the first units in November in Sheraton hotels, Harrah's casinos, T-Mobile stores, and restaurants. Each Surface will sell at a price between $5,000 and $10,000 while dropping the price over the next few years to a level where consumers can purchase it.

Microsoft claims that the interface of a Surface Computer is more natural for people to interact with than the standard mouse and keyboard interface. Users will have direct interaction with files in that they will be able to "grab" photos "lying" on the screen. With the touch and drag of a finger or two, the picture is moved, resized or edited. The Surface also allows for multiple input points so that multiple users can interact with the computer at one time. The horizontal feature of the screen's surface also allows multiple users to interact with files on the computer simultaneously.

The biggest bell and whistle is that the Surface Computer has object recognition abilities. Microsoft explains that if a special chip is added to a devise, like cell phones, MP3 players, or cameras, then the user can set that device on the screen of the Surface and it will recognize and connect to it. This connection is done with its wi-fi and Bluetooth capabilities. If programmed to do so, picture files or song files loaded on the devices will be displayed on the screen of the Surface allowing the user to immediately interact with them just as would be done with real photographs or CD's on a dinning room table.

Microsoft has targeted the entertainment industries as their first clients to incorporate the Surface, but there could be other applications as well.