Microsoft wants you and your friends to put your hands and fingers all over the computer screen.
MS Surface is a leader in the next generation of computer interface. It's hands-on, literally. The 30-inch touch screen is optimized to respond to 52 touches at a time. It could very well change how computers are used in the future.
There is no mouse, no keyboard -- just a screen. Underneath that screen is the Vista operating system, custom software and a series of five infrared cameras. The multiple cameras allow for Surface to recognize numerous points of action simultaneously.
But that's not all Surface can do. With the help of digital tagging, attaching a digital barcode to an item, Surface can interact with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled devices. All you have to do is place your MP3 player or digital camera on the surface, and voila! Your pictures are downloaded, and your music is uploaded.
But don't get ready to ditch your personal computers just yet. Surface was not designed to replace a home computer. It also costs $5,000 to $10,000 per unit and is only available to industry clients. Surface is targeting hotel groups, restaurants, casinos and retail outlets.
Kyle Warnick, Microsoft's senior marketing communications manager for Surface, say it will not be available to consumers for three to five years, and he can't say how much it will cost -- it's too early in the game.
Surface will premiere in Canada at the Toronto Sheraton Hotel Centre in spring 2008. Last weekend, Microsoft showcased three Surface units at the Toronto Sheraton Hotel Centre. The crowd was sparse, but those that were there could be heard saying things like "that's amazing."
Renowned Canadian artist Charles Pachter was invited to demonstrate Surface's interactive painting feature.
Patcher sat at a Surface unit at the main entrance to the Sheraton lobby, gliding his fingers across the table's screen, creating what looked like a piece of abstract art.
"It's like finger painting and playing without the mess," Pachter said with a chuckle during a later telephone interview. "It's fine for kids on a rainy day, but you have you be able to go further with it...The palette is very limited, there are just six primary colours. You can't choose from an array of colours."
Patcher was admittedly disappointed with Surface. He had hoped it would make more use of creative technology.
"I am not sure what all the hype was about, frankly. The idea is basically that it is a large table-sized screen, which is fine, but for technicians and artists, and people who want to get a lot of usage out of it, they still have a ways to go," said Patcher.
Although Surface may fall short on its creative applications, others were impressed with its more practical elements.
Digitally tagged loyalty cards will be used in restaurants, hotels and casinos. Clients can swipe the card, pull up their accounts, access and order from menus, or use the virtual concierge.
Warnick and Microsoft want people to go to a restaurant, sit at a Surface table and read the menu, and order from the machine, not the server.
"Imagine a bottle of wine, and when you place it on the table a video spills out. It talks about the region and the grapes, and maybe it gives you pairing options with the meal," said Warnick.
Or go to a store pick up two similar products, plop them on the Surface and watch information pour out to help you make a choice.
"What's cool about Surface is that it is limitless in where our partners are going to take it and where we see the industry going, and where the consumers take this," Warnick said.
Jean-Marc Leroux, a dealer with Canadian Tire in Quebec, was at the Sheraton for a conference when he came by the Surface exhibition. He looked on with his colleagues and laughed in amazement at the demonstration for the retail industry.
"I like the flexibility of it. It's very impressive with all the information in there," Leroux said. He feels the retail industry is moving towards the digital direction and the system could be profitable for corporations like Canadian Tire.
"We have a lot of customers, and it all depends on what kind of service (it can do). But if the applications apply to our environment, and if this could show customers what we have in stock, then maybe yeah, in the future (we would look into it). That's our next generation of customers," Leroux said.
The Toronto Sheraton Hotel Centre will be Surface's only Canadian home, and it will have four to six units strategically placed in its massive lobby.
Warnick speculated that Surface's ability to customize its programs to each client's unique needs, is what will make it a desirable product.
"It really gives people an individual experience. And that's best thing about this system," Warnick said. But not everyone is convinced.
"I think at this point it was a little premature for them to debut it the way they did. I am still trying to figure out its best use. At this point it's just a play toy," Pachter said.
