May 6th - 2008

WIRED OFFICE: New Microsoft technology about to “Surface”

New product development in the computer technology industry could be the stuff spy action-thrillers are made of.

New product development in the computer technology industry could be the stuff spy action-thrillers are made of. After many years of covert development under the code name “Milan,” Microsoft announced last month that it will do a limited release of a computer that looks a lot like a coffee table. The new Microsoft Surface uses the tabletop as its high-resolution display, and does away with the traditional keyboard and mouse. Instead, the unit recognizes objects placed on the surface and responds to fingers on the screen.
 
The table, made of hard acrylic, is about 22-inches high and 42-inches wide, with a 30-inch screen. The surface isn't touch-sensitive, but a series of cameras underneath the table can see when someone places or drags a finger, hand or any other object on or across the tabletop screen. Surface uses a custom software interface on top of Microsoft's Windows Vista. The components of the machine are inside the table, including wired Ethernet, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless, a hard drive and 1 GHz processor.
 
The ultimate in interactive computing, Surface can be used simultaneously by multiple people sitting on different sides of the table. People can use their hands to touch and move virtual objects on the screen, just as they would with a mouse on a traditional PC. However, the system can also recognize objects placed on the surface, based on their shape or tagged objects such as game pieces, a Wi-Fi camera, or a digital audio player. Microsoft plans to eventually expand into other shapes and sizes of surface computers, including versions that could hang vertically on a wall.
 
The new technology will be “broken in” through a handful of commercial applications. For example, Starwood plans to put Microsoft Surface devices in common areas of its Sheraton Hotels, to provide functions such as music playlist browsing, photo sharing, games, food ordering and a “virtual concierge.” AT&T plans to harness the power of Surface to allow its retail store visitors to review features of a particular mobile device by simply placing it on the display. Surface will recognize the device and provide a graphical overview of its capabilities or compare the features of two devices placed side-by-side. Harrah’s Entertainment will start by using the Surface tables as a virtual concierge desk at its eight Las Vegas properties which include Caesars Palace and Bally's. People will be able to use the tables to access maps of the different properties, get details about events and venues and create itineraries for themselves.
 
Microsoft hopes consumers will want their own Surface computers after using them in these commercial settings. But an estimated price tag in the range of $5,000 to $10,000 would likely be a major obstacle for the average consumer if the units were available in retail stores today.  Although originally slated to launch in 2007, the company says it could be three or more years before Surface hits the broader consumer market.
 
Potential real estate use
If the technology catches on the way Microsoft hopes it will, however, there will be many practical applications for surface computing in the real estate business. A Surface computer in the real estate office conference room for example would make a great place to invite clients for an “interactive” meeting. You could place your digital camera on the table and have all the photos you took of their house spill out onto the surface display like a physical stack of standard photos. You could then encourage your clients to join you in moving the photos around with their fingertips to find the best shots for their MLS listing. You can easily sort, crop, resize and enhance the digital photos right before their eyes. Or, you could use Surface to look at a map of an area, draw a circle around an area of interest and then see all available homes in that area. Next you could manually sort the homes of interest into a “pile” where you can review the details and then drag them into your PDA so you can take the information with you as you drive around the neighbourhoods. 
 
Clients will be able to view their listing agreement or offer to purchase as you walk them through the virtual copy. They can sign the contract using either a pen or their fingertip and you can instantly send it to a printer and present them with a hard copy. You could even visually demonstrate tips for preparing a home for sale including changing paint colours, adding flowers or shrubs to create curb appeal or eliminating clutter. And, many other real estate related applications are bound to “surface” as the technology becomes available.
 
To learn more about Microsoft Surface computing visit www.microsoft.com/surface. Several video demos of the product are also available on YouTube www.youtube.com and Popular Mechanics’ put together a video review at http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4257252.html.

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