Microsoft Surface hands-on

If you're any kind of nerd you probably already caught Microsoft's Surface at this point. We don't have a lot to add with our little photo gallery, but damned if this wasn't one of the coolest technology demoes we've seen in long while -- bugs and all. Oh, and for those wondering, all the trickiness in getting the Surface demo tables to identify the objects resting on it wasn't due to NFC or RFID (yet, anyway); the Surface demo unit instead uses a visual code identifier on the bottom of each object, and behaves accordingly. We want.

Gallery: Microsoft Surface hands-on

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[Deezee @ May 31st 2007 1:11AM]

That aint nothin but a over-grown iPhone that looks like a table. Meh.








Seriously tho I'll pay anything for one of these. I need this thing.

[Zeus the God @ May 31st 2007 2:36AM]

iPhone ain't got nothin' on this.

[Molly C @ May 31st 2007 1:13AM]

The mouth waters.
Homer Simpson's trademark drool comes to mind. :p

[dude @ May 31st 2007 1:17AM]

Is it really gonna take 3 years for these to be available to general consumers? I wouldnt mind the 10k price tag now...its equivalent to buying a new HDTV;only a bajillion times cooler. although, having to put stickers on all my devices to make them work seems to defeat the purpose a bit.

[rahat @ May 31st 2007 1:27AM]

can someone say star trek?

[andrew harrison @ May 31st 2007 1:30AM]

i don't care whether you're an apple or microsoft lover or hater.

being able to put your credit card on a table, and then select the tip by moving your finger in a circle around it is FLIPPING AWESOME.

[James @ May 31st 2007 9:17AM]

Especially if it's somebody else's credit card!

[Iamsars @ May 31st 2007 1:31AM]

You can find an video about this at http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/05...ft-surface.aspx
its pretty cool o.o

video shows it identifying a cell phone and a camera with all this other stuff... i doubt that the phone / camera had a visual code identifier on the bottom. o_o

[BigD @ May 31st 2007 2:00AM]

http://www.engadget.com/photos/microsoft-surface-hands-on/258568/

Really?

[Molly C @ May 31st 2007 2:14AM]

lamsars, your link is broken
Here is the correct link:
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/05/29/announcing-microsoft-surface.aspx

But there's even a better video at on10.net, an 18-minute demo:
http://on10.net/Blogs/larry/first-look-microsoft-surfacing-computing/

[dramamoose @ May 31st 2007 2:12AM]

See, everybody's saying "OMFG! They stole it from Apple/IBM/Sony/Your Mom." But who I think should be pissed is all those 1950s sci-fi directors! How about the directors of Minority report? Or The Island? That's who should be suing.

Seriously. This is an amazing product. I want one right now. Actually, I want all of my local businesses to have one right now.

[Finite @ May 31st 2007 3:16AM]

Actually, another commentor claimed to have worked on the set of The Island and stated that the doctor's table was in fact product placement, in a sense, on the part of microsoft to excite interest in such a futuristic looking device. It happens often in movies, (for instance, Sony phones/notebooks in the new bond movie, OQO in MI3, etc.) so, though it could have been completely incorrect, it does sound reasonable. No?

[James @ May 31st 2007 9:17AM]

Of course the iPhone will be out in less than a month (right?), it will cost 1/20th the price, you can plug in headphones, it's got bluetooth and truly can identify other devices, and if it's somehow hooked up to your financial institutions as they have been in Japan for years, YOU will authorize payment, it won't be like drop a piece of plastic on a table and all of a sudden you've bought a yacht (or somebody else has with your funds)...

But then there's Microsoft Photosynth... Whoa...

[Brian Marshall @ May 31st 2007 2:42AM]

Google 'Reactable'. Granted this Microsoft product does more than analog audio manipulation, but it's really the same technology (I think).

Sorry, I just like to give credit where credit is due. :D

[elbarto83 @ May 31st 2007 2:52AM]

Microsoft isn't the only one doing this.

Jeff Han on TED talks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKh1Rv0PlOQ

[ryan @ May 31st 2007 3:02AM]

if I can ever afford one of these, it will most definitely have a protective screen, or else I'm gonna make people wear gloves to use it, because I can't STAND fingerprints!!

[j10s @ May 31st 2007 6:43AM]

don't be worried about fingerprints, if you watch the videos, the screen is actually cloth like. It is hard to explain, so just watch one of the videos.

[Andir3.0 @ May 31st 2007 3:11AM]

It looks like that one music table demonstrated a while back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thA_Oox1Cfc

[Ryan @ May 31st 2007 5:05AM]

Interesting. Microsoft had their prints all over the Island. From the XBox boxing match to the MSN Search directory look up... it was a feature-length ad. :D

I don't know about Surface being a planted technology in the movie, but it certainly seems reasonable that there was an influence given all the other placements.

[ballpein @ May 31st 2007 3:21AM]

Definitely looks like the same tech as reactable, even the gui looks similar; I think reactable is a much more robust and interesting application of the technology.

[Nelg @ May 31st 2007 4:45AM]

http://citywall.org
"The CityWall is a large multi-touch display installed in a central location in Helsinki." So, were there any downsides in living as north as Finland?

[Timobot @ May 31st 2007 5:38AM]

"Microsoft Surface runs Milan software. While it runs on a Vista PC, there is a whole other layer of software that handles the advanced touch input.
At its core, Milan is powered by a fairly standard high-end Vista PC with an off-the-shelf graphics card, 3GHz Pentium 4 processor and 2GB of memory. To make the touch screen work, Microsoft crams a lot of other stuff into its tabletop unit. Underneath the roughly textured scratch-proof and spill-proof surface covering the top of the unit, five infrared cameras sense fingers or other objects touching the surface, while a DLP projector turned on its side generates the screen image people see."

Source: http://multi-touchscreen.com/microsoft-surface-video-multi-touch-jeff-han-apple-bill-gates.html

Found more neat videos on that site too.

[slug @ May 31st 2007 5:41AM]

insanely cool but equally pointless. its a luxury.
i doubt credt card companys are goin to start printing barcodes on the back of there cards anytime soon.
i have to admit tho i love the thing with the camera, where all the pictures drop out of it when it is placed on the screen.

[Ajith Pullanikkat @ May 31st 2007 7:38AM]

Microsoft comes with the new method of operations,a direct lively human interactive life.woh its a superb gadget.This digital table introduces a new method of multiple interactions at the same time.Business aimed at making social life more machine interactive!..Lets expect tis hi-fi surface to be soon in shopping malls restaurants etc soon,and why not at ur home?..yes,and very soon.

[Harry @ May 31st 2007 7:50AM]

This is an AWESOME product! I want one for my business RIGHT NOW.

Microsoft started working on the project since 2001(according to its official site). Admittedly, the idea incubation might involve integrating some inspirations from "The Island" or "Minority Report". But what kind of product development isn't like this?

Come on, face it. Apple isn't the only firm that knows how to innovate.

[nicleT @ May 31st 2007 8:15AM]

"Microsoft comes with the new method of operations,a direct lively human interactive life."

Frankly, There's a lot of M$Fanboys here. As elbarto83 mention it, it seem that nobody remembers Jeff Han? Even if it wasn't exactly with the same screen projection, he brought to life this kind UI and its development even more farther.

[tc @ May 31st 2007 8:23AM]

OK, everyone is coming out with 'multi-touch'. Apple said they owned some patents around it, but would be surprised that it even comes into play with 'everyone' doing it. I mean my trackpad acts differently if I use two fingers at a time .... what constitutes multi-touch.

As far as the rest of it, it's NOT the technology, rather the software. I can mock up the majority of the restaurant thingy in flash.

So is it that exciting of news?

[Kevin @ May 31st 2007 9:09AM]

Touchscreens have been in use for over a decade in casinos. It's nice they're finally getting used elsewhere, even though they're not always the best interface.

iPhone only uses multi-touch to zoom pictures. A costly gimic for a tiny screen, on a device that most people use one-handed.

Surface is a totally different animal, and the important things is that it extends the paradigm of physical objects interacting, with its recognition of more things than just your finger.

Look around, and you'll see that many companies are about to sell table computers meant for family games etc. It's just one of those ideas that's come due.

[Forrest @ May 31st 2007 8:59AM]

Yeah, a lot of people for decades have had this sort of idea. Some other companies have incorporated limited versions of it in devices with narrow or dedicated functions. RESEARCHERS have developed very interesting technology, ideas, and demonstrations.

The tech isn't the big deal is here. I don't think Microsoft claims to invent the basic idea or theory.

The big deal is THEY'RE BRINGING IT TO MARKET. They've found a way to introduce it such that businesses might buy it, and it will help get the technology in front of the masses. It's opening the door, and other companies will most certainly follow along and do something faster, better, and cheaper. Anybody who has spent time working on or researching such tech should be thrilled - once people get a taste of this, they'll want more.

[trevc @ May 31st 2007 9:31AM]

So ... since the iPhone runs OSX with the multi-touch 'stuff' integrated, would it work on just about ANY touch-screen?

Or is the hardware THAT different?

[Grayson @ Jun 4th 2007 7:14PM]

Im positive that there will be a verification process of some sort. Your not just going to set a credit card on the surface and transfer funds like that...

[Forrest @ May 31st 2007 9:47AM]

I just don't understand the comparisons between Surface and the iPhone. They have two COMPLETELY different functions, two COMPLETELY different purposes, and hell, they could even be made to work TOGETHER.

I may have to stop reading the comments on these articles. Short-sighted asshats wearing fanboy blinders have gotten on my last nerve...

[saycheese @ May 31st 2007 10:00AM]

Are you freaking serious ?

Do you think that any credit card placed on this table will automatically get scanned and charged or that any camera or cell phone placed on it will automatically spill all their contents on to the screen? You can bet your bottom that there will be user prompts and other security features that will ensure that you and only you will be able to use the devices that YOU are authorized to use.

Otherwise MS will get sued for all its worth for compromising personal privacy of people.

All the people crowing that MS copied this technology fail to realize that this piece of technology is nothing new or was not dreamt up by one individual. This kind of interaction has been dreamt up for ages in the sci-fi realm, and we are finally witnessing them coming to fruition thanks to the advance in the computing power and software tools.

Long before iPhone was unveiled by His Steveness at MacWorld 2007, Bill Gates demoed this very same "Surface" table in his CES 2006 keynote address (I was there in attendance, in Las Vegas) - almost one full year BEFORE the iPhone was unveiled or announced to the world. Does this make Apple the one that stole the concept from Microsoft? Not really, because this kind of stuff has been envisioned and researched upon for decades now.

The next wanker who says that Microsoft was ripping off Apple's iPhone should be banned for life from the internet on grounds of sheer unbearable stupidity and ignorance.

[maggie @ May 31st 2007 10:56AM]

No, MSFT isn't ripping off IPhone with Surface, anymore than MSFT was ripping off Lisa with Windows.

In fact they were both ripping off the Star from Xerox PARC.

And now they're ripping off Jeff Han.

http://www.cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/

[T-Bone @ May 31st 2007 11:09AM]

I don't see how pitures from your camera showing up on this is any different from them showing up on your monitor.

[saycheese @ May 31st 2007 12:11PM]

Once again, people.. multi-touch and gesture recognition is a field neither envisioned nor pioneered by any single person or corporation - not Microsoft, not Apple, and definitely not just Jeff Han (with all due respects to his team's research). Every person and team working in this area have been adding their personal touches and advancements to this evolving form of user interaction.

As commented by another person earlier, people have been dreaming up user interfaces just like Microsoft's "Surface" or Apple's iPhone for more than a decade now. There have been several non-working concepts as well as working prototypes for a few years now.

What makes anybody think that Microsoft did not have a parallel research effort similar to Jeff Han for an equal length of time?

@ T-Bone:
The difference is that Surface is making it just more comfortable by automating the process of sensing the camera in its proximity, and downloading the pictures wirelessly to display them. Nothing earthshatteringly revolutionary.. but just a nice touch.

[DudeManDude @ May 31st 2007 10:06AM]

Wow, I think this technology looks fantastic! I'm definitely part of the "I want one now" camp on this one. ;) I wonder though, will having interactive displays everywhere lead to 1984-type technology where you not only watch and interact with the screen, but it also watches you..

[Ladderless @ May 31st 2007 10:21AM]

I'm thinking of those office jokers that sit on the photocopy machine to get those "personal" copies...

Kind of makes you wonder where that would take us with this creation.

Anyone?

[Iridium @ May 31st 2007 10:26AM]

I do think that Microsoft needs to give credit to all interface designers, hollywood special effects teams, and most major colleges and universities for adding to a providing the initial design elements and concept for surface. While they have created an application they can't call it thier idea or even be able to patent it. In my interface design classes we were creating concpets like this 10 years ago. We mocked them up in Flash and created model devices. They didn't really work but the idea of how it would work was presented.

I am happy to see that there is a real live demonstration but I don't see very many businesses changing thier complete infrastructure to accet the surface table along with the high costs that would be associated. Why would you even still have a credit card, why not just a secure RFID device in your pocket. When you walk up to the surface table it just prompts you for your fingerprint. You place your finger on a reader section and if it matches the stored ID then the tranaction is processed.

[Long @ May 31st 2007 6:21PM]

I think you are wrong about Hollywood deserving credit for Surface. If I was a person that needed a machine to do something innovative, I can either create it myself and if I can't build it, I can hire a different company build it for me. The company that eventually builds the machine should have more credit to the overall machine than the one who thinks of it but can't create the machine.

People have collective thoughts about inventions, such as airplanes, cars, computers and countless other inventions. The Wright brothers deserve all the credit for the first airplane and people forgot all the others who thought and tried building an airplane, but could not achieve.

[Molly C @ Jun 1st 2007 1:08AM]

I don't know about giving any credit to hollywood and the like, but Microsoft's Bill Buxton has written a piece dealing with the history of mutli-touch interfaces, starting from before 1982 to May 30, 2007.
http://www.billbuxton.com/multitouchOverview.html

That's sufficient "credit" to predecessors. Note that Apple gave no credit to anyone else for iPhone's multi-touch interface, and even publicly crowed about their dozens of patents on it, as if they did indeed invent the concept. Yet nobody demanded that Apple give credit to anyone but themselves.

[Forrest @ May 31st 2007 11:20AM]

Where can I buy Jeff Han's multi-touch interface device?

It's not about the tech. It's about the tech's entry into the marketplace. Geezus some of you people are dense.

[Garry Brown @ May 31st 2007 11:44AM]

Bjork is out on tour with a similar device. It's called a Reactable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReacTable

http://mtg.upf.es/reactable/

[Danny @ May 31st 2007 12:03PM]

The colossal stupidity of people who can't see past the brutally tired Apple/Windows comparisons is really astounding. How can your mind be so small? 1) It proves you know nothing about technology. I love that MS is so incompetent that they can’t ship an OS in 5 years yet they can throw this thing together in a few months. Yeeaahh. 2)This is a technology site and if you can't appreciate cool tech, no matter who it comes from you are much better off hanging out at sites that are all about the one company or product you like to yap about. Do your mindless cheerleading to the choir.

Guess what neither Apple or MS or the great Jeff Han invented multitouch. However, all three have cool implementations and no matter which products you ultimately get in hand, competition benefits us all. Han’s stuff is fantastic because the interactions and UI are really imaginative. The iPhone is cool because it is bringing multitouch to a wide audience on the smallest device I’ve ever seen it favor. Surface is cool is because it is maximum multitouch and you can interact with physical objects. For the love of god, if you can't imagine coming home and, for instance, flipping your camera onto a Surface table and sorting your photos right then and there they way you would actual paper photos, than really, there's no helping you - you have no mind and exist in a state of suspended fanboism.

[Jeremy Conners @ May 31st 2007 1:36PM]

I stumbled upon this recently and thought I would share it with you. It's INCREDIBLY cool! It'll be in T-Mobile stores shortly.

T-Mobile integrates Surface Technology Video

[Alex @ May 31st 2007 1:44PM]

Where's the link? Could this be the link to the video?

http://t-mobilesignal.com/forum/announcement.php?f=11

[Mark @ May 31st 2007 1:56PM]

wait so did engadget get to try out the wireless zune sync on this thing? (Since I see that pic of "JC's Zune")

[jonthan @ May 31st 2007 3:05PM]

OK, Cool hardware, but any company can design specialty hardware with custom software for an enduser like a casino company. What we need is this new interface tied to our OS's. Check out Bumptop- http://bumptop.com/ Now that is a useful piece of computing!

[nicleT @ May 31st 2007 5:04PM]

@ Forrest: Ho! ok, M$ is the first to enter the Multi touch screen into the market, Mmmm...

Well, did you ever heard about
Lemur?
http://www.jazzmutant.com/lemur_overview.php

or MonoTouchLive?
http://www.monotouchlive.com/

Ok, they were made for music, however they marketed this technology way before M$ and also in a elegant manner.

I mention Jeff Han because often when M$ release a product, in the popular (M$Fanboys) belief, they all get the credit of it, occulting all others searchers and developers who "inspired" them; this table is a good example.

Also, I don't want to go in the "who marketed the Multi touch screen first" thing, it doesn't matter. You know, I'm please to see that M$,  and others turn themselves toward this avenue. It's about time to see technology getting closer to our nature and get rid of keyboards, mice and everything that create layers and layers of intermediaries between us and the machine. These new tools will leave us to the edges of our creativity and it's just a beginning.

[Ryhan @ May 31st 2007 5:11PM]

The software isn't that interesting... the hardware itself intrigues me. How do they capture images on the surface of the table? If they actually acn do that (I have no idea how), then it would be interesting to create a programability feature which could allow the surface to "remember" certain objects, such as business cards or books, and allow them to be used to open certain functions, such as a "surface-phone" to call/email that person instantly, or find a certain fact or statistic in the whole book by looking up the ISBN!!!!