http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
I don't see something like this becoming mainstream in American homes for about 20 years or so (maybe 10 if manufacturing costs drop).

]]>Nov 9th 2007 10:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 11:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
And in other news Microsoft post yet another record quarter as it "lumbers" into irrelevancy.]]>Nov 9th 2007 12:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/thats would be the coolest thing EVER]]>Nov 11th 2007 12:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 1:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
The surface software doesn't use a touch screen, it uses cameras built into the table, so putting it on your tablet would be pretty useless.]]>Nov 9th 2007 2:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/]]>Nov 9th 2007 10:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 10:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
Good thing this device wasn't designed by APPLE Computers cause then you idiots would be applauding it and pledging your lives to it - giving Steve Job's journalistic BJ's.]]>Nov 9th 2007 10:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
i remember another company promising a great, never seen before keyboard for the masses and another company that claimed to revolutionize the gaming market with their console/pc-like internetstreaming games-system.

there have been some bogus companies out, but i think m$ will do the right thing for once ;)]]>Nov 9th 2007 10:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
]]>Nov 9th 2007 10:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
The fact of the matter is that MS releases have always been attached to delays. And, it's not the occasional delay as many other companies either. When it comes to MS, delays are the expected norm.

Why do you guys take this whole thing so personal anyway? MS, just like Apple, and/or any other corporation, doesn't care about you. They care about your money flowing in their direction. ]]>Nov 9th 2007 10:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
That's the point, *Dick* - Apple wouldn't design something as pointless as this. But I digress. What about this story, exactly, concerns Apple? Oh, that's right, nothing. The OP isn't about Apple, nor are any of the comments before yours. Sadly, to trolls like you, *everything* is about Apple.]]>Nov 9th 2007 5:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/that being said microsoft of course should have rather made sure they got everything right and then announced it cause then we wouldn't have trolls running around forums.
]]>Nov 9th 2007 6:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/08/ce-oh-no-he-didnt-part-l-ballmer-says-android-just-some-word/
]]>Nov 9th 2007 10:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/On paper, right ?]]>Nov 9th 2007 11:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 12:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
You couldn't sit at it-- it's really a box, not a table, with no room for your knees under it. There's a little lip around the outside, but the screen is in the middle, so you need to angle your legs away from it and lean over it, twisting your back.

The demos did a great job of showing off the lag-- it's really bad. Nothing really "stuck" to your finger when you manipulated it, making direct manipulation feel silly. Try to arrange tiles with moving footage when the square with the footage is catching up with the tile you're moving-- very frustrating. The way they've set up the system, I don't see how they can get rid of the lag.

The icing on the cake was the Microsoft employees actually running the demos-- they sure seemed like they hated their jobs and wanted to go home.]]>Nov 9th 2007 3:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
Amazing, I happened to be there as well.

I thought the demo was pretty neat. You should keep in mind that this is still a thing in 'research'. Not something that's meant for consumers until quite a while.

There was some lag, but not a whole lot as you said. I only noticed that with the moving tiles kind of.

And I doubt the MS employees hated their job. I sometimes read their employee blogs (with absolutely no influence from MS, if that's what you're thinking), and they really like working for MS. Just like any other tech company, MS employees have tons of perks and fun things.

Most likely, the ones at the event were just getting kind of bored trying to impress people all day. I wouldn't be all smiley-wiley after some time either.

]]>Nov 10th 2007 1:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 10:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 10:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 11:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/what is your definition of on time, Apple took 6 years to build the iPhone
MS is taking just as long to build a $10000 110lb.
computer sounds just like the norm
MS calls it a revolution and says it has new tech]]>Nov 9th 2007 11:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 12:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
The challenge isn't in getting the multi-touch aspect working, it's making a useful product out of it (rainbow finger-painting is not useful, it's pretty). Recognizing a digital camera, initiating a bluetooth connection to it, and then launching a photo manager, all from the roughly square silhouette of a camera base? That's some complex object recognition.

Also, IIRC, Microsoft said that the product would ship "initially" in November - not meet every custom use and special application by then.]]>Nov 9th 2007 1:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
So, recognizing a camera based on it's RFID reading is hardly that astounding. For god's sake it's a macro. If RFID=0A0EF31D (check for installed software, install software if missing, load photo editor, download pictures)...ooh freakin ahh.]]>Nov 9th 2007 1:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
The system uses five cameras (sorry, not two as I mentioned earlier) to track and recognize objects. Four for positioning, and then a single high-resolution still camera to take pictures to do complex object recognition on.

Simple RFID is not enough for this application. Not the least of which is that if you put down your credit card, the reader on a surface that big would certainly extend beyond the edge of the table, and well into your wallet as you sit there.

It sure is fun to tear down a product by assuming you know exactly how it works and then blasting the designers because it's "so simple", huh?]]>Nov 12th 2007 2:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY]]>Nov 9th 2007 10:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 1:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 10:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
anyway thanks engadget for this post i was wondering why it still wasn't in any of the t-mobile stores around here.]]>Nov 9th 2007 10:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/gallery/microsoft-surface-surface-and-gesture-based-computing-lands/257357/

Just where the hell are they were chicken wraps cost $9?]]>Nov 9th 2007 11:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
Also,

"Wrap your mouth around our scrumptious masterpiece"?

No you really have to wonder what type of establishment this Surface table is setup at.]]>Nov 9th 2007 11:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 11:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 1:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 11:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 11:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
http://mtg.upf.es/reactable/

It's not quite a consumer product just yet, but it's getting there...]]>Nov 9th 2007 11:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
Surface is essentially an R&D Project from the looks of it and I wouldn't be surprised if the first time it's commercially available is 2009.

I've been lucky enough to use some of those devices engadget's featured over the years that all sorts of troll's claim will never see the light of day - anyone remember that $40,000 computer built into a mirror?. I've used one. One of the problems that companies like Microsoft trying to push the boundaries of a form factor run into is finding ways to keep up the investment (or profit) in an idea long enough for it to even get to the stage where it's viable as a general consumer product.

Just because MS makes billions doesn't mean that all of that is getting thrown into ideas like Surface so give the guys behind it a break and be patient. If it turns out to be everything it's aspiring to be, I'm sure that at least one or two of you will eventually have one in your office or living room.]]>Nov 9th 2007 11:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 11:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 11:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 2:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://csc.lsu.edu/~ullmer/

Still, what MS hopes to accomplish will take, at least from what is shown in their websites, will take many more years to accomplish, and even more time to get it into the average household.]]>Nov 9th 2007 11:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 11:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 12:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
Jackass...]]>Nov 9th 2007 1:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
By the way, Jeff (poster #3), just because Microsoft has a "record quarter" doesn't mean it isn't a "lumbering giant." There are many companies out there who are built on a foundation of wealth and market share, yet still create crap (or the promise of crap). Money is a poor argument.]]>Nov 9th 2007 12:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/Nov 9th 2007 4:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
Not much in terms of product info, but the founder, Jeff Han, expects "ambient computing" to be at the consumer price level in "under 10 years."

http://www.perceptivepixel.com/]]>Nov 9th 2007 1:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/09/microsofts-surface-taking-a-while-to-you-know-surface/
My coffee table is heaped up with stuff like magazines, remote controls, a wireless laptop [or two, when I need to do Windows or Solaris] and the signature iconic nearly empty pizza box. It sure looks cool, but unlike the MS guys, I don't have servants to clean up after me.

]]>Nov 9th 2007 1:22PM