Ideum MT2 multitouch table surfaces, looks to replace museum curators

Ideum designs has unveiled a multitouch table targeted specifically for the museum crowd. The MT2 Table is composed of aircraft-grade aluminum and sports a 50-inch tempered glass widescreen display with 1280 x 720 resolution and 2000:1 contrast ratio -- that's a good deal larger than Microsoft Surface and its 30-inch screen. The DLP-based projector system has 2100 ANSI brightness and a 3,000-hour bulb life. Tactile response is measured via dual-camera IR system, and the whole thing is powered by a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB, 4GB RAM, 1250GB HDD, and Windows XP. Each table comes bundled with Swedish-based Natural User Interface's Snowflake software and lets you create your own apps using Flash, Java, Python, and C/C++/C#. According to the press release, the first owners will be the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas and Vulcan Park and Museum in Birmingham, Alabama -- doesn't look like they're vying for the coveted DJ Roker demographic. Video of the table in action embedded after the break.

[Via slashgear; thanks, Chris]

[Flashpoint @ Feb 5th 2009 11:45AM]

Find BOND !

Cut off his credit Cards !

[Samboini @ Feb 5th 2009 11:52AM]

Whoever made the decision to hire the guy for the voiceover needs to be shot.

[adam.plante @ Feb 5th 2009 11:53AM]

were sorry this video is no longer available. Wtf?

[Ry @ Feb 5th 2009 12:00PM]

they should of make smaller ones that are on the wall or standing up.

[af @ Feb 5th 2009 12:02PM]

Que tal gent? Jo molt bé, acabo de tornar de viatge i he de reconèixer que m'ho he passat molt bé. Ja en parlarem, quan tingueu qualsevol estona lliure. Per cert, que ja me'n descuidava, el projecte remunta el vol i fins hi tot està apunt de veure la llum! Quins nervis i quina emoció, si, si, ja sabeu cul llogat no seu quan vol ;)

Fins aviat

Pd. Ibrahim, chapeau per la teva feina! Molts ànims

[ProfessorKaos @ Feb 5th 2009 3:04PM]

We speak english on this portal section of Engadget. Not to be an ass, but there are other portals for different languages you can visit, bc I assure you < 1 % of everyone here doesnt know what in the hell you are talking about.

[George @ Feb 5th 2009 12:39PM]

Oh snap! Yu-Gi-Oh card battles are revived!

[chris @ Feb 5th 2009 12:50PM]

I could see War Games Rooms buying into something like this too.

I wonder though...3,000hours is a very short time... how much are those bulbs? how many come with it when youo buy it?

and can that tempered glass be replaced?

[mts @ Feb 5th 2009 12:58PM]

Sounds like a copy of the impressx XDesk which is distributed by EPSON.
http://www.impressx.com

[Jason @ Feb 5th 2009 12:58PM]

i so want to buy this and use it as a breakfast table. read the news, check email while i eat my cereal. And it will calculate my daily nutritional needs, sort my tasks for the day, as well as allow me to videoconference to Hong Kong at the same time.

[mts @ Feb 5th 2009 1:02PM]

Sounds like a copy of the impressx XDesk which is distributed by EPSON.
http://www.impressx.com

I have seen it at the ISE at amsterdam. From all the Multitouch-tables I have seen, this was the best.

[Jim @ Feb 5th 2009 7:09PM]

XDesk is low res like the Microsoft Surface. 1024 x 768. The Ideum table is higher.

[rupert.morse @ Feb 6th 2009 5:30PM]

the x desk has a native resolution of 8,000 by 4,000 picsels all you need to do is add projectors.we can link and expand the basic interface to work to any application. through ether flash or silver light programmers can create magic . impressx are in front of the game all you need to do is check out the website. if you want more info [e-mail]

[TruthBringer @ Apr 18th 2009 9:05AM]

If you ask me, the Microsoft Surface is still the best of them all.... Better Interface, Better Apps, More Potential, Great OS, Bigger Partnerships definately.

[Jean-Luc @ Feb 5th 2009 1:17PM]

@chris: I have a Samsung DLP and the bulbs go for between $100-120 usually.

[ProfessorKaos @ Feb 5th 2009 3:05PM]

No one making a ref. to the Microsoft Surface? Which was the first touch table to debut? Are the devs here just copying off the hype of the Surface?

[ajmalzx @ Feb 5th 2009 5:53PM]

I guess it's the Ideum table that they use in Quantum of Solace not the microsoft surface. Explains why there's no microsoft plug-in in that movie.

[nowunedmenowudnt @ Feb 6th 2009 2:15AM]

No, that was neither a surface nor a ideum. There's countless companies providing multitouch solutions right now. I could probably name at least 25.

[nowunedmenowudnt @ Feb 6th 2009 2:29AM]

@Jim: Considering the Ideum is 20" more than the surface (almost
twice the size) and the resolution increase is only marginal, the
pixels on the ideum would look much worse than on a surface. A 100"
screen at 1280 x 720 would not look better than a 50" screen at 1024
x 768. So this higher resolution hype is just that, hype.

[pablo @ Feb 6th 2009 11:22AM]

Have you ever actually used the Microsoft surface? Try getting more than two people to use a 30" MultiTouch screen at the SAME time. The 16:9 aspect ratio is more than just aesthetics but all Microsoft has done so far is create a 16:9 aspect ratio plastic shelf at least Ideum's table is HD.

[MaxSMoke @ Feb 6th 2009 5:52AM]

Oooo, Cool! I WANT! Wonder if Asus can make me one for $500? lol

[nowunedmenowudnt @ Feb 6th 2009 2:49PM]

@ pablo: Yes I have used a Microsoft surface and I also have my own table that I made. As said before, Ideum's table is 40% bigger than Microsoft. The resolution isn't 40% more though and therefore the pixels on Ideum's table will be much bigger than Microsofts. So the MS surface has a better PPI than Ideum. As mentioned before, a high resolution display that's blown up and stretches out pixels will not look better than a small table at slightly lower resolution. This has nothing to do with multi-user, as my original post was only referring to the resolution. Of course a bigger table can allow more people. I'm not a fan of Microsoft and it's easy to build something just as good, but it's clear based on the number of people developing for the platform and the number of big companies using it, that the surface is more than just a plastic shelf.

[rupert.morse @ Feb 6th 2009 5:30PM]

the x desk has a native resolution of 8,000 by 4,000 picsels all you need to do is add projectors.we can link and expand the basic interface to work to any application. through ether flash or silver light programmers can create magic . impressx are in front of the game all you need to do is check out the website. if you want more info [e-mail]

[rupert.morse @ Feb 6th 2009 5:30PM]

epsom provide a projector solution to impressx and it works well in basic system
the x desk is so adaptable by using nvedia quadoplex adaptors we can create surfaces of any size ! ! !

[rupert.morse @ Feb 6th 2009 5:52PM]

at the ise in amserdam impressx have left designers of simpler products puzzled by the speed and flexibility. you can use gestures from tablet pcs to bring up gui's in fact it can recognize any symbols or characters even Chinese . just to add it will be window 7 compatible seeing that its based around silverlight ! . need more info [e-mail]