The problem with most so-called "homes of the future" is that they come off looking like a theme-park vision of the space age (read: the 1970s). The Microsoft Home, however, manages to piece together a realistic vision of our homes on a 5 to 10 year horizon -- a timeline just long enough to allow the nascent technologies of today to go mainstream. As such, it's no surprise to find dwellers interacting with the environment through gestures and voice to control interactive cooking surfaces in the kitchen and the digital wall paper in the kids' room. More prophetic perhaps, the promise that "
one day your computer will be a big-ass table" appears to be coming true in the dining room. Take the tour in video form after the break.
posted May 14th 2009 2:19AM
Love future prediction things like this, looks sleek!
Projected Wallpapers? O, come on! We want OLED/TouchScreenable wallpapers now!
Can you tilt your table?
Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2WK7mOQO2g
The only that might work is the closet mirror. The other thing will be a fail unless they get made without using a projector...
I was watching I, Robot yesterday (for the 50 millionth time) so VIKI is definitely one of the first things that comes to mind...
I would not hit it.
...everyone knows that microsoft employees will always need a reminder to take their medications.
ANNNND cue the creepy guy in the background @ 1:26...
big ass-table
You sir, get a +1.
Bad joke alert....
Bill Gates to MS developers - "No you idiots, I said I wanted you to make it 'big and stable'!"
Badoom-tish
That was actually clever, Bravo!
I was looking for that very comment, in the hope that I wouldn't have to make it myself.
Do you also read xkcd?
The Control Shift Delete keys must be huge!
It's Alt, not Shift.
Oh glorious fail.
You want to clear your private data from firefox that often?
a "Wanna get away" moment.
Must be a Mac user.
*spits*
If you really insist on using the shift, you can try ctrl + shift+ esc key
WANT
DON'T want.
I'm happy with my computer the way it is. I don't need it using my table (surface on which I place things, like food and papers and books, as a display.
Fahrenheit 1984, where are you!?!
Unless I'm missing the joke it's either Fahrenheit 451 or 1984...
Best. Title. Ever.
Don't give Engadget too much credit, they stole the "big ass table" part from SarcasticGamer, but they linked to the video so it's all good :-)
lol that kitchen computer sounds like glados.... eerie omen?
"The cake is a lie!"
FYI... anyone near Disneyland in California can play with all of this stuff and more in Tomorrow Land in the "Innovention" building (the big rotating building near Space Mountain.) It's really fricken sweet.
I'm surprised it doesn't have a Wii 2.
Surely it turns your big arse table into a computer (or at least VDU), rather than turning your laptop into something you can eat your breakfast from!
inb4 BSOD, copying Apple, and Viruses.
Husband " why is the food taking so long to cook"
Wife " the stove is running anti virus scan right now it will be a while "
O man my house got blue-screen.
I'm more interested in the bathroom of the future.
"It seems you've had Taco Bell tonight."
*dispenses bottle of pepto bismol*
Most people can't afford to buy an iMac - let alone Apple's vision for the future.
This silly over the top vision of Microsoft invading your lifestyle is more proof of their clueless ideas of what future computing will be. Everything presented is oversized, reflecting their current trend of shoving the BAT into market. Using projectors, hello its 2009! In 1987 a video from Apple, is a much more tamed and realistic look of future computing affordable to the masses. Some of those visionary ideas are already becoming a reality today and affordable to everyone.
And that's why you, Jubei, spend your lunch break on engadget telling how Microsoft shoud have done it right...
Sorry Jubei, but had Apple displayed something like this, it would have been considered an amazing, ground breaking innovation by Apple zealots like yourself.
right now, my computer is a big ass fail.
and to be honest, i don't want my ass failure converted into table-friendly format.
that's just how i feel about it, ok?
Is that the Microsoft Surface?
Coming soon to a future home near you -- annoying ads when you hold up anything to any "computing surface."
I think the option voting down this post should be there yesterday...
Engadget, is it a big-ass table or a big ass-table? Your title is confusing me.
Maybe it's a Bass Table
Requirement to be a user:
Extensive knowledge in programming.
Not that homely after all...
impressive but totally useless imho. The true revolution is going to be when robots help us with things like that. Instead of just having a recipe appear on the table have a robot do the cooking altogether
Bollocks, I hate robots, I don't want robots to do my job, people enjoy cooking you know? and those that don't can eat outside.
lol that is awesome, the kitchen work area draws you the exact dimension in which to cut the paste or whatever, I love this.
Obviously this is a concept, projected walls will become thin paper-like panels or other materials like electronic paper, a lot of it makes sense, a fridge that maintains a list of needed products, smart management of lights and electricity will save money and the earth, no more house keys... I love it.
Just what we need, giant pr0n at the dinner table!
Quoting the article:
“The Microsoft Home, however, manages to piece together a realistic vision of our homes on a 5 to 10 year horizon”
That is, if Obama loma ding dong doesn't manage to destroy most of the civilized world first.
No, I think ignorance is doing that just fine...
Ummm...you do realize that *Bush* started those two wars, and in eight years, managed to piss off almost every country in the world, to the point where even our *friends* didn't want to be seen with him?
I doubt Obama will be able to compete with that level of dumbassery.
Besides, he can pronounce "nuclear" correctly...something that Bush was unable to do after eight years.
(yeah, it's a small thing, but it bugged me)
Ummm do YOU realize that the Islamo-fascists were at war with US, LONG before that??
Do YOU remember 9/11?????
THEY attacked US, and THEY will do it again because they have NO respect for Fauxbamo and his naive bowing foreign policy.
They Will attack again, and it will be on Zero's shoulders this time.
Oh, and BTW, I did make one mistake in my original post – it should be:
Obama LAMA ding dong, instead of:
Obama loma ding dong
Lama instead of Loma – it sounds much better that way, don't ya think?
@Jeeh-
"the Islamo-fascists..."
Actually it was 19 pissed off guys. The generalization of US and THEM is THE problem.
Quick Poll: Are there any republicans out there that actually realize the fox news is a bunch of lairs, that 'all Muslims' aren't out to get us, or that global warming is not a left wing agenda to,...ah...do something...ah...not RIGHT wing (or whatever the conspiracy behind that one is)?
Best.
sorry to get off topic but THEY did it first! :)
To Quote KevinC:
“The generalization of US and THEM is THE problem.”
I'm always amazed when people condemn someone for over generalizing, and then turn around and display their rampant Hypocrisy by DOING IT THEMSELVES!
Thank you for illustrating that point for me!!!
Okay, What religion were the “19 pissed off guys” ? - Islamic!
They were on an Islamic Jihad!
Maybe you can figure things out from those FACTS.
And as your comment about the media – if Fox news is supposedly biased, then what does that say about the rest of the Media?
(Yeah and just go ahead with your Juvenile tactic voting a comment down when it's an opposing viewpoint – guess that shows your tolerance for free speech, doesn't it?)
To Quote Kevin C:
“The generalization of US and THEM is THE problem. “
I'm always amazed when people condemn over generalizations and then display rampant hypocrisy BY DOING IT THEMSELVES!
Thank you for Illustrating That.
On you comment on the Media, just for the sake of argument, if Fox news is biased to the right, then what does that say about the rest of the media? MSNBC,CBS,ABC,NYT,....
It's been a long time since they were just biased – they are now a propaganda machine for the Statists.
Oh, and to further quote Kevin C:
“Actually it was 19 pissed off guys.”
What religion were they? They were Islamic and they were on an Islamic Jihad.
Those are the FACTS, no matter how much you would like to bury you head in the sand.
“The generalization of US and THEM is THE problem. “
Did I miss the Osama (not to be confused with obama) video where he condemns the use of US vs. THEM?
What's the Arabic translation for the words: US and THEM?
They were Islamo-fascists – that is a fact from history.
"“The generalization of US and THEM is THE problem. “
I'm always amazed when people condemn over generalizations and then display rampant hypocrisy BY DOING IT THEMSELVES!"
So...are you responding to my saying it is 'THE problem'? If so, let me rephrase to 'A problem'. Otherwise, you're talking nonsense.
"On you comment on the Media, just for the sake of argument, if Fox news is biased to the right, then what does that say about the rest of the media? MSNBC,CBS,ABC,NYT,...."
Actually, it says NOTHING about them but I assume that because fox is always referring to the 'Liberal Media', you share that point of view as well. I do think that msnbc is pretty left minded, but they generally do straight up lie day in and day out. My brother does the same thing when fox is caught in a lie...well, er ah, everybody does it. No, Fox says everybody does it.
I was watching fox yesterday, just for laughs, and they said that the guy who admitted to the USS Cole bombing had been released by the Obama admin. "They don't know where he is...walking the streets somewhere.'
That's just not true but know a whole lot of people have one more false reason to hate Obama. Add these lies up every day, every week...you get a really skewed view of the world.
Let me make it simple for you:
You were condemning GENERLIZATIONS like grouping good people as 'US' and enemies of freedom and liberty like Islamo-fascists and Statists as 'THEM'
Then YOU turned around and made a GENERLAZATION about Fox news, global warming and Conservatives.
Therefore, YOU are a Hypocrite. YOU did something that YOU condemned what others have done.
I don't know HOW much clearer I can make it for YOU. Of course if YOU voted for Fauxboma, then it's clear why YOU Can't figure it out.
On the Media comments, YOUR trouble at figuring out the whole 'Hypocrisy' thing indicates that YOU will also have trouble with this concept, but here goes anyways..
First of all, it was YOU that brought up Fox news, apparently trying to imply bias on their part.
My point is that the rest of the Lying Statist Media can hardly be considered 'unbiased'
YOU also seem to have a problem with drifting off into irrelevant tangents, maybe Ritalin would be a good idea.
Sigh, this has become quite tiresome and pointless, so don't bother responding.
Best Regards
Let me make it simple for you:
You were condemning GENERLIZATIONS like grouping good people as 'US' and enemies of freedom and liberty like Islamo-fascists and Statists as 'THEM'
Then YOU turned around and made a GENERALIZATION about Fox news, global warming and Conservatives.
[Sorry misspelled GENERALIZATION]
Therefore, YOU are a Hypocrite. YOU did something that YOU condemned what others have done.
I don't know HOW much clearer I can make it for YOU. Of course if YOU voted for Fauxboma, then it's clear why YOU Can't figure it out.
On the Media comments, YOUR trouble at figuring out the whole 'Hypocrisy' thing indicates that YOU will also have trouble with this concept, but here goes anyways..
First of all, it was YOU that brought up Fox news, apparently trying to imply bias on their part.
My point is that the rest of the Lying Statist Media can hardly be considered 'unbiased'
YOU also seem to have a problem with drifting off into irrelevant tangents, maybe Ritalin would be a good idea.
Sigh, this has become quite tiresome and pointless, so don't bother responding.
Best Regards
@Jeeh
Don't read it if you're out.
I didn't understand the rules. Apologies. I didn't realize we were going to be rude.
You're whole generalization tangent, you may or may not be able to note, was phrased as a question but truth be told those are the tenets of the republican party AND Fox and Bush were in fact busted colluding. So your accusation of me 'generalizing' falls flat.
Your implications of me being 'simple' is really sad. You might not realize this but the only thing you said was a couple of insults, a few mindless anti-Obama catch phrases, and litany of Logic 101 fallacies:
"My point is that the rest of the Lying Statist Media can hardly be considered 'unbiased'" - YES!! The 'Lying Statist Media' are biased...whoever they are.
Here's a good one:
"YOU also seem to have a problem with drifting off into irrelevant tangents, maybe Ritalin would be a good idea." - So I assume this is my 'watching fox' story tangent. The facts of which you ignored, but the story itself really spoke to my point.
and on and on...
This is all pointless. I have my point of view based on facts. You have your point of view based on what Fox, Bush, Jesus, and your genetic deficiencies that have led you to beliefs. I wish you, those genetically related to you, and your extra chromosomes the best. I know you'll need it.
Okay folks, it looks like Kevin C here is one of those types that like to argue, just for the sake of arguing.
Let's go back and examine 'his' first posting:
“Actually it was 19 pissed off guys.”
Apparently this makes some sort of sense to him, but in reality it doesn't really say anything except perpetuating some sort of falsehood on his part that only he knows about, how sad.
The Facts are that the terrorists were Muslim, they were Islamo-fascists, just like the terrorists that attacked Madrid, London, Mumbai. And it will be the same Islam-fascists that attack again.
Those Islamo-fascist terrorists trained for years to carry out those attacks, they carefully planned and carried out attacks that have killed thousands, as they will do again if we do not go after them first.
These are facts that were stated in the New York times,MSNBC,CNN,ABC,CBS,LA times,.............................
WHY is that such a difficult thing to understand?
Okay folks, it looks like Kevin C here is one of those types that like to argue, just for the sake of arguing.
Let's go back and examine 'his' first posting:
“Actually it was 19 pissed off guys.”
Apparently this makes some sort of sense to him, but in reality it doesn't really say anything except perpetuating some sort of falsehood on his part that only he knows about, how sad.
The Facts are that the terrorists were Muslim.
As stated in the New York times,MSNBC,CNN,ABC,CBS,LA times,.............................
They were Islamo-fascists, just like the terrorists that attacked Madrid, London, Mumbai. And it will be the same Islamo-fascists that attack again.
Those Islamo-fascist terrorists trained for years to carry out those attacks, they carefully planned and carried out attacks that have killed thousands, as they will do again if we do not go after them first.
WHY is that such a difficult thing to understand?
oh my god! You are amazing!!! You could be mentally handicapped and not realize it, in that case I'm truly sorry.
You are literally refusing to respond to anything I say and making up you're own dialog.
Look at your past posts, you are the one looking for an argument.
Grow up, you sad little man and freakin' think for yourself.
Seriously. Don't waste you time responding, I can't believe I was suckered into wasting so much time as is.
BTW: what I assume was, you're low rank/high rank manipulation was not lost on me. I just can't believe you would take the time.
More hypocrisy,
Whining about insults while doing the same, how sad.
Note that he can't even fathom what is Absolutely WRONG with his first post and refusing to even think about it.
For Reference:
From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
Hypocrite
1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
As in complaining about insults while spewing them yourself.
Hypocrisy:
1: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not ; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
2: an act or instance of hypocrisy
For Reference:
From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
Hypocrite
1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
As in complaining about insults while spewing them yourself.
Hypocrisy:
1: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not ; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
2: an act or instance of hypocrisy
Are you joking? Seriously, is this a friend of my trying to annoy me?
Believe me, I understand how absurd it is that I am still responding to your nonsense but at this point I am calling it comedic relief.
"Whining about insults while doing the same, how sad."
Try to recall WAAY back when I said, "I didn't understand the rules. Apologies. I didn't realize we were going to be rude." - I wouldn't call that 'whining' but maybe you do.
"Note that he can't even fathom what is Absolutely WRONG with his first post and refusing to even think about it." - Who are you talking to? Do you honestly believe that people are reading your droll scribbling? I am not going to reiterate the ways in which I have responded to this in the above posts. So read up, and try to figure out where in my responses are that invalidates your accusations. Speaking of "refusing to even think about it." when are you actually going to reply to ANYTHING I said, aside from the afore mentioned, asked and answered drivel?
I can't waste too much more time with you, sorry, but I will say that you throwing around the word hypocrisy is ironic, aaaand here's the quote:
You - "Sigh, this has become quite tiresome and pointless, so don't bother responding."
You AGAIN - "Okay folks, it looks like Kevin C here is one of those types that like to argue, just for the sake of arguing."
Me - "Seriously. Don't waste you time responding, I can't believe..."
And yet you continue, with many, many more posts. Odd.
In all seriousness. Please think about what you are saying and what you think aside from all of this. I honestly believe you've got a very skewed/selective view of the world and maybe you don't have to be so angry all of the time.
Best of luck to you and your kind.
KevinC
For Reference:
From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
Hypocrite
1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
As in complaining about insults while spewing them yourself.
Hypocrisy:
1: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not ; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
2: an act or instance of hypocrisy
For Reference:
From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
Hypocrite
1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
As in complaining about insults while spewing them yourself.
Hypocrisy:
1: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not ; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
2: an act or instance of hypocrisy
Hypocrite
1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
As in complaining about insults while spewing them yourself.
Hypocrisy:
1: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not ; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
2: an act or instance of hypocrisy
That is awesome!! You really won't quit!
In all seriousness. Please think about what you are saying and what you think aside from all of this. I honestly believe you've got a very skewed/selective view of the world and maybe you don't have to be so angry all of the time.
Okay, how's about these names for the messiah and the Democraps:
Zero, as in:
Zero intelligence
Zero Experience
Zero ability to speak without a teleprompter
Zero approval rating(give it time)
Obamalamdingdong
Obozo
Agent Zero
Mr. Teleprompter
Milhouse
Barackito Obamalini’s
Baracky Amin Dada.
Hugobama!
Barackito Thugalini.
Barackito Obamalini
Demo-fascist
Demon-rats
Demon-fascisti
Socialist-fascist Dhimicraps
Socialist-fascist Demoncraps
Just having fun here!!!!
You just HAD to bring politics into this, didn't you, Jeeh...
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's got them biggest boobs of them all!!!!!!!
hurray, clippy 2.0 in the kitchen. interface rage and sharp pointy things in the same place...
I wonder what the energy cost for a house like this would be?
I think its time microsoft started working on the present, before they have no future.
Can't help but notice she was making accomodations to the tech...leaning over to get closer to the microphone in the kitchen, big, slow wave gestures in the closet.
The recognition tech is slow and crappy right now. It's probably just software with a camera. If it was dedicated for the task, say an FPGA designed to analyze the video, then it would be better. As for the mic, I'm pretty sure I've seen setups that work full room, but they're amazingly complicated and expensive to set up ATM.
My problem is how the computer conveniently knows everything about the things in the house. Like that shirt held up to the mirror, how did it know it was bought at Old Navy? How does the camera know that the paper placed down is a business card and not a party invitation? If the computer is going to rely on the user to provide that information, it's not going to work as well as demonstrated.
Not that I'm not finding flaws in this idea of the future, but that's not one of them. I'm thinking that everything would be networked to the point that if you buy a shirt at Old Navy, then your closet would know everything about it because Old Navy provided the info at purchase using your credit card info (or, hell, reading your DNA or something more futuristic). Also, if we're really reaching for the future here, maybe the computer is capable of quickly searching through a database of all known clothing to match the shirt to the information about it. I'm surprised they didn't show a feature where it suggested pants and accessories to go with it based on what you own. Also, I think they could make the computer capable of distinguishing a business card and a party invitation by the information that is on it.
My problem, as others have suggested, is the use of projectors. There is no way that projectors and cameras all over the place is the way of the future. I think it will be more like a touchscreen e-ink surface and sensors that detect actual objects (and not just their barcodes or RFID tags) or something more futuristic than I can imagine.
+1 for your avatar.
if that was actually being projected out of the top of the phone while it was laying down, then i would be excited
OK bann.
That shit will not enter my home.
Sometimes having no tech at all or stepping away from computational devices is a very very good thing for you.
Grass is green and the air is blue.
And sitting all day like a fetus isnt healthy for you.
I wonder what happens when some teenagers start doing it on your kitchen table, how it would react.
You miss the point... they aren't turning our computers into big ass tables, they are turning our big ass tables into computers. If you can replace the computer's functionality with a different form factor, that's fine. But the the only thing that can replace a big ass table is... another big ass table. Of course, that assumes you needed your big ass table in the first place. In the case of a kitchen counter as an example, I would argue it needs to be big, and arguably needs to be ass.
Oh, great. The Blue House of Death.
But seriously, the problems with the "house of the future" concepts is that they are always too expensive and too impractical to ever come true. I remember seeing an Internet-enabled refrigerator with a touchscreen in the door made by LG at Fry's Electronics a few years back. The thing was way overpriced and impractical. I don't think they sell that model anymore.
nice but....I prefer touch screen than talking to a table like if I'm talking to a baby.
nothing really impressive except for the mirror.
lets see how far this will actually go in 5-10 years. I definetly see myself using the mirror though xD
That sure is one bad-ass table.