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Build-a-bear's new store concept wants you to choose, love, stuff and fluff with high-tech (video)
If little Johnny thought Build-a-Bear had nothing for his tech-savvy toddler sensibilities, he'd better think again. The plush toy-seller has just launched a new high-tech store concept that it hopes will help re-engage children otherwise distracted with tablets, phones and game consoles. The new additions include a 55-inch interactive digital sign out front, with touchscreen and Kinect functionality, complete with unlockable content via barcodes. Once inside, four Samsung SUR40 smart tables loaded with custom software offer a range of different parts of the teddy-making process, as well as interact with the toys in real-time -- like a virtual bubble bath -- thanks to a purpose-built tagging system. The sound side of things also gets a lick of paint, with six audio "zones" created, using ultrasonic speakers that can target sound to specific parts of the store and stop all the collective noise from reverberating like something from a bad dream. The first such shop is already open in St Louis, with five more locations to follow: Pleasanton CA, Annapolis MD, Troy MI, Fairfax VA and Indianapolis IN between October and November.
Microsoft pilfers Surface name from its smart table, now called the PixelSense (video)
If Microsoft's recent Surface announcement made you think about a funky LED table, that's because it wasn't long ago that a joint effort with Samsung bore that moniker instead. While Redmond appropriated the name for its new tablet, the two companies are still selling the original device -- now the Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense -- as a business collaboration tool. Though there's no mention of price on Samsung's site, the last time we checked, the 1920 x 1080 gorilla glass device was running a mere $8,400. For that sum, it might be useful for deep pocketed institutions -- so hopefully early adopters hoping to earn some hipster cred didn't end up with buyer's remorse. [Thanks, swaggernaut812]
Insert Coin: Playsurface open-source multitouch computing table
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. A Microsoft Surface in every office? Yeah, fat chance. At $8,000, you may never see Samsung's SUR40 glow in the wild, but budget versions of the backlit HD table have begun popping up, such as the Merel Mtouch, which retails for half the price. Still, four grand is a lot to ask from casual users -- we need a bargain-basement option to help catapult the concept to success. The Playsurface could be one solution, with an open-source design and a much more affordable price tag. The multitouch computing table is the product of Templeman Automation, and its creators have begun promoting their concept on Kickstarter. In its current iteration, the Playsurface will ship in two flavors -- short, to double as a coffee table, and tall for stand-up applications -- with a $1,750 pledge netting backers a complete kit. Setting out to fulfill the goal of widespread adaptation, the creator is promising one Playsurface kit with a $1,750 pledge, including a Windows computer, a short-throw 1280 x 800-pixel DLP projector and a transparent touch surface, all housed within a self-assembled wood enclosure. There's also an infrared LED strip to aid with input recognition and something called a "Blob Board," which serves as a dedicated hardware processor tasked with touch detection and connects to the computer via USB. A $350 pledge gets you a Blob Board alone, while $650 is matched with a table (sans computer and projector) and $1,250 will net you a full kit, less the computer. There's just shy of four weeks left to go to get your Playsurface pledge in -- hit up the source link to make it happen.
Sifteo and Surface team up for magical marriage of meaninglessness
Sifteo and Surface are definitely two of the cooler, but more useless gadgets we've had the pleasure of handling over the years. So, what happens when you get these questionably useful toys (both literally and figuratively) together? Well, a whole lot of nothing particularly important. By combining the proximity sensors on the Cubes with the object recognition of the SUR40 the devs were able to whip up a simple game that has you recreating patterns of colored cubes. Sound a little dull? We won't lie, it's not the most thrilling thing on Earth, but there's a video of it none-the-less awaiting you after the break.
Samsung 'Optical Sensor in Pixel' LCDs rolling out, ready for Surface 2.0
With Samsung's Microsoft Surface product, the SUR40, already available for pre-order, the company says its 1080p 40-inch "Optical Sensor in Pixel" LCD panels have gone into mass production. Those optical sensors help to more accurately interpret multi-touch input without interrupting display signals, offering a more fluid, interactive experience. Tempered glass overlaying the display supports 176 pounds of load and up to 50 touch points at once, which should be more than enough for a Pacific Giant Octopus or any jerk that leans on your $8K table. While the SUR40 is certainly a showcase device for these panels, it isn't the only practical application -- Samsung says it's thin enough and light enough to wall-mount, and hopes to see it used by stock brokers, financial analysts and schools.
Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface available for pre-order in 23 countries, expected to ship in 2012
Microsoft's Surface hasn't exactly exploded on the sales figure front, but with next-gen model pricing estimated at $7,600 $8,400 and limited availability, we're not surprised that the table of the future hasn't begun popping up in hotels and retails stores the world over. That may slowly change, however, with one of the most recent models -- Samsung's SUR40 -- finally coming up for pre-order today. Enterprise customers (or deep-pocketed individuals) can reach out to dedicated sales reps in any of 23 countries to place an order, including the U.S. and Canada, parts of Asia, and most of Europe. An exact ship date has yet to be released, but don't expect the 40-inch 1080p multitouch table to start popping up until early next year. Want to start touching and tapping today? Check out our hands-on with an early SUR40 from CES. Update: Microsoft wrote in to let us know that pricing has jumped a bit -- to $8,400 -- since this year's earlier estimate. International pricing will vary by country.
Pioneer's Discussion Table gets a thumping $37,000 price tag, taken for a spin (video)
We thought the latest version of Microsoft's Surface was pricey at $7,600, but it's cheapo IKEA compared to Pioneer's WWS-DT101 Discussion Table. We just reported that this beast is due to hit the Japanese market in July, but now we discover you might need as much as ¥3million (around $37,000) plus van hire before you can cart it away. Acknowledged, it has a bigger screen and better all-round specs than Microsoft's SUR40, and it looks pretty damn responsive judging from the video after the break. But it's still an unlikely amount to spend on a piece of furniture that can't even play Dungeons and Dragons.
Surface SDK gets input simulator, opens doors to indie devs
There's one big, table-shaped obstacle to developing apps for Microsoft's Surface: you kind of have to own one. A new Surface 2 SDK, landing this summer, will sidestep that problem with an input simulator so devs can test their code on any Windows 7 PC. You can tap fingers, place tags, or paint "blobs" for your virtual SUR 40 to interact with, and even fake multitouch gestures by "stamping" a finger in one spot then moving a second one. If the Surface you're programming for happens to be movable (though we're not sure who would put a $7,600 computer on hinges) you can also alter the tilt of the display to trigger UI changes. You'll still need access to one of these behemoths to make sure your wares work in the really real world, but at least the preliminary work can be done on any old laptop or desktop. Frankly, this is something we'd have thought would be included from day one -- as they say, better late than never.
Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface hands-on with video! (update)
Microsoft offered a brief glimpse of its revised Surface earlier this week at the Ballmer keynote, but now we've had a chance to check the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface (as its officially termed) for ourselves. The "2.0 experience" firmware is early and a bit buggy right now (especially with finger input), but there's plenty of time fix that up before its launch later this year. The hardware itself is much thinner, with a 4-inch profile that can now be placed vertically against the wall (although we suggest using the stylish legs when possible). The 40-inch 1920 x 1080 gorilla glass display was crisp as all out, but since we could get close and scrutinize, you'll definitely notice the pixels. The first demo we got to see is also probably the most impressive, wherein a paper with "I can see" written on it is scanned and read very clearly (a dev monitor was hooked up to show what Surface could "see"). Meanwhile, we couldn't help but touch every point to watch the ripple effect emanate from our fingers. Apps are arranged in a row that you can sift through or rotate 180 degrees for someone facing opposite. We kept accidentally opening apps when we tried to scroll through, which is annoying but again, we were reminded it's early firmware. Some of the apps we have seen before with the original Surface -- some changes are required to make compatible, but we're told it's a fairly smooth transition process. Some highlights from what we saw: Bing, which for now only does image search (maps and local to come). The screen right now is a bit too sensitive and would detect sleeves as much as it would our fingers (you can see typos galore in the gallery). Images are scattered about a new results widget, and you can move around a bit from there or pull out individual ones to rotate and scan. A Red Bull with a printed code on the bottom that launches on-screen prompts for videos that you can smoothly rotate and scale on the fly, and a RBC Royal Bank that'll make you feel really guilty about that cup of coffee from this morning. Oldies like Social Stream, Garibaldi Panorama, and Galactic Alliance. Another plus for the SUR40? It's cheaper than its predecessor -- but at $7,600, it's still not ready for consumer market. We've got a ton of pics below and video after the break! Update: We've added our full impressions and cleaned up the footage after the break. Enjoy! %Gallery-113289%
Microsoft and Samsung unveil SUR40, the 'Surface 2.0 Experience' you still can't buy (video)
It's been years since Microsoft first wowed us with Surface, years that we've been looking at cool applications for the smart tables, but still Microsoft thinks you aren't ready. Or aren't rich enough, anyway. Samsung has unveiled the "SUR40 with Microsoft Surface," a third-party implementation and what's being called the "2.0 Experience." On the outside things look a bit different, with a variety of pedestals that the thing can be mounted to, including one with two wood panels that flow up to cradle the display. But, if you like, the 40-inch, 1080p screen and the 2.9GHz AMD Athlon II X2 processor and Radeon HD 6700M behind it is now wall-mountable, meaning it really isn't technically a smart table at all. Up top the interface looks more polished and refined, and naturally Windows Phone 7 support has been added, as you can see in the video below. It all looks rather good, we think, but it's all rather focused on businesses as ever.
