Any questions for Surface Computing team?

* Why is this Surface product indicated to be a stand alone product and not just a cool feature that licensee’s can incoprporate into their own hardware?

* It seems MicroSoft is moving to the model of self produced, integrated Software and Hardware. (XBox, Zune). What are the benefits of this shift in business model and what does it portend for the Windows liscencee’s.

Why isn’t this really cool thing splashed all over the Microsoft Website? Instead the MSoft website looks like a really poorly designed insurance salesman website.

Why isn’t this really cool thing splashed all over the Microsoft Website? Instead the MSoft website looks like a really poorly designed insurance salesman website.

All the prestine demos show are by people who have had lots of time to play with them so it looks very cool and natural. However, how does MS expect Joe-Hotel/Casino/Restaurant-Dweller to know the drag semantics? WPF opened up the opportunity to break all the UI standardisation Microsoft has created. Surface adds a whole new level of possible confusion.

Re. Detection of physical items on Surface.

Does it work with (human-eye) invisible barcodes only ?

What about RFID or visible 2D/color barcodes ?

MS recently introduced their own barcode standard so I was wondering…

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2007/apr07/04-16MSBarCodePR.mspx

Re. Detection of physical items on Surface.

Does it work with (human-eye) invisible barcodes only ?

What about RFID or visible 2D/color barcodes ?

MS recently introduced their own barcode standard so I was wondering…

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2007/apr07/04-16MSBarCodePR.mspx

1. can it replace original PC? such as using for media, internet and documents?

2. use a web to access my content from newer in the world?

3. if and how will it interact with gaming such as with the 360?

4. use it to connect with a TV?

wen will this be released to the wider public? can i use it instead of buying a new PC?

How can they differentiate between two smartphones placed on the Surface? I get that they can communicate to each device with Bluetooth/etc., but how do they physically know which phone is which when the Surface user interface is interacting with the phone?

What differentiates the Surface product from a 32″ touchscreen available on the market for $800?

Also, why aren’t they using Silverlight for their web site in addition to flash?

Where do I find the technical specs & developer toolkit?

How do you keep it clean?

I would be interested to know what other applications are envisioned for surface.

Also, is there a marketing/partnering strategy for avoiding this being a “bigger origami”. Origami looked like the coolest thing out there, and, in practice, it ended up being a UMPC running Vista, with no real apps to accompany the form factor. I guess the question is, how is Microsoft going to transition surface from an amazing demo to a consumer device, if that is even the intent.

Asking how it is related to Jeff Han’s device is good. Also, what’s the likelihood that this tech will spread out of E&D into other Microsoft platforms? I don’t think it’s a stretch to call multitouch (er, Surface) a disruptive technology, and exposing it to every Windows developer can only make great things happen. Finally, I can’t tell if this was announced at WinHEC, and if it wasn’t, why not?

Asking how it is related to Jeff Han’s device is good. Also, what’s the likelihood that this tech will spread out of E&D into other Microsoft platforms? I don’t think it’s a stretch to call multitouch (er, Surface) a disruptive technology, and exposing it to every Windows developer can only make great things happen. Finally, I can’t tell if this was announced at WinHEC, and if it wasn’t, why not?

What to do in this case:
http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=521201549&size=l

I want to watch someone clean it with windex….

While the whole “Touch Surface” UI has a great WOW factor, it would be impractical, indeed a pain, for the user to move his/her hands all over the surface to get any “real” work done.

The most common input devices localize input to keyboard/mouse. Does Microsoft Surface have a “touch” keyboard/mouse or something similar for those of us don’t want to have to wave our arms around and reaching all over the area of the UI to get work done?

It’s a freaking glass table! Looks like this thing can break pretty easily. Drop something on it and poof, it’s shattered. This has Segway written all over it!!!

Is it okay to pet on a first date?

(Extra points for the movie reference that line comes from)

To echo #4 above:

When can we get the SDK?

and

When can I buy one for development/research purposes?

Jeff Han’s multi touch experiment focused on this along time ago (see youtube for example).

I also don’t really like the demo at the MS site given they are doing things in this which don’t seem achievable. E.g placing a random phone on the screen and obtaining data. *Even* if bluetooth or wireless were active it takes time to connect and transfer and this isnt shown. Dont even get me started on the credit card stuff.

$10,000 for a 21st Century Etch-a-Sketch? Or is Microsoft actually building a working model of the Enterprise on the back lot?

How was Jeff Han involved? Is he working at Microsoft? Has Microsoft paid royalties on the IP to his company?

On another note, how does Microsoft garner the press for a product that was ripped off from someone else?

I don’t know how Jeff Han is directly involved but his demos of multitouch experiments are strikingly similar to MS’s Surface, specifically the photo demos of movement and resizing.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysEVYwa-vHM

I don’t know how Jeff Han is directly involved but his demos of multitouch experiments are strikingly similar to MS’s Surface, specifically the photo demos of movement and resizing.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysEVYwa-vHM

Knowing how many people xerox their buttocks, is there any fear people will start to sit on this thing?