A surface computer is a computer that interacts with the user through the surface of an ordinary object, rather than through a monitor and keyboard.

The surface computer from Microsoft which was based entirely on a Multi-Touch interface and using a coffee-table like design, and was unveiled on 30 May 2007.

Users can interact with the machine by touching or dragging their fingertips and objects such as paintbrushes across the screen, or by setting real-world items tagged with special bar-code labels on top of it.

The Surface is a horizontal display on a table-like form. Somewhat similar to the iPhone, the Surface has a screen that can incorporate multiple touches and thus uses them to navigate multimedia content. Unlike the iPhone, which uses fingers' electrical properties to detect touch, the Surface utilizes a system of infrared cameras to detect input. Uploading digital files only requires each object (e.g. a Bluetooth-enabled digital camera) to be placed on the Surface. People can physically move around the picture across the screen with their hands, or even shrink or enlarge them

The Surface has a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of memory, an off the shelf graphics card, a scratch-proof spill-proof surface, a DLP projector, and 5 infrared cameras as mentioned above.

For Businesses: Microsoft Surface provides tremendous potential for businesses to improve communication, and be more efficient in how they deliver information and services to their customers. The intuitive and approachable interface is easy to learn and the familiar software platform makes it easy to manage, too. The multi-touch and multi-user capabilities create an incredibly collaborative experience, where sharing and exploring information is easier than ever.

Microsoft Surface has four key capabilities that make it such a unique experience:

Direct interaction. Users can grab digital information with their hands and interact with content on-screen by touch and gesture – without using a mouse or keyboard.

Multi-user experience. The large, horizontal, 30 inch display makes it easy for several people to gather and interact together with Microsoft Surface - providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.

Multi-touch. Microsoft Surface responds to many points of contact simultaneously - not just from one finger, as with a typical touch screen, but from dozens of contact points at once.

Object recognition. Users can place physical objects on the screen to trigger different types of digital responses – providing for a multitude of applications and the transfer of digital content to mobile devices.

HOW IT WORKS

Microsoft Surface uses cameras and image recognition in the infrared spectrum to recognize different types of objects such as fingers, tagged items and shapes. This input is then processed by the computer and the resulting interaction is displayed using rear projection. The user can manipulate content and interact with the computer using natural touch and hand gestures, instead of a typical mouse and keyboard.

Vision-based interaction The sophisticated camera system of

Surface sees what is touching it and recognizes fingers, hands, paintbrushes, tagged objects and a myriad of other real-world items. It allows you to grab digital information and interact with the content through touch and gesture. And unlike other touch-screens, Surface recognizes many points of contact simultaneously, 52 to be exact. This allows multiple people to use Surface at the same time, creating a more engaging and collaborative computing experience than what is available via traditional personal computers, mobile devices, or public kiosks.

Tagged object recognition Tagged object recognition is a particularly

innovative feature of Microsoft Surface. The tag is what lets Surface uniquely identify objects, helping the system tell the difference between two identical looking bottles of juice, for example. Applications can also use a tag to start a command or action, so simply placing a tagged object on the screen can open up a whole new experience. A tagged object might also identify a cardholder, so they can charge purchases or participate in a loyalty program. A tag can even tell Surface to display unique information about a tagged object, such as showing more information about a bottle of wine, the wine grower, the type of grape and vintage.

Enabling developers

Microsoft Surface represents a new category of computing. With capabilities like direct interaction, multi-touch, multi-user, and object recognition, Microsoft Surface computing is a unique and cutting edge platform for application development.

The Microsoft Surface platform goes beyond the capabilities of its core operating system foundation running Windows Vista SP1, yet it keeps the development process simple. The Microsoft Surface SDK 1.0 SP1 provides all the controls a developer needs to create innovative experiences on Microsoft Surface. And with the new capabilities that come with Service Pack 1, application development is easier than ever with new WPF controls and API enhancements that give developers more control, flexibility, and efficiency in creating applications.

Plus, in order to enable a broad developer audience, Microsoft Surface is compatible with familiar programs and tools developers use today, such as:

Microsoft® Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) Microsoft® XNA™ Microsoft® Visual C#® 2008 Express Edition Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2008 SP1 Microsoft® Expression® Studio 2 Microsoft® Expression Blend™ 2

Enabling IT administrators At its core, a Microsoft Surface unit is a PC that

is running the Windows Vista Business operating system, so in some ways, a Surface unit is like a desktop computer or a server. The units include all of the standard manageability features that are available in Windows Vista to enable easy deployment and administration, including Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), Remote Desktop Connection, Windows Scripting Host, Event Viewer, Performance Monitor, Event Forwarding, Task Scheduler, and so on. You can also use enterprise management tools like the Microsoft System Center family of products to deploy software, maintain patches, manage configuration, and monitor health.

Under the hood

Microsoft Surface is based on the Windows Vista SP1 operating system and uses cameras and image recognition in the infrared spectrum to recognize different types of objects. This input is then processed by the computer and the resulting interaction is displayed using rear projection. So it “sees” what is interacting with it, whether it’s fingers, hands, real-world objects, devices, or tags.

The rugged table top structure is versatile and its horizontal viewing angle and brilliant 30 inch display allow a number of users to see and interact with Surface simultaneously.

With its powerful processors, streamlined operating system set up, and intuitive interface, it’s unlike any computer on the market today.

CONS Not portable and very expensive. Privacy - Open for many to view.Screen

Visibility - Glare, finger prints/dirt and human interaction obscuring interface.Poor

Accuracy - Fat fingers are not as accurate as a mouse or stylus.Fatigue - Reaching across the table often can cause the arms to ache.

FUTURE INNOVATIONS •Surface will continue to be sold to and

used by restaurants, retail, leisure and public entertainment venues.

•Computer scientists hope to incorporate this kind of technology in peoples’ daily lives… Future goals are to surround people with intelligent surfaces (look up recipes on your kitchen counter or table, control TV with coffee table, etc.

• Eventually every household may have one in place of their everyday coffee table.

CONCLUSION Microsoft Surface is the future of

computers. Fundamentally changes the way we

interact with technology. Surface takes existing technology and

presents it in a new way. It isn't simply a touch screen, but more of a touch-grab-move-slide-resize-and-place-objects-on-top-of-screen, and this opens up new possibilities that weren't there before.

A COMPUTER IN EVERY DESKTOPNOW WE SAY

EVERY DESKTOP WILL BE A COMPUTER

Thanks GIGI P BABU