Touch
Email"Sigh… What an incredible innovation!" wrote an entrepreneur we know–with just a touch of sarcasm.
Microsoft made a splash with its "Surface" tabletop screen Wednesday, but what got lost in the hoopla is that it’s late to the party. The "Surface" is seriously cool, no question about it. Instead of carefully moving things around with a cursor, you use your fingers–all ten if them if you like.
Want to blow up a picture? Widen it with your hand. Want to make a virtual sculpture? Shape it as you wish. But Jeff Han, a very bright computer scientist from New York University, showed off a similar system at the TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design) in February 2006, and his presentation was remarkable. If you have nine minutes, and have never seen it, you just have to watch. It’s HERE. (Han has started his own firm.)
And there’s another version from a firm called TouchTable; it also predates Microsoft’s announcement by a couple of years. If any of these entities are linked, we don’t know about them. What Microsoft does very well is take such ideas and spread them. I have seen the future, and you have to touch it to believe it.
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From the AP article on the ABCNews.com website, Michael Gartenberg said that Surface is “important for Microsoft as a promising new business, as well as demonstrating very concretely to the market that Microsoft still knows how to innovate, and innovate in a big way.” I would take exception to the term “innovate” here. Many of Microsoft’s most impressive technological achievements come from other’s ideas, where Microsoft perfects them and adapts them to everyday use. A notable example is Windows’ graphical user interface, modeled after Apple’s operating system, which, in turn, was modeled after the Xerox ALTO system. So it doesn’t surprise me that others’ touchscreen concepts have predated Microsoft’s efforts. But I’m sure that Microsoft will be able to popularize this extremely cool concept, and, I have to admit, I want one!
Posted by: chuck | May 31, 2007, 10:04 am 10:04 am
When I saw the demonstration on the news yesterday 30 May 2007. I thought what a great concept. After seeing what Mr. Han and several others have done-that predate Mr. Gates, it makes me wonder if Mr. Gates hasn’t paid someone to market this technology. I will surely purchase one or two systems. I almost gave up on the next generation not using their brain cells for creativity. I can see how this will be beneficial in so many areas of learning. The question is, how long will it take for the price to become attainable to the public. Hmmm I guess I will have to add this and several more to my portfolio.
Posted by: Rani | May 31, 2007, 12:34 pm 12:34 pm
Sorry, I just don’t want to be that close to a (possibly large) screen. I’m not lazy, but raising my arms up and down to constantly touch a screen? I’ve never seen the appeal to touch-screen computing.
Now, make a laser pointer / infra red gizmo, or make it voice command operable so the physically able and less physically able can use this and I’ll perk my ears up.
Posted by: doug | May 31, 2007, 3:49 pm 3:49 pm
Bah! I’ll give up my mouse when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
Posted by: Greg | June 1, 2007, 8:18 pm 8:18 pm