Computing for Dummies (aka everyone)

Well, I'm sure that most everyone is oogling over the new Surface (go watch the videos on the official website) released by Microsoft. If you are not already aware, Surface is a top-secret project that has been developed over many years, and just now is being at last released to the public eye. As of now, it is a table with a 30-inch high-resolution display, 22 inches high, 21 inches "deep", and 42 inches wide, multi-touch interface, and more fancy features than you can shake a stick at, costing between $5,000 and $10,000. Below are a few embedded videos, showing off the primary features that Microsoft boasts of.

Virtual Painting


Virtual Photo Manipulation


Virtual Restaurant


Virtual Cashier (T-Mobile)


Now, although I'm tempted to go into a furious fit of excitement, seeing as this is so futuristic and all (at least by Minority Report standards), I must take a step back and look at the true potential of this technology. Now, a competing technology, embedded below, was unveiled in early 2006, showing off the abilities of the multi-touch interface. However, it didn't really show any useful application of the technology.



Now, as fun as fingerpainting and playing with virtual blobs may be, or pushing around digital photographs, I have a feeling that it is something that would quickly lose its shock value (though the movable video, on the other hand, may remain interesting a bit longer). I must say that I am quite impressed with Microsoft's creativity when it comes to application of their Surface technology. In this case, so that one may place a Zune, for example, upon the tabletop, purchase music with a jab of one's finger, and instantly transfer the music to their mobile device via Bluetooth. On the other hand, if the table requires infrared tags on the bottom of said devices, rather than recognition via more flexible means, that could spell some trouble, particularly for those who have older devices, or who have a preference for products sold by other companies who don't feel the need to add such tags to their devices (for example, Apple, Inc.). Specifically, of course, I speak of the iPod. If Microsoft doesn't have the wisdom to suck up their pride and offer expansive support (assuming that it is possible, since the technologies packed into players such as the iPod cannot be regulated by Microsoft, and so they can only expand as far as other products' hardware will allow), this will fail miserably. In any case, they should at least attempt to figure out some way to allow for as varied compatibility as possible with those devices that can support it, such as the iPhone.

As for the virtual restaurant, I'm not sure how well this will fly. Naturally, it will be an entertaining allure for fancy joints, but maintenance may be an issue, unless the Vista-based Surface is less crash-prone than its PC counterparts (and, of course, the tenancy for customers to not give a crap about expensive property). My guess is that this will, for quite some time, be seen only in large casinos and especially expensive, high-tech food joints (an example being some of the larger Starbucks coffeehouses). As for fast food places, I wouldn't expect to see this for quite some time (at least a decade, if not more, depending on how quickly the prices go down and how willing each company is to spend the extra cash for ease of use and eye-candy). Preferably, the technology should be expanded to detect the magnetic bars of credit cards, if such is feasible.

On the other hand, I think that T-Mobile's idea will really fly, as long as it is executed properly. Such on-the-fly comparisons, purchasing power, and ease of use would really impress customers at T-Mobile stores, particularly since they do, after all, specialize in electronics (portable electronics, in particular). If T-Mobile does it, odds are that competitors will scramble to catch up.

I don't think, however, that the PC will disappear before these new computers. Some of us enjoy the power that comes with a more detailed interface, and things such as detailed design, 3D gaming, even word processing, do not appear to be very compatible with this technology (since, unlike the technology showcased in 2006, the Surface does not seem to come with any kind of virtual keyboard). Virtual fingerpainting is fun, but since there is no obvious way to save one's work, detail given with programs such as Photoshop seems to be lacking, and the bump of an elbow could easily destroy hours of work, this most likely won't become popular with digital artists, let alone programmers, drafters, etc., from a more industrial point of view (not that I would expect one to be sitting in Starbucks, sipping a Frappuccino, and simultaneously drawing up virtual plans for a bridge on the Surface.

In conclusion, there are many options available for this new technology which have not been fully expanded upon, and, on the flip side, a lot of useless crap that will bog down and ultimately annoy users, but I would say that the potential outweighs the faults. Assuming Bill Gates isn't insane (a debatable point), this should be, as he predicts, a wonderful break-through in user-friendly interfacing technology.

Now, on to another new technology that has recently popped up; the Livescribe (about). Apparently, this technology packs some computing power into a fat pen, including the ability to record and play back voice, detect small printed dots on special paper (something that may make or break this pen, depending on printing costs/popularity), display some information on a "pixel-bar", and connect to a PC in order to expand upon what is done. For example, one may listen to a lecture while writing down notes. Should one want to review something that was said previously, one need only tap the pen upon a previously-written word, and the audio recording will back up to when that word was written and play from that point on.

The intent for the technology seems to be for journalists, writers, college students, and others who have a need for such flexibility, but I think that this less-than-$200-pen could also offer some useful aspects for designers, drafters, etc., if used correctly (meaning as long as the paper it requires is cheap enough, batteries last long enough, and whether or not the "hard copy" is able to be stored without creating too much clutter, though that last point really depends on who is using it). As for me, I know that I can type far faster than I can write notes, so I will stick with a keyboard for such things. This technology really hinges on whether or not it is marketed to the right people; it is for those with a true need of its uses, not the general public who busy themselves instead with cell phones, PDAs, iPods, and other such "new generation" equipment.

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UPDATE: The future of the Surface looks more promising than ever, particularly after Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Microsoft Executive Chairman Bill Gates got together in a friendly interview recently. By the sounds of it, they are not the enemies that one may guess, and so, it seems, the innovation of one will be snatched up by the other (hopefully meaning that, in the future, should the Surface really take off, Apple products should be made compatible, and the Surface should have the ability to recognize such non-Microsoft products).

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