Microsoft Surface

Surface (formerly code-named Milan) is a computer system using the technology area computing based on Windows Vista SP11 allows the user to manipulate content information using a touch screen.

Announced in May 2007 by Microsoft, this product has been marketed since November 2008.

  

Description

 
Surface appears to the user as a table whose top is made of a surface with a multitouch display of 30 inches. This display is done through a DLP projector with a resolution of 1024x768 placed inside the table under the glass.

Management for its touch is not made by a conventional touch screen, but a real vision system based on a set of five infrared cameras, coupled with infrared light. In fact, when an object approaches the display surface, it reflects infrared light and the object becomes visible to the cameras. This allows the surface to obtain a grayscale image of everything that appears on the display surface, but also to obtain the dimensions of the contacts, and to recognize certain forms, especially the recognition tags.

The interface includes a touch surface use independent of the orientation of the table relative to the user. Area so can display items such as photos, totally free that can be manipulated with the fingers, namely the move, rotate and resize. For now planned especially for leisure activities (playing cards, holiday photo galleries, etc..), It could be extended to other uses.

Currently, the retail version of Microsoft Surface is based on an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13 GHz and 2 GB of memory and an ATI Radeon X1650 Pro for display.

The target audience initially by the product consists of hotels, restaurants, and entertainment industry. The price is $ 12,500 or € 11,000 in Unit2 in Europe for trade3 versions. The cost for developers is $ 15,000 and € 13,000 4.

history

The technology used is called Microsoft Surface Multitouch. It has been around 19,825 when Bell Labs have released the first touch screens.

The project itself was initiated by the researcher Andy Wilson and designer Steve Bathiche at Microsoft in October 2001. In 2003, the idea was formally presented to CEO Bill Gates. The development team was expanded and the first prototype, called T1 and based on an IKEA table, was born a few months later. The team also developed some applications of entertainment such as a pinball game and a puzzle video.

During the next year, Microsoft has developed over 85 prototypes of product6. The final architecture of space was created in 2005.

Surface was unveiled May 30, 2007 by Steve Ballmer at a conference on Wall Street Journal. The first companies to adopt this product have been Harrah's Entertainment, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, T-Mobile and International Game Technology 

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