MS-Surface ditches the mouse

It’s all over the news — Microsoft is taking a break from the “Vista-is-the-future” campaign to show the world something that actually looks like it’s “futureworthy”.

If the name “Surface” doesn’t ring a bell yet, wait until you visit a restaurant, hotel, retail outlet or casino resort where this technology is deployed. It’s so innovative and different from what we’re used to that at Microsoft, Surface is dubbed a new product category!

The device which looks like a small food cooler with a screen on top is the first commercially available surface computer from Microsoft and it’s expected to break down barriers, especially for those who don’t mix too well with “traditional” technology. Surface provides effortless interaction with information using touch, natural gestures and physical objects, like a mobile phone or a digital camera.

To wrap your head around Surface, just imagine a touchscreen surface that can recognize physical objects from a paintbrush to a cell phone while allowing hands-on, direct control of content such as photos, music and maps. No USB or FireWire cable clutter here -and- no time wasted trying to figure out how to properly mount the device. As long as it’s compatible, you just drop it on the surface and it’s recognized.

To anyone who has wasted countless hours trying to configure their personal computer so it can play well with the plethora of tech gadgets that multiply around it, this sounds like tech nirvana!

But that’s not all, Surface isn’t shy and welcomes collaboration. That means the whole family can gather-round the 30-inch display and check out the pictures and do all sorts of manipulations on them… hopefully in a collaborative manner.

The whole point of Surface appears to revolve around providing a dynamic surface that makes effortless interaction with all forms of digital content a reality. For the movie fans who remember Tom Cruise’s information handling (with his hands moving holograms, floating in the air) in Minority Report, it appears Surface could be the first major commercial step towards that kind of “user interaction” spirit.

This post’s title announces the end of the mouse, as we know it, with Surface but that’s not all, even the physical keyboard gets the pink slip — nevertheless, your fingers will still come in very handy but this time, they’ll be all over the touchscreen.

Microsoft is trying to add a profoundly human touch to the computing experience, with Surface. In fact, putting people back in control mainly happens through the following key attributes:

• Direct interaction - Users can actually “grab” digital information with their hands, interacting with content by touch and gesture (without the use of a mouse or keyboard).
• Multi-touch - Surface computing recognizes many points of contact simultaneously, not just from one finger like a typical touch-screen but up to dozens of items at once.
• Multi-user - The horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.
• Object recognition - Users can place physical objects on the surface to trigger different types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content.

Microsoft’s Surface Computing clearly brings to life a whole new way to interact with information that engages the senses, improves collaboration and empowers consumers who can use these devices to, for example, pay their bar tab.

People who have tried Surface are few and far between so “issues” aren’t yet discussed but speed, privacy and sanitary matters come to mind. For instance, will the MS-Surface slow down considerably if the digital camera contains hundreds of high-resolution pictures, will people passing by be able to see what the user is doing and at the end of a busy day, will it still be safe for anyone to hover their fingers over the same surface everybody else did earlier? Those and many other interesting questions should find answers as more people get their hands dirty with Surface, litterally.

So, who’s eager to try Microsoft’s idea of Surface Computing?

Tags: microsoft, surface computing, touchscreen, collaboration, tech