Microsoft reinvents the table
p2pnet.net news:- Remember those old electronic pay-for-play ping-pong and Pac-Man tables from years ago you’d find in pubs and coffee bars, the action more or less obscured by rings from beer glasses, coffee cups and ashtrays? Bill and the Boyz have re-jigged the idea with a little something they’re calling the Coffee Table PC, aka surface computing, dubbed ‘Milan’.
Microsoft hopes the idea will, “revolutionize everything from retail kiosks to the common coffee table,” says PC Magazine, going on:
“At its core, Milan is a PC running Windows Vista, but don’t expect to use it with a keyboard and mouse. Instead, Milan uses a touch-sensitive display that enables multiple users to navigate the system’s interface.
“Milan will start appearing in commercial locations at the end of this year (think casinos).”
The tabletop measures 30 inches diagonally and images show up via a custom DLP engine,” says the story. “By detecting every touch and gesture, Milan offers a very tactile way of interacting with digital information. Users must actually grab files and images with their fingers without the use of a mouse or keyboard. The system also allows multiple users to interact with the display at the same time; it can detect dozens of contact points.”
Milan’s proprietary Domino object recognition technology works like a bar code, says PC magazine.
“With the right Domino tag, basically a small sticker with a black and white pattern on it, Milan can instantly recognize other electronic devices.”
Milan will be used for commercial applications by the end of the year, “including Harrah’s Entertainment’s Las Vegas properties, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, and International Game Technology (IGT). Milan will also be featured at some T-mobile retail stores,” adds story.
Also See:
PC Magazine – Hands on With ‘Microsoft Surface’: The Coffee-Table PC , May 30, 2007
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June 1st, 2007 at 10:52 pm
1, Touch-screen technology has been around for what…..decades?
2. Windoze Vista is for shit, and a complete flop so far.
This is just going to be a glorified version of those godawful “Megatouch” game machines they already have in bars, basically. It’ll never catch on for home use, especially if it’s built into some clunky-ass table design. MAYBE a tablet-PC….
June 1st, 2007 at 10:52 pm
1, Touch-screen technology has been around for what…..decades?
2. Windoze Vista is for shit, and a complete flop so far.
This is just going to be a glorified version of those godawful “Megatouch” game machines they already have in bars, basically. It’ll never catch on for home use, especially if it’s built into some clunky-ass table design. MAYBE a tablet-PC….