Microsoft Surface
Well, it looks like this may be the year of multi-touch. Last week, Microsoft announced a new multi-touch digital coffee table called Surface, to be released Winter 2007. Below is the first of three videos they released.
You can view the rest of the videos at: www.microsoft.com/surface
Although many of the interactions on the device seem to be based on existing touch and multi-touch patterns, the real innovation (for me) is in the way that the table interacts with other physical items. The Surface allows users to put items on it, such as a camera, then interact with the data stored on the device. There are a few interesting examples shown in the demo videos such as paying via multiple credit cards and sharing music with MP3 players (obviously zunes).
These types of interactions (bridging physical and digital worlds) are a natural progression for computing. It certainly isn't ubiquitous computing, but it's a step closer towards a world where computers aren't just desktop terminals, rather a bridge to our stored data and information.
The simple act of placing a camera onto a digital screen and then having access to its stored photos is natural and beautiful. I only hope that Microsoft doesn't screw it up with a bunch of pop-up windows.
