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Secondlight, Microsoft's New Surface Prototype

Posted by samzenpus on from the look-deep-into-the-table dept.

Barence writes "Microsoft has literally added another dimension to its touchscreen table technology Surface. The new table projects an image through the table itself, so that any translucent material (such as tracing paper or perspex) held above the Surface screen displays a different image to what you see on the table's display. This means you can have a satellite image of a town on the table, and have the street names projected on to a piece of paper that the user holds above the map. Or you could have a photo of a car, with the tracing paper displaying images of its innards."

11 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. Right... by complete+loony · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So... it can display a second image that is completely invisible unless I hold a piece of paper in front of it.

    Is it just me or does that sound kind of silly?

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    09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
    1. Re:Right... by phantomfive · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Seriously. I like the idea of doing research for the sake of research, and I would probably respect this more, except Microsoft keeps representing it as
      1. The coolest thing they have ever come up with.
      2. The future of computing.

      and it is neither, it is just cool research. It's so cute the way Microsoft has gotten all senile and out of touch in its old age.

      OK, off to do laundry now. When will they make a robot that does my laundry for me? Now THAT will be progress.

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      Qxe4
    2. Re:Right... by Perseid · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That was what I thought when I first saw a computer mouse. Do I expect this will revolutionize computing? Maybe, but probably not. Does that mean it's not cool? Naw, it's cool and my inner geek wants one. It's good to see Microsoft is indeed trying to make new stuff. That's more than we can say about them a lot of the time.

    3. Re:Right... by Swizec · · Score: 5, Funny

      OK, off to do laundry now. When will they make a robot that does my laundry for me? Now THAT will be progress.

      It's called a washing machine.

    4. Re:Right... by Swizec · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's called a wife.

    5. Re:Right... by QuantumG · · Score: 5, Funny

      Have you considered the Total Cost of Ownership?

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      How we know is more important than what we know.
  2. Hooray! by Centurix · · Score: 5, Funny

    A bigger ass table!

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    Task Mangler
  3. Re:How long by Fourier404 · · Score: 4, Informative

    ...since when did companies routinely invest in research and then give the results away for free, unless there was some other way to make money off it?

  4. new warning stickers by Speare · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Do not stare into table with remaining eye."

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  5. Re:I dont mean to be rude, or anti progress.. but. by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 4, Funny

    He's bitter beacuse he's dyslexic, and to add insult to injury he name himself "moniker" when he meant to type "monkier".

  6. Come on guys.... by Idiomatick · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Its fucking cool technology. Don't let fanboyism ruin this. Its a big table, its expensive. But its still fucking cool. Have you forgotten you are nerds? Who gives a shit how useful it is? Aren't people always arguing pro research that isn't about making a buck. Now when 'evil' microsoft does something all nerds like (making cool shit without having purely profit in mind) what happens? You bash it? I expect better :S