telegraphMicrosoft today unveiled a "surface computer" capable of interacting with objects placed upon it - an advance that the firm says will revolutionise the way we interact with technology.
Microsoft employees draw with their fingers
The Microsoft Surface - a 30-inch display embedded in a gloss-covered table - will eventually replace the mouse and keyboard, and opens the prospect of a computer in every surface of the home, the company claims.
Consumers will have to wait a few years before getting their hands on the technology themselves, but the first versions of the computer have already been sold to corporate clients including mobile phone companies and restaurants.
When customers at a restaurant put down their glasses, a computer in their table will be able to tailor food recommendations to the choice of drinks, and display pictures linking wines or beers with the vineyards and breweries that produced them.
Diners can order their next course, or split the bill with a touch of the finger and, when a refill is required, Surface could even alert the waiter.
A table in a mobile phone shop would sense what phone it placed upon it, and suggest suitable upgrades, ringtones and accessories.
But Microsoft believes that most of the demand for the Surface will come from home consumers, and said it hopes to bring down the price from the current $5,000- $10,000 range over the next three-to-five years.
Surface looks wicked. youtube
