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This is like Jeff Han kind of stuff, again, nothing THAT original from MS.

The pop mech video has Jeff Han in it. But ya this doesn't seem like an innovation for microsoft. The only thing new demo'd was the wireless upload of pictures and download to a phone. Otherwise "old" stuff.
 
Seriously?

That's it? Please Microsoft, can't you do better than this? A coffee table? At least the video admits no consumer would buy this, only casinos and defense contractors.
 
Very interesting. Although it has no appeal to the mass market right now due to cost, this could be interesting when the prices come down enough to bring this "transferring" technology to the consumer level.

But, the multi-touch stuff is old hat. I wonder how much M$ had to pay Jeff Han for this...
 
yea, this seems more like a toy with few if any practical uses than a revolutionary product. Bill gates will never learn. Never.:rolleyes:
 
Oh come on! You guys complain too much.

Didn't you see what they did with the camera and the cell phone?? TELL ME that's not fantastic!

Yes, THIS is a big, expensive comercial product that none of us will ever buy. But are you not excited that the next iMac might do something just like that?

I know I am.

And by MS releasing it to businesses that just gives Apple one more incentive to be the first to bring it to the home.

EDIT: And I think it's funny you think this product is too expensive just because it's not aimed at the home. Look forward to seeing in mall checkout counters everywhere in the next few years. Star Trek, here we come.
 
wow, not only impressed with what microsoft has created, but also the cynicism within this thread.

you guys are amazing
 
Gosh, you guys are ridiculous when it comes to MS. This is a really cool product. Forget about who made it.. You can stick a camera on it and it downloads photos. That's cool, okay? Apple doesn't have to make something just for it to be cool

Wow, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually proud of Microsoft. They've managed to do something innovative (although they did have a lot of help from Jeff Hahn).

Is that supposed to be a drawback that they got help from Jeff Hahn? It's called consulting, and it doesn't imply a lack of innovativeness. They just have the right innovative people on their side for once (MS, I mean).

You people sound mighty defensive to me...
 
Oh come on! You guys complain too much.

Didn't you see what they did with the camera and the cell phone?? TELL ME that's not fantastic!

It's cool. But did you see that it required cameras around the room to do that. Or at least identify non-wireless devices like that glass of pop. I guess the camera tech is in itself a cool piece of tech.
 
Microsoft makes a touch-screen table. It's official everybody! There is no God!
 
interesting... could be a fun toy thats for sure, but lets hope that they do it right... who wants a coffee table that could get a virus? if they spend a good amount of time on this one and develop it so it truly is as easy as it looks that would be fun.

Micro$oft really missed the boat on this one. Then again, it could be a technological hurdle. If this device was portable it would be a winner.

There is a reason laptops are now outselling desktops. People don't want to be chained to their desk (or table) to work with their data.

I enjoy being able to take my MBP into the living room, chat with friends and family in front of the TV, then take it back into the computer room, hook it up to my disk array, and do some video editing.

Swing and a miss, Micro$oft.
 
If it actually works, that's the coolest thing i've ever heard of.
 
It's cool. But did you see that it required cameras around the room to do that. Or at least identify non-wireless devices like that glass of pop. I guess the camera tech is in itself a cool piece of tech.

No, I don't need my iMac to identify a glass. But if it can find my Bluetooth camera and Bluetooth phone (both possible now) and have it let me drag stuff from one to the other (or a printer) with my finger without importing anything to the computer...well that's cool.
 
I could have swore Bill Gates demonstrated this at CES 2006, except it was a multi-purpose (not entertainment focused) device. I believe he also used a cell phone, which displayed items on a table, in his demo.
 
Sounds really neat :)

Maybe not very useful to people's actual lives, but sometimes a neat demo is just fun for its own sake :)
 
This is cool stuff. Some of you need to back it off just a bit. Who cares where it comes from, who they used, etc?

The iPhone will put this touch screen technology out to the masses/consumers quicker but it is good to see that the race is on in getting this to larger formats such as desktop computing.

Now I am waiting for Apples eventual salvo. But for now, I can applaud MS.
 
It's not that big of a deal. I can sit my wireless camera near my Mac and download/upload photos. I could also have it a million miles away, but have wifi and send them to my computer. BIG DEAL! I can also send and recieve info to and from my phone wirelessly. This is RIGHT NOW, not a year from now and $10,000 later. Apple already has multi-touch hardware and has a several patents that cover this tech. We'll see a Mac with a large touchscreen for a lot less than $5,000-$10,000 very soon.
 
I could have swore Bill Gates demonstrated this at CES 2006, except it was a multi-purpose (not entertainment focused) device. I believe he also used a cell phone, which displayed items on a table, in his demo.

I think they mentioned that somewhere, that he demoed it before.

I just finished watching the video. That is freaking cool. Especially when he takes a pic of his friend, puts the camera on the table, photo appears on table, he puts his phone on the table and drags the photo over to the phone, and then picks up the phone with the photo stored on it. That's pretty awesome..
 
actually, whats funny is...

Microsoft is using big cameras under the tabletop... to get it all nice and compact they will have to use the patent Apple filed for the tiny pixel-sized camera sensors built into a flat panel display!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

And apple obviously already patented technology so similar (as far as the touch screen interface) that it doesn't matter anyway... they basically took a big iPhone and made it recognize objects so they can download their content over bluetooth 5.0 or something.

cool idea, but it's already been forecast.

Kudos to MS for at least taking the initiative to implement it.
 
Trust microsoft to make a great new product that sounds interesting, cost an arm and leg but had really no practical use.
 
I think I've seen Bill Gates demo something like this for years, and I never got why they invent things they never sell. So kudos to them for planning to get a product out the door! It does look pretty cool. I could see drug stores using it in their digital photo kiosks. I wonder if it can handle a person sitting on it, or making love on it, how would it react to that I wonder? ;)
 
We'll see a Mac with a large touchscreen for a lot less than $5,000-$10,000 very soon.

Yes, but before tonight Apple was probably thinking that 2008 or 2009 would be a fine time to introduce such a product.

As of tonight I bet they're thinking about speeding up those plans.

Of COURSE Apple will make something like this in the future. The point is that things like this will push them to do it SOONER.

Why are people treating that like it's not a good thing?
 
Wow, I've been waiting for that technology to be released ever since seeing the original videos. Its a shame Microsoft will probably end up making it really uncool and it'll probably end up not selling well. If only Apple had gotten ahold of this stuff!!
 
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