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Microsoft details the next generation Surface

I’m sure you’ve heard of (and maybe even interacted with) Microsoft’s Surface.  It’s a multitouch table that can be found in banks, hotels, and AT&T stores.  An example of its function: at an AT&T store you can place down two smartphones and the table will recognize their presence and provide with specifications and features to help you make a purchasing decision.  Surface is known for its multitouch and object recognition capabilities.  This week at CES 2011 Microsoft detailed the next generation Surface dubbed “Surface 2.0 Experience.”  Building on top of the original Surface functionality, the new experience features PixelSense technology, “which gives LCD panels the power to see without the use of cameras.”  Microsoft explains, “PixelSense gives an LCD display the power to recognize fingers, hands and objects placed on the screen, including more than 50 simultaneous touch points. With PixelSense, pixels in the display see what’s touching the screen and that information is immediately processed and interpreted.”  For instance, in addition to recognizing touch inputs like your fingers, Surface can now “see” things that touch the screen.  For example, if you placed a piece of paper with the words “Hello, world” printed on it on top of the Surface display, the software will recognize and interpret the letters instantly.  In a word, Surface has become smarter.

Microsoft has collaborated with Samsung to create the next physical Surface table called “SUR40.”  Table specs: 40-inch 1920×1080 HD multitouch display, 2.9GHz AMD Athlon II X2 dual core processor with AMD Radeon HD 6700M Series GPU.  And now that the table comes in a thinner form factor (it’s four inches thin) customers can mount the table onto a wall if the space calls for it.  Otherwise, standard or custom table legs can be designed and requested.

At $7,600 the Surface is still geared toward business customers and not the general consuming public.  Companies like Dassault Aviation, Fujifilm Corp., Red Bull GmbH, Royal Bank of Canada, and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts have expressed their interest in developing custom software for the Surface and deploying it at their respective locations.  SUR40 will be available “later in 2011” in 23 countries around the world.  Look after the break for official PR and a video demonstration of the new Surface experience in action.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Microsoft details the next generation Surface