What?! You’re doing what? Yup, I’m writing about a Microsoft product. Today Microsoft unveiled Surface, a computer that uses the tabletop as its high-resolution display, recognizes objects placed on the surface and skips the traditional keyboard and mouse in favor of fingers on the screen. It offers a new way for humans to interact with a machine, bringing to life technological ideas that were once only available in movies like Minority Report. As with any computerized technology (such as websites), the way in which the user interacts with the machine is critical in determining several factors such as productivity, enjoyment, pertinence, and function.
Although the Microsoft website gives a brief history of the concept and creation of Surface, I wonder if Jeff Han of NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and founder of Perceptive Pixel has anything to do with it. Han presented his touch screen innovation at TED 2006, an annual conference about technology, entertainment, and design.
