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Microsoft unveils fancy new Surface Sphere
While we've known about Microsoft's fancy Surface touchscreen table for a while now, the bit M isn't done coming up with fancy new touchscreen devices. Take a look at the new Surface Sphere, a giant ball that's completely covered with a multitouch screen.
It's a pretty crazy device, as you can see from the above video, using fancy algorithms to display movies and to set up one of the trippiest games of pong you're likely to see. As for practical applications, I'm not quite sure what you'd really need something like this for, but it's certainly one of the cooler things we've seen in a while.
Seattle PI, via Gizmodo
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By CJW at 11:47 AM ON 07/29/08
This was the secret project in Douglas Coupland's book, jPod, which was a sequel of sorts to Microserfs.
How freaking bizarre.
By hurst at 12:29 PM ON 07/29/08
Should that be the "big M" instead of the "bit M" in the first line? Something just didn't seem right while I was reading it.
By E.C. Hopkins at 1:27 PM ON 07/29/08
"I'm not quite sure what you'd really need something like this for..."
I can think of a dozen ways to use this technology. By itself, it could be used for several business and educational purposes. For example, this would help us teach geography to U.S. K-12 students. But if the surface sphere were combined with a few other technologies, it could be the centerpiece of some great problem-solving engineering. For example, using (1) this surface sphere, (2) a bunch of strategically-placed sensors that would relay the movements of individual users, and (3) the real-time information we'd collect from those sensors (these data would enable us determine exactly where certain parts of users' bodies were at any given moment within the a finite space, such as a room with 6 sides), we could engineer some very useful simulators and modeling/design applications. Once production costs for the surface sphere enabled the price to come down below a certain point, its most lucrative application might be the centerpiece of an amazing home gaming system for the middle-class and upper-class citizens of the world. Its games could change the meaning of the term "game room."
By budgethero at 5:02 PM ON 07/29/08
i could see this being useful in 3d modeling.
By astralith at 9:58 AM ON 07/31/08
Age of Empires 4 :)