Talk About Second Generation Surface At South By South West

The BBC is reporting that developers are talking about a second generation Microsoft Surface which has been dubbed Second Light and builds upon the original by having a second projector inside the device that can project images onto a layer above the surface of the screen. This modification will allow Second Light to overlay secondary images above those on the screen. It is rumored that the second generation will interpret gestures and movements without having to touch the screen through the use of infrared sensors and that it will employ high definition cameras for better detail.

"Everything is moving to touch and multi-touch so you had better jump on that bandwagon," Erik Klimczak, creative director of Clarity Consulting who develops for the surface told the conference of web developers.

First Microsoft Surface Game

Here is a look at the first game developed for the Microsoft Surface PC, "Firefly" where the object is to coral more fireflies into your jar than your opponent. The video is a gizmodo find and was shot compliments of Sarcastic Gamer. You won't be wowed by the game play as it is pretty simple but consider the interactive nature of the interface and think of all of the possibilities! I love this device!

Ballmer Wants to Hurry Along Consumer Version of Surface PC

cnet's News.com reporter Ina Fried is reporting that Steve Ballmer is anxious to bring to market a consumer version of the Surface PC. Reports last year were that Microsoft would unleash a commercial version by end of year 2007, but it now looks like a Spring '08 release. At the time the outlook for a consumer product was about 5 years, but Ballmer says "We're going to follow our nose," referring to the public demand that could drive an accelerated development cycle. I, for one, will be sitting on pins and needles waiting to that happen! This is much more exciting than a Yahoo! hostile takeover...

Scratching the Surface

Ars Technica writer, Jeremy Reimer, was given a rare opportunity for a personal demo of the Surface PC at Microsoft's campus. While his review offers no real news about the Surface's capabilities, it is interesting to read a 3rd person perspective of the experience. Reimer, it would seem, found the Surface an exciting new way of interacting with a PC, as indeed it is. In his conclusion Reimer writes "Although I already knew approximately what to expect when I was invited to the Microsoft campus to play with Surface, the experience of actually touching and using the unit exceeded my expectations. For a device still very much in development, it was remarkably smooth to use. " This sounds promising for those of us who are anxious to see the Surface... well, surface! Microsoft has said that it could be available for business applications as early as the end of '07 and at a cost of between $5,000 and $10,000 it will be a while before you see one in your living room, but it's coming!

iPhone guided tour

Apple's website has a prominant message today and it's all about the iPhone. Take the guided tour and prepare to be amazed, this is not suprisingly one user friendly little device that will make you want to shelve the old cell phone and toss out the iPod. The ~20 minute video tour is hosted by a very pleasant Steve Jobs clone and gives a great look at what you can achieve with this hot new device. I love the interface and can't wait to see one up close, that goes for the Microsoft Surface as well. This type of computing is going to open up all sorts of possibilities! Please Mr. Jobs, give us the iPhone in Canada!

Microsoft Surface Unveiled

Microsoft has apparently announced it's latest device, the 30" touch screen / coffee table sized / 150 pound Surface PC. I saw a video of an early prototype of this technology a year or so ago but it is now set to be released to the public. As I've stated before I'm an early adopter but, at between $5,000 and $10,000 us dollars, I don't think I'll be the first guy on my street to own one. The technology is very slick and intuitive, I particularly like the T-mobile application that is demoed. Check out the YouTube video!