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Microsoft Surface

Conceived, designed and engineered entirely by Microsoft employees, and building on the company’s 30-year history manufacturing hardware, Surface represents a unique vision for the seamless expression of entertainment and creativity. Extensive investment in industrial design and real user experience includes the following highlights:

• Software takes center stage: Surface sports a full-sized USB port and a 16:9 aspect ratio – the industry standard for HD. It has edges angled at 22 degrees, a natural position for the PC at rest or in active use, letting the hardware fade into the background and the software stand out.

• VaporMg: The casing of Surface is created using a unique approach called VaporMg (pronounced Vapor-Mag), a combination of material selection and process to mold metal and deposit particles that creates a finish akin to a luxury watch. Starting with magnesium, parts can be molded as thin as .65 mm, thinner than the typical credit card, to create a product that is thin, light and rigid/strong.

• Integrated Kickstand: The unique VaporMg approach also enables a built-in kickstand that lets you transition Surface from active use to passive consumption – watching a movie or even using the HD front- or rear-facing video cameras. The kickstand is there when needed, and disappears when not in use, with no extra weight or thickness.

• Touch Cover: The 3 mm Touch Cover represents a step forward in human-computer interface. Using a unique pressure-sensitive technology, Touch Cover senses keystrokes as gestures, enabling you to touch type significantly faster than with an on-screen keyboard. It will be available in a selection of vibrant colors. Touch Cover clicks into Surface via a built-in magnetic connector, forming a natural spine like you find on a book, and works as a protective cover. You can also click in a 5 mm-thin Type Cover that adds moving keys for a more traditional typing feel.

MOre info :

- Microsoft Announces Surface: New Family of PCs for Windows

- www.surface.com

News ways to use "ink" on your PC: InkSeine

Ken Hinkley of Microsoft Research is working on new and improved ways to use "ink".

 

 
Video: InkSeine from Microsoft Research - The Official Video

The prototype application is availanble now for download :  

... Ken Hinckley always thought that searching for information on his computer was like going on a fishing expedition. Every so often, he’d even catch whatever it was he wanted.

Hinckley, a senior researcher in the Adaptive Systems and Interaction group at Microsoft Research Redmond, has been netting better results than usual lately. And now he’s angling to share the secret to his success with Tablet PC users everywhere.

An example of an InkSeine note with links, searches, and screen clippings.

That secret is InkSeine, an innovative new inking tool that Hinckley and his team began developing in 2006. InkSeine is designed to help users get the most out of a Tablet PC by unifying ink, search, and gather functions into a fluid workflow uniquely suited to pen interaction. The ink component enables users to capture freeform thoughts and ideas in handwriting on a page; the integrated search functionality gives users quick access to supporting materials and documents with a few simple pen gestures; and the gather element lets users integrate the search results back into their notes—all without breaking the creative flow. As for the name, Hinckley explains: To “seine” is to fish with a net; to fish for results from your ink notes, use InkSeine.

Effective Feb. 15, Microsoft Research is making a prototype of the InkSeine application available as a download. Hinckley, whose group is charged with exploring interface form factors beyond the traditional mouse and keyboard, hopes Tablet PC users will take the bait. ...

Source: Microsoft Research

Crayon Physics Deluxe - Game for TabletPC

Through Scoble I came across a very cool game (in progress) for the Tablet PC called Crayon Physics. Very cool and level 3 of the prototype game already was too much in my quick test ... Can't wait for the real game to become available ...

Crayon Physics Deluxe is a sequel to the popular freeware game Crayon Physics. Or you can think of it as the game I would have created if I would have had more than 7 days to do it. Way more than 7 days. More like 7 months or 17 months.
Anyway Crayon Physics Deluxe is a 2D physics puzzle game, in which you get to experience what it would be like if your drawings would be magically transformed into real physical objects. Solve puzzles with your artistic vision and creative use of physics.
The game features:

• Greatly improved physics (you can draw what ever you want)
• Huge number of new levels
• Easy to use level editor

You can read more about the game from my blog. Also you can test the original prototype which is freely available. But please understand that the prototype isn’t a demo version of this game and doesn’t reflect the quality of Crayon Physics Deluxe.

Source: Kloonigames.com

Be sure to check out the video on the website. Don't you have a tabletPC ? Too bad, but you can always enjoy the video ;-) ...

Tablet PC blijft niche-product

Ooit noemde Bill Gates het de toekomst van laptopcomputers. Maar het lijkt erop dat de Tablet PC maar niet wil doorbreken. De schattingen van de analisten lopen nogal uiteen, maar over een ding zijn ze het wel eens: de Tablet PC blijft een niche-product.
[Via Personal Computer Magazine RSS]

Het is vast komkommertijd bij Personal Computer Magazine. Ruim een jaar geleden publiceerde ze een identiek verhaal (zijn mijn eerdere post).
In absolute zin (aantallen verkocht / marktaandeel t.o.v. andere typen portable computers hebben ze gelijk natuurlijk. De visie van Microosft is volgens mij niet zozeer het wegzetten van het apparaat op zich (de hardware) maar de (software)technology voor handschrift als input technologie. Ondanks dat het lang duurt verwacht ik nog steeds dat deze technology mainstream zal worden en ook de 'gewone' laptop in de nabije toekomst tablet-achtige functies zal krijgen, naaar wellicht ook spraakherkenning en -aansturing

OneNote Shared Sessions at 30,000 Ft

Eric Mack and Michael Sampson promoting the Tablet PC / OneNote. I'm using Onenote and the precursor of their Tablet (The Toshiba M200) now for over 1,5 years, I hardly ever use pen and paper ever since`...

Want to collaborate on a document with your seatmate at 30,000 feet? It's easy; all you need are the right tools.

Last month, on our way to the recent Collaborative Technologies Conference in New York, Michael
Sampson and I put to use everything Amy and Wendy showed us about OneNote Shared Sessions. (Missed it? See here
and here.)

Read the whole post at at source : Via : Eric Mack Online

Einstein Technology Tablet Enhancements for Outlook 2.0

Einstein Technologies (http://www.tabletoutlook.com/) offers Version 2.0 of Tablet Enhancements for Outlook, which enables direct handwriting entry into Microsoft Outlook. Tablet...

[Via Collaboration Loop]

Microsoft Merges Tablet PC Future into Wider Mobile Computing Vision

Op de website van Windows en .NET magazine kwam ik een artikel tegen over de Mobile Platforms Division van Microsoft. De tablet PC zal een integraal deel gaan uitmaken van de Mobile Computing visie van MIcrosoft.

"The Mobile Platforms Division [at Microsoft] was formerly the Tablet PC Division," said Darin Fish, the Business Development Manager for the Mobile Platforms Division. "We reorganized so we could have a greater focus on the mobile PC, not just the Tablet PC. What we found working on the Tablet PC is that much of the platform work we were doing was benefiting all mobile PCs. The challenge was getting [that technology] to all mobile PCs. We're still the same group, and we have one team focused on mobile PC fundamentals, and one that's very focused on pen and ink."

Bekijk het hele artikel op : WinHEC 2004: Microsoft Merges Tablet PC Future into Wider Mobile Computing Vision: "Microsoft Merges Tablet PC Future into Wider Mobile Computing Vision "