First demoed at CES in 2008, Microsoft's Surface started as an idea for making it easier to interact with information, pictures, video, and other content. Imagine a touchscreen interface developed for a large display and you're just getting started. What makes Surface different from your typical touchscreens is that it integrates a full screen image scanning technology so that the device can "see" whatever you place on it. The result has the potential to radically alter the way people interact with technology, and Microsoft and Samsung have put together a couple of videos that show some of what is possible.
At the core of the technology is the object recognition capabilities, and Samsung is using a new type of touch screen technology that called Sensors in Pixel (SIP). The display basically has an infrared camera behind the LCD that allows it to "see" when objects are placed on the screen. Microsoft's Surface software keeps track of all of the objects on the screen and then passes this information along to the actual Surface applications, so ultimately it's up to the software to determine what to do with the screen interactions. That's obviously the biggest hurdle to clear, as we've seen with other new interactive technologies (e.g. Nintendo Wii, Sony Move, and Xbox Kinect all have varying levels of success depending on the particular app you're using).
It's one thing to demonstrate a closed, limited functionality concept and another entirely to deliver on the product, but Microsoft's Surface is now very close to shipping with the Samsung SUR40. This is definitely not a product for the casual home user, as the entry price is north of $8000, but if it can gain traction in the enterprise sector and developers get behind the platform, long-term Surface's Natural User Interface (NUI) could replace the GUI as we currently know it and pave the way for sci-fi scenes from Minority Report and the like turning into real-world products.
While we can't really say much about how the product will end up being used, we can at least shed some light on the hardware specifications. The SUR40 will be available as either a standalone display or with a tabletop unit with stand (the latter being pictured above). Most of the new technology comes from the display, and the rest is pretty much PC hardware selected for use with the display. Here are the detailed specs.
Samsung SUR40 Specifications OverviewDisplay40” FullHD 1080p (1920x1080)Multi-Touch with >50 point of contact
1:1000 Contrast Ratio
300 cd/m2 Max Brightness
Gorilla GlassCPUAMD Athlon X2 245e (dual-core, 2.9GHz, 2MB L2, 45nm, 45W)GPUAMD Radeon HD 6750 1GB GDDR5RAM4GB DDR3HDD320GB / 7200RPMA/V ConnectivityHDMI In
HDMI Out
Stereo RCA
SPDIF
(2) 3.5mm audio jacksCommunicationsGigabit Ethernet
802.11n
BluetoothI/O Ports4 USB, SD Card ReaderOperating SystemEmbedded Windows 7 Professional 64-bitOperating Temp.Max ambient 30CSystem Management ToolsDMFT DASH SupportWeight – with stand legs70.0 kg / 154 lbs.Weight – standalone39.5 kg / 87 lbs.Pricing$8400 MSRP for display only (Preorder)
$9049 MSRP for display with stand (Preorder)
The CPU and GPU hardware is obviously getting outdated compared to modern desktops, but the hardware has been in development for several years and the software is obviously going to be the bigger factor in whether Surface can succeed. With a customized Windows 7 Embedded OS and the right optimizations, the X2 245e combined with the HD 6750 GPU should be plenty fast--after all, we're looking at roughly 5-10 times more CPU performance compared to current dual-core ARM A9 solutions (based on a quick Sunspider run and a look at MIPS), and rougly two orders of magnitude faster GPU performance. Most of the cost is obviously in the R&D elements, plus the new display technology.
If you're looking for new ways to make your business stand out, or if you just have a ton of money and want to hang a bunch of multi-touch displays around your home, the Samsung SUR40 is expected to ship to customers in January 2012. I suspect we'll also see some interesting demonstrations at the next CES.
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