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Is Jeff Han’s multi-touch in cahoots with Microsoft Surface?

Published
by
Josh
on June 4, 2007
in Tech to watch
.

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Microsoft surface better than Jeff Han

perceptive pixel better than Microsoft surface

Standing up at a wall or sitting at a fancy table to read your email? Working with one hand or two? Which would you prefer? Either way, within the next year or two, you may be performing your daily computing tasks in a much more interactive way instead of calmly hunched over your desktop. Two technologies have been in the works… two technologies that look so exactly alike you can’t help but wonder what is going on here. Jeff Han of Perceptive Pixel has his multi-touch and now Microsoft has debuted their Microsoft Surface. Exactly the same, except, Jeff’s is on the wall and Microsoft’s is on a table.

What’s the difference?
Besides those two obvious points, the only thing that seems to differ right now is that Jeff is focused on military and corporate uses, while Microsoft is focused on personal use. Matt Lombard makes a good point on his blog that Jeff’s name is not mentioned anywhere in the Microsoft Surface history. The Surface history claims to date back to 2001, while Jeff Han’s debuted at TED in Feb. 2006. Popular Mechanics breaks the whole thing down pretty well, but there’s nothing so far that hints at the relationship between the two technologies, if they are the same or will be merged together. Nevertheless, even if there may be stiff and contentious competition or some weird technological drama going on, this will no doubt change… things.

Where does SolidWorks and 3D fit in?
I can imagine, oh man, can I imagine, being able to sort, locate and organize information faster, see the relationships of interdependent parts spread out on the screen before me, modifying history dependent relationships without having to get into a static tree, everything happening within parts and assemblies completely visible, virtual options of configurations, circular menus, instant transfer and sharing of models, weights, fit, timelines… I could go on. All I have to say is SolidWorks, sign me up.

More Info?
I’m gonna keep looking for how this develops. In the mean time, keep your eyes open, you may be ordering your pizza from the table you eat it on. Here is Popular Mechanics first look at the surface product.

the microsoft surface interface

via Tech Crunch

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Viewing 5 Comments

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    Jeff Han's device has been shown nearly horizontal, in the Ted video, in addition to vertical. I think in the end, working at a flat table is too constrained. MS did that for specific kiosk applications, not for personal use.

    Personally, I would see this as a nice add-in to a Lazy Boy, where the display swings in like a wing desk. You're going to need a way to support your elbows, and I think the best combination will be to have it tilted at a nearly horizontal angle, say 10-30 degrees with some arm rests.

    An obvious next step is to use it as a portable wireless interface which can connect with any available processor, like if you just detached the display from a laptop and carried that around. If you ever read the Ender's Game series, this is pretty much how computers worked in those books.
    • ^
    • v
    A table does seemed constrained, but maybe the fluidity of the functionality will overcome that. and it makes sense in how they show it being used with other devices.

    Having one slanted like the Han's at TED seems the best compromise, or maybe just having it adjustbale between upright and flat, so you can use it as a TV or as table.

    awesome.
    • ^
    • v
    In order to work at one for hours, it would need to be in the position of most people's keyboards, extended back over your lap, and at about a 30 deg angle with some way to support your forearms or elbows.

    Anyway, it has been a long time coming. We've got to get on it if the Star Trek Next Generation prophecies are to come true. (Microsoft ultimately stole the idea from Gene Roddenberry).
    • ^
    • v
    hopefully with some advances in other technology we won't have to work at stuff for hours. wouldn't that be nice :) maybe getting to the point where we're just sitting there thinking or twitching and it's happening, twitch-touch, but that would be kinda lame...no interaction, and no one could tell if your having a siezure.
    • ^
    • v
    Hi Josh,
    Well as far as that screen size goes I like it. Not having the same good eyesight that I had in the last millenium, bigger is better for me. No beer holder and I can see many things placed on that table top that would reduce the viewable screen size back down to what I am using right now. It does double as a nice table however. I think I still would like my screen in a vertical alignment with my normal working plane. It would be a hard sell for something other than a novelty. I like the way it did things really easy like. Big advantage there. Was SolidWorks used to help design this device???

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