Surface-ing

First they took the desktop world by storm, then they took on Java, then the iPod (albeit unsuccessfully) and the world of gaming (with better success). Now Microsoft, look set to change the way we ‘interface’ with computers. In the world of computers and software in particular, user interface design and methodologies are often overlooked as a means to an end. Of course the times have changed with the advent of the rich Web 2.0 and feature rich operating systems such as Windows Vista.

Mobile devices and tablet pcs took human computer interaction to a new frontier with interfaces more ‘natural’. The push for user friendly interfaces has become more prevalent in today’s world with design principles such as natural mapping coming to the fore. The importance on look and feel of an application is almost as significant as if it actually works. Often devices fail not because of their inability to function but because they are not user friendly or intuitive.
Of course there are exceptions, such as the Blackberry. Why such an expensive, functional device has a keyboard so small still amazes me? After much contemplation I have come to only one conclusion – outsourcing. It must be cheaper to build a blackberry in the land of Lilliput! But I digress…

Where is all this going? Microsoft of course! Microsoft has taken human computer interfaces to a new degree. The Surface. Yep – that’s what they called it. It’s describes as a coffee table computer that interacts with whatever is placed on the surface. So you can write on it, use a touch screen. There is even a suggestion that placing a cellphone on it will automatically download ringtones to your mobile device.



Some might say it’s just a glorified tablet. That it may be, but if truly integrates with it’s surroundings, it presents a significant advance in device-to-device communication. Of course, being a table, it enables multiple users to interact with the system at the same time. A whole new meaning to the word – lunch/coffee meeting. The concept is that you can sit around this ‘coffee table’ and hold meetings, conferences in a significantly different way.

As impressed as I was with this coffee table of tommorow, one question still irked my mind: Where do I actually keep my coffee? According to some comments, barcode technology will be used meaning that the Surface will not interact with any device it hasn’t been programmed to recognize. So rather than refilling my coffee cup when I place it on the Surface, I’ll simply get an unsightly stain.

Maybe the next plugin to the Microsoft Surface should be the Surface Cleaner!