Microsoft introduces surface computer with a magic touch

ASHLEY COOK NEWS EDITOR AAC722@CABRINI EDU

BREAKING NEWS! The next generation of computer interfaces will be touch screen.

Don’t believe it?

Well, after being under topsecret development for five years, software giant, Microsoft, has once again outdid itself with this exciting new invention.

“I hope we can some day use these computers in the future on campus,” Stephanie Saveoz, junior graphic design major, said.

Touch screen computers, also known as surface computers, allow users to interact with digital media.

It can be used to write digitally, resize and interact with photos and videos and even “digitize” some real-life events, such as splitting up a restaurant bill and researching any topic that comes to mind.

Want to resize a photo?

Simply stretch two fingers apart. Pivot the fingers and the image rotates.

And more than one person can be interacting with the computer at a time.

Pretty cool huh?

The best part is the whole unit is controlled entirely through touch; there is no mouse or keyboard required.

Empowered by a fairly stan- dard high-end Vista PC, 3GHPentium 4 processor and 2GB of memory, the surface computer also is equipped with five infrared cameras and a scratchproof and spill-proof surface.

Microsoft’s new touch screen computers allow users to “digitize” events and may be used for businesses and restaurants as a form of interactive assistance.

The surface computer recognizes real-world objects onscreen and creates a version to interact with.

But lets not get too ahead of ourselves.

Priced between $5,000 to $10,000 a pop, these amazing little gadgets will most likely be used as an interactive assistance for businesses, restaurants and entertainment in public spaces.

“It’s very approachable,” Pete Thompson, the former T-Mobile executive who runs Microsoft’s surface-computing business, said in an interview with CnetNews. com. “You just want to touch it.”

Still not impressed? Just go to You Tube and watch the demonstration video to see for yourself.

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