Computers get big again; table-sized in fact
 

... which turns out to be a very cool thing: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busine...tdevice30.html :cool:

This isn't a new idea. In fact, back in school my Professor who taught a couple of courses of CPEG (Computer Engineering) was one of the co-founders of Fingerworks. For those than haven't heard, Fingerworks was bought up by Apple for their touch-based technology which has found a home in the upcoming iPhone.

Seven years ago, he had already envisioned a table-surface with the interface projected onto it. The surface could be context-sensitive adapting to where a person rested their hands upon it, or even with different objects placed upon it.

I've already seen demonstration videos of such a device, allowing for audio data to be maniupulated by placing filter 'cubes' on a surface and using their spatial orientation combined with movements of the fingers to link these filters together and adjust their properties.

http://www.uio.no/studier/emner/matn...eport_wpeE.jpg

This is what came to my mind after originally reading the article.

Someone probably had this idea before microcomputers were even invented. If anyone can implement this on a wide-spread basis though, it's MS.

More like:

When I first heard about this I was thinking I saw this idea on the movie Tron :) cool idea...It is just way to expensive for me

I see the potential, but the example videos I've seen look like some idiot proofed software like you find in museum presentation computers, not to mention the precision of the human hand is questionable as a pointing device. Then again that's where a stylus pen would come in I guess as needed or maybe even brush stroke recognition in the far off future. Reality and fictions line between them is soon to get blurred even more methinks...

Well, the videos on there seem to be for a more commercial implementation of this rather than something to replace home PCs. Idiot-proof software is needed, especially in retail.