Take a look at a a Usability Geek blog that is a repository of guidelines from an assortment of well-known corporations. I'm bookmarking the page for reference!
Here is the press release: Next Generation of Microsoft Surface Available for Pre-Order in 23 Countries "Software developers interested in creating solutions for the Samsung SUR40 can get started immediately by visiting the Surface Developer Center. The site provides free and easy access to the Surface 2.0 software developer kit, featuring the Input Simulator, which enables developers to write Surface applications on any Windows 7 machine, as well as other helpful developer-related resources. There are already hundreds of highly skilled Surface software development partners that can be found at http://www.surface.com."
(I've listed Microsoft Surface partners at the end of this post and plan to share more about the latest applications for surface computing in the near future.)
The following product information was taken from the Samsung website:
40" Surface Experience "Samsung SUR40 is the new generation of Microsoft® Surface® experience featuring PixelSense™ technology, which gives LCD panels the power to see without the use of cameras. Building from the innovation of the first version of Microsoft® Surface® and Samsung’s leading display technology, it is now possible for people to share, collaborate and explore together using a large, thin display that recognizes fingers, hands and other objects placed on the screen."
PixelSense™ "PixelSense™ allows an LCD display to recognize fingers, hands, and objects placed on the screen, including more than 50 simultaneous touch points. With PixelSense™, pixels in the display see what’s touching the screen and that information is immediately processed and interpreted."
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Viewing Angle: (H/V) 178 / 178° (CR ≥ 10) CPU: Athlon X2 Dual-Core 245e (2.9GHz) Operating System: Windows 7 Professional x64
Product Dimensions (With Stand): 1,095 x 728 x 707.4 mm Product Dimensions (Without Stand): 1,095 x 102.5 x 707.4 mm Shipment Dimensions: 1,214 x 299 x 832 mm
Microsoft Surface 2.0 was unveiled at CES 2011 a few days ago, the result of a collaboration between Microsoft and Samsung. Surface 2.0 is a step up! The 40 inch 1080p high-definition LCD display no longer requires a projection/camera system, which clears the area below the screen of bulky hardware. The best part about Surface 2.0, in my opinion, is that it doesn't have to be used as a table. It can be configured in a variety of ways, even mounted on walls. For this reason, it will be useful in a variety of settings and situations.
Below is a quote about Surface 2.0 from Steve Ballmer's recent keynote address at CES 2011 that outlines the new technology that is embedded in the Surface 2.0 display:
"But what's really amazing about this technology, what really makes it magical, is the sensor itself. So, those first-generation Surface PCs needed cameras underneath that would look up to try to see what was going on. But what we have here is called PixelSense. PixelSense is new technology we've invented where there's infrared sensors all across this screen. Every single pixel is actually acting as a camera. The PC, the Surface here, can actually see." -Steve Ballmer: My Keynote Address at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show"(Huffington Post, 1/6/2011)
The good news is that developers have been busy at work to create applications for Surface 2.0. Below is a video demonstration of what the folks at InfoStrat have recently created to support collaborative information visualization activities:
Here's the information about the controls from the Infostratcville YouTube channel:
"This is a sneak preview of a suite of data visualization controls developed by InfoStrat for Microsoft Surface 2.0. The controls will be made available as open source software at no charge on CodePlex.com in the first half of 2011."
"This data visualization control suite provides multi-touch versions of the following controls: - DeepZoom multi-resolution image control that allows high performance display of very high-resolution imagery - PowerPoint Viewer which enables slide decks to be arranged and presented using multi-touch - PivotViewer chart control that allows dynamic sorting and categorization of data - PhysicsCanvas which provides an infinite, dynamic canvas for viewing and organizing content"
InfoStrat Releases Next-Generation Data Visualization Controls for Microsoft Surface 2.0
Washington DC – January 6, 2010 – InfoStrat today announced plans to support Microsoft Surface 2.0 by releasing a control suite that accelerates the development of next-generation multi-touch data visualizations. The controls will be made available as open source software at no charge on CodePlex.com in the first half of 2011.
This data visualization control suite provides multi-touch versions of the following controls:
§ Deep Zoom multi-resolution image control that allows high performance display of very high-resolution imagery
§ PowerPoint Viewer which enables slide decks to be arranged and presented using multi-touch
§ Pivot Viewer chart control that allows dynamic sorting and categorization of data
§ Physics Canvas which provides an infinite, dynamic canvas for viewing and organizing content
Other features of the controls:
§ Works on both Microsoft Surface and Microsoft Windows 7 with touch
§ A single application built with the data visualization framework can support multiple hardware form factors including: horizontal multi-touch tables, tablets, and large format vertical touch screens
§ Innovative object recognition to enable rapid data manipulations (only on Microsoft Surface)
InfoStrat is a member of Microsoft’s Technology Adoption Program (TAP) for Microsoft Surface. As a Microsoft Surface 2.0 TAP member, InfoStrat receives early access to hardware and software, allowing InfoStrat to gain expertise and influence the development of the product before it was released to the public.
In 2008, InfoStrat solved the problem of using Bing Maps 3D on Microsoft Surface in a way that performed well and was WPF-friendly. InfoStrat open-sourced the solution as a reusable control for the WPF and Surface community. Since then, the control has received over 120,000 page views and has over 8200 downloads, and has also been featured in many of our own applications. This control, known as InfoStrat.VE, has become one of the most popular controls for building mapping applications on Microsoft Surface: http://bingmapswpf.codeplex.com
“We are proud to be part of the Microsoft Surface development community,” according to Jim Townsend, president of InfoStrat, “and excited about the possibilities of Microsoft’s new version of Surface.”
Microsoft Surface provides a new way to experience and use information and digital content, engaging the senses, improving collaboration and empowering people to interact. Microsoft Surface is at the forefront of developing software and hardware that uses vision-based technology to fundamentally change the way people use computing devices. More information can be found at http://www.surface.com.
Information Strategies ("InfoStrat") is an award-winning Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a Microsoft Surface Strategic Partner and member of the Technology Adopter Program.
I think that Galaxy Tab would be great in educational and healthcare settings!
Do More on the Go with the GALAXY Tab™ According to the Samsung website, the 7-inch Galaxy tablet will be available through AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon. It has a a front facing camera and a rear facing camera, which can be edited within the system. It supports Adobe Flash Player 10.1, a variety of HD video content formats, and apps from the Android Market. It accepts a variety of input interactions, including SWYPE.
Here is some information from the website:
"With 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth® 3.0, the Samsung GALAXY Tab takes mobile communication to a whole new level. By combining Samsung innovation with the Android OS 2.2, the Tab is truly an always on communication and entertainment tool. Its large battery (4,000 mAh) provides more than 7 hours of movie viewing time and because it’s powered by a Cortex A8 1.0GHz application processor, it’s designed to deliver high performance."
The Microsoft Applied Sciences Group has been working on several projects that have the potential of changing how we interact with various displays and surfaces in the very near future. Here's some what I came across my RSS feeds and Google Alerts this morning:
According to an article in InAVate, "Microsoft has combined Samsung’s transparent OLED with a sub-two-inch camera to revolutionize the Microsoft Surface platform. The touchless telepresence screen creates a 3D gesture-control interface that tracks movement by seeing through the display. The company’s Applied Sciences Group has also added its recently revealed wedge shaped lens, that InAVate reported on last month, to deliver glasses-free 3D content...the latest breakthrough could revolutionize the Surface concept, taking touch away from the display and projecting the images in 3D.-InAVate 7/5/2010
3D Gesture Interaction
"In this demonstration, we've placed the Microsoft Applied Science's wedge technology behind Samsung's transparent OLED display. This enables a camera to image through the display, see the user's hand above it, and alter the image based upon her gestures." -Microsoft Applied Sciences Group
3D Without the Glasses:A new type of display from Microsoft produces multiple images and tracks the viewers eyes - Kate Greene, MIT Technology Review (6/11/2010)
According to an article in MIT's Technology Review, "the new lens, which is thinner at the bottom than at the top, steers light to a viewer's eyes by switching light-emitting diodes along its bottom edge on and off. Combined with a backlight, this makes it possible to show different images to different viewers, or to create a stereoscopic (3-D) effect by presenting different images to a person's left and right eye. "What's so special about this lens is that it allows us to control where the light goes," says Steven Bathiche, director of Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group." -Kate Greene, Technology Review
Steerable Multi-view Display
"In this demonstration, we use head tracking to determine where multiple users are. Then, with the Microsoft Applied Sciences' wedge technology, we steer completely independent images to each user. In the video, one user is seeing a sun while at the same time another is seeing a rocket. This is maintained even as the users change positions relative to each other." -Microsoft Applied Sciences Group
Transparent Display for Telepresence
"In this demonstration, we've placed the Microsoft Applied Science's wedge technology behind Samsung's transparent OLED display. This enables a camera to image directly through the display. In the video, objects held up to the screen are captured and shown to the user on the other side of the telepresence communication (the other monitor in the video), while far away from the screen, the display shows the user a view dependent image."-Microsoft Applied Sciences Group
Steerable 3D Auto Stereo Display
"In this demonstration, we use head tracking to determine where a user's eyes are. Then, with the Microsoft Applied Sciences' wedge technology, we steer different views of the scene to each eye to produce a 3D image without the need for glasses or for fixing the location of the user." -Microsoft Applied Sciences Group Mid-air Interactive Display
"In this demonstration, we illuminate objects above the display with infrared light. We capture the reflection using the Microsoft Applied Sciences' wedge technology. This enables us to see above the display while keeping the form factor small. Seeing above the display allows us to track the interaction between direct contacts on the display. In the video, the user associates a function (color choice) with one hand and a different function (zoom/rotation) with the other hand. This tool persistence is maintained regardless of the relative positions of the hands." -Microsoft Applied Sciences Group
"The Applied Sciences Group (ASG) is an applied research and development team dedicated to createing the next generation of computer interaction technologies. The interdisciplinary group focuses on the synergy between optics, electronics and software to create novel human computer interfaces. The ASG is part of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft Corp. and mainly supports projects for Microsoft Hardware, XBox, and Microsoft Surface. It also works closely with Microsoft Research."
I'm wrapping up an interesting post about stereoscopic 3D, including wisdom from the "3D Guy", my impressions of the 3D displays and 3D glasses I tried out during a recent trip to Best Buy, and information about NVIDIA's recent developments in the area of stereoscopic 3D gaming. The post will be on the Interactive Interactivity blog soon. (I'll share the post, along with additional "behind the scenes" info later this week, on this blog.)
This is a fast-moving topic!
If you are new to this blog, here are links to my previous posts about stereoscopic 3D:
