Week 4 step 2

 Tabletop without any keyboard                            From a slimmer form factor to new administrator tools, Surface features some exciting changes: 
Slim device. The new hardware is 4 inches thin.
A richer visual experience. With the rich color saturation from a full HD display and a larger screen, Surface offers a compelling, immersive visual experience that draws people in.
A vision-based touch experience. With PixelSense™, Microsoft Surface sees and responds to touch and real world objects.
Touch-enabled from start to finish. With Windows 7 and Surface 2.0, there is no need for a keyboard and mouse for setup and configuration.
New Quick Controls. Venue staff can adjust basic settings like volume, brightness, and input source.
More customization options. An improved configuration utility means you can quickly make changes to background images, configure applications, and modify settings without getting into code.
Easier remote administration. Windows PowerShell scripts are easy to use and create, so Surface can be deployed in an enterprise setting.
Streamlined development for touch. The Microsoft Surface 2.0 platform makes development easier with applications for Windows 7 that run on Windows Touch devices and with enhanced capabilities on the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface.

By Evan Ackerman

Surface is one of the most intuitive interfaces I’ve ever experienced. It works just like you think it’s supposed to, you don’t even have to concentrate. We played with Paint, using our fingers and hands as brushes, which was (for lack of a better expression) way, way fun. Surface is not touch sensitive; underneath the tabletop are five cameras, a projector, and a Vista computer. The cameras watch for user interaction on the surface, and then control the projection on the underside of the table. Surface identifies objects by looking for a tag, which is a specific combination of white dots on a black background (it’s like a bar code). No RFID involved. As the Microsoft guy says in the demo, it’ll first show up in retail locations here in Las Vegas in the spring, but in 3-5 years you should be able to buy your own… Likely for something over the current $10,000 commercial partner price (but I hope I’m wrong about that). Either way, it’s money well spent, if you ask me.