Tech Trends: Bright New Ideas in Website, Gadget, and Electronic Trends

Microsoft Surface: Alien Tech in Human Conditions

by Adrienne Markovic

September 4, 2007

Microsoft has given birth to the latest and greatest in technological revolution, yet again putting them ahead of the pack. This one is straight out of Isaac Asimov's sci-fi dreams. But even thetechno-illiterate can appreciate this new user-friendly smorgasboard. The product made its official debut May 29th however the unofficial debut in the 2005 futurific feature film The Island. One of the lead character's Dr. Merrick had a Surface desk in which he used the drawing capability. This new system, meant to supplement versus replace the PC, has already inudated our pop culture. It does have the design and technology to warrant the hype and the potential of Surface has not even been fully realized yet.

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. For instance a celebrity knows they are famous, for better, worse or worser, if Saturday Night Live does an impersonation of them in one of their comical parodies. Well for us techies, the platform is You Tube. If you search for "Microsoft Surface" you can be guaranteed to run headlong into the video. The video is the actual trailer that Microsoft made for their product except with a cynical voiceover. Some of the more memorable ditties that author SarcasticGamer says is that now instead of having a PC you can now have a "big ass table" and instead of interacting with "actual human beings" at a restaurant you can now order your food from the table. He closes his run with "take that Apple!". Simply said, there are things that this machine cannot do as efficiently as a PC. Bigger does not always mean better and might does not always make right. But the case in support of this mammoth machina crushes the whinnies and moans of the critics.

This bad boy is in fact a black table base with a Windows Vista looking up at you from under an acrylic tabletop. Underneath the acrylic top are five cameras and a DLP projector which recognize the movement instead of the quasi-archaic touch screen in comparison. The screen can respond to 52 touches consecutively. Surface is powered by a Core 2 Duo chip and a video card and is outfitted with 2 GB RAM. It comes equipped with standard ethernet connection, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Rather ambitiously the Surface also has the ability to connect with Zunes and aWiFi camera. As seen in the advertisement, Surface instantly downloads pictures on to the screen and allows the user(s) to flip the pictures around and sort them. Another nifty feature is the object recognizion capabilitiy. A one byte data tag called a domino would be put on object x making it recognizable. For instance a mug of beer set on surface could have a graphic display around the glass itself as well as a slew of information and options about the beer itself. The data follows the mug no matter where it is on the table. And who needs a waitress who is subject to human error? Now the user can put in their own order, calculate the tip, split the bill ten different and pay right there at the table.

All these features can be yours, as a private consumer, in 3-5 years for the bargain basement price of $5,000.00 to $10,000.00 per unit. For now it is availible for commercial entities only. Harrah's and Starwood Casinos and T-Mobile have already bought into the dream and will feature the units at their locations. We have entered unfamiliar territory as a new league of technology walks right in our front door, invited or not. At least the kids can "fingerpaint" without staining the carpets now.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY

www.microsoft.com/surface

The latest in Internet, website, gadget and electronic trends.

We Welcome The iPhone

by Mika Ortega

July 11, 2007

Whether it be the start of a legacy, the beginning of a tradition, or the birth of a king, the first moments of any event are often the most exciting. Although the iPhone isn’t quite kingship material, Apple PR would sure make you think so. Unnoticed by none, covered by all and critiqued by few, the iPhone is the most exciting product on the market.

Not just a phone.

When we think of the standard phone, we think calls, text messages, voicemails, and Caller ID. A calendar and a calculator would be considered basic too. As expected, the iPhone goes far beyond these essentials.

Besides the fact that the home front of the iPhone has 16 applications including a link to YouTube, the standard features alone are worth discussing. Apple has created what they call Visual Voicemail, which allows you to visually choose whose voicemail you want to hear, skipping over other messages or deleting them with the touch of your finger. This feature also enables you to rewind a message so you can avoid waiting until the end of the message to be prompted with, ‘Would you like to replay this message?’

Another upgraded basic is the conference call feature. Arranging a conference call is easy with the iPhone. Simply call your first partner, have the third party call you and click the ‘Merge Calls’ link. Easy and quick, this sort of conference calling makes you want to 3-way call just because you can!

Not just a browser.

Phone browsers can’t compare to the iPhone’s web browser. In fact, a standard computer browser can’t really compare to the iPhone’s browser. The touch screen capabilities include a zoom feature like no other: the iPhone user can zoom into the text or image of the site by the pinching their fingers onto the screen. This intuitive technology resembles Windows Vista, which is the latest in touch screen technology not even released yet!

Speaking of zoom, this feature works with the phone’s personal images. Snap a picture, zoom and move all with your fingertips. To flip the image into landscape/portrait mode, just turn the iPhone and it will adjust to the movement.

Not just an mp3 player.

Apple’s online Guided Tour comments that the iPhone is “the best iPod we’ve ever created.” Different from the 3 other iPod models (shuffle, nano, video iPod), the iPhone can be scrolled through like a classic jukebox with what they call ‘Cover Flow.’ Rotate the iPhone into landscape mode and flip through the covers of your music to enjoy any song in your collection. This 3½ inch screen is also perfect for the iPhone video capabilities which include full movies (in fullscreen or widescreen mode), tv shows and music videos. Also notable is the stereo headset, which includes earphones, a microphone and a button to control pausing, changing tracks and answering calls. More than just an mp3 player, the iPhone is perfect for all of your multimedia needs.

Sometimes the size of our enthusiasm actually outshines the reality of the product, but in this case, the iPhone holds up pretty well. With just a few bugs to work out, the iPhone is an innovative and intuitive creation, combining the latest technology with user-friendly navigation. Available in AT&T stores nationwide, the iPhone is worth a visit.

Interesting iPhone links and article sources:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&fnu=1&from=R10&satitle=iphone....

http://appleiphone.blogspot.com/

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=iphone

http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/guidedtour_large.html