User Instructions:

I recently had the privilege of being able to use one the Surface tables in an AT&T store in Washington, DC. The applications were specific to AT&T but I was able to set a cell phone on

he surface and watch as the data appeared on the screen. I could pull opposite corners of a picture to enlarge it. I brought up the service area map and then was able to go to South Carolina and magnify it all the way down until I could see my street. I was able to manipulate the data that was extracted all with the touch of my fingertips. I was able to do this while another customer was standing on the other side processing their own research of the AT&T phones.
With the scenario I would like to see evolve, the instructions would be pretty simple. There would be a central Surface in each classroom operated by the teacher. Each student’s desk top would be replaced by a multi-touch surface which would be linked to the teacher’s Surface. Each student would have a username and password and their data or work would be stored on a central server so that they could access it from any Surface in the school. Once they log in at their desk, they would continue as if it were a regular computer and follow along as the teacher goes through the daily lessons.
Additional Information: Microsoft Surface: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/index.html

Implementation Factors:

Microsoft Surface is a table-like structure with a 30-inch display screen centered on the top or “surface” of the table. The software runs on Windows Vista and has many type of connection capabilities depending on your needs, such as a regular network card (wired Ethernet 10/100), wireless network card (wireless 802.11 b/g), and Bluetooth card connectivity (used for headphone, printer, etc. connections). As far as technology support, each school would need to have a full time network administrator on site along with team of additional IT support. The increase in number of users would need to be addressed prior to implementing these into all classrooms. The ideal situation would be to have “dumb terminals”, i.e. each desk would be a Surface minus the CPU. The information would not be stored locally. The teacher would have the main Surface and the students’ smaller Surfaces would link to the teacher’s. The student’s information and data would be stored on the school’s central server so that as they move from class to class they can still access their information. For additional software capabilities the school would need to purchase a server license so that any computer connected to that server would have access to the software.

Relative NETS Standards:

The following standard is addressed with the use of multi-touch technology: Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a.    Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b.    Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
c.    Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
d.    Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems. The design of the multi-touch technologies promotes group work and team building activities. It allows four students to sit at it comfortably with one on each side and enables the students to work collaboratively on a project or they can work individually each on a different piece of the project while using the same Surface.

Education Implications:

•    Today’s computers allow you to have multiple applications in multiple windows but they probably only have one keyboard and mouse which means only one person can operate at a time. These Surfaces engage the senses, improve collaboration, and empower the students by having everything available to them at their finger tips.
•    Interactive Classrooms: The multi-touch surface computers will encourage the students to interact with content and each other promoting group work and team building skills.
•    Students would have custom built hardware where they can create their assignments and teachers may be able to see it instantly and help the students.
•    Students sitting around the table may open a file, push it across, drag it, modify it, let another student add or delete information and then save the document. •    In a photography class, the students could share their images instantly.
•    In an art class, one student could be painting with a paint brush while another is drawing with her finger. Both the paint brush and the finger would be recognized.
•    In Business classes, specifically accounting, having access to a computer right at your finger tips will help the students learn faster and comprehend on a higher level I believe. It’s a lot easier to follow along on an Excel spreadsheet when you can highlight the cell and see for yourself what the formula is or where that amount came from. Allowing students the ability to actively participate while teaching them about constructing a balance sheet will make it easier for the students to not only comprehend the material but also retain the material in my opinion.
•    In a geography class each student could find a specific location and the maps could be displayed instantly.
•    Teachers would not have to worry about finding space in a computer lab in order for the students to create projects or conduct research.
•    Students could share podcasts or other information related to a certain project that they have saved to their flash drive just by laying the device on the surface.

Technical Aspects/Features:

These all have the same basic framework using cameras to sense objects, hand gestures, and touch. The user input is then processed and displayed on the surface using rear projection. The following is a diagram of the Microsoft Surface (Figure B) and an explanation of the parts.
1) Screen: The Surface has an acrylic tabletop which a diffuser makes capable of processing multiple inputs from multiple users. Objects can also be recognized by their shapes or reading coded tags.
2) Infrared: Infrared light is projected onto the underside of the diffuser. Objects or fingers are visible through the diffuser by series of infrared-sensitive cameras which are positioned underneath the surface of the tabletop.
3) CPU – This is similar to a regular desktop. The underlying operating system is a modified version of Microsoft Vista.
4)    Projector – The Surface uses the same DLP light engine in many rear-projection tvs.

Application:

The following is an example of a possible application using Microsoft Surface:
1)    On the left you have your device which has stored your information. 2)    On the right you have your friend’s
device which has stored his/her
information. 3)    In the center it’s showing how you
can pull the information needed from each device and compile it to complete the final project.

Microsoft Surface

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/index.html
Defined:
Microsoft Surface is an interactive table top that can do everything a network computer can do plus more without using a keyboard or a mouse. There are four key features: direct interaction, multi-touch ability, multi-user ability, and object recognition. Direct interaction allows you to touch or grab digital information with your hands and use natural gestures to open, grasp, and command virtual objects, pages and images. The multi-touch feature enables the Surface to recognize many points of contact simultaneously so you can enlarge an image by touching the opposite corners and dragging them outwards. Along with the multi-touch feature, the shape and design of the Surface allows for multi-users at once, therefore, the user sitting across from you can be doing something completely different or independent of you. The last key feature, object recognition, enables the system to identify physical objects just by setting them on the Surface and to respond by displaying the appropriate software related to that item. Currently, Microsoft Surface is being marketed and sold directly to large scale leisure, entertainment and retail companies, such as AT&T in various cities, Rio in Las Vegas, and Sheraton Hotels in various cities. The image below of a part of the order form shows the pricing information (Figure A).
Other multi-touch technologies exist such as Jeff Han’s multi-touch wall which has demonstrated similar abilities as the Surface but is larger in size and costs around $100,000 and the SMART multi-touch tables, which have been referred to as “Surface Jr,” coming available next year for somewhere between $7,000 and $8,000. Even though the SMART multi-touch tables are very similar to the Microsoft Surface, two differences are that they are not quite as responsive and have a kid-proof plastic screen.

What are multi-touch surfaces?

Multi-touch surfaces allow for a device to recognize two or more simultaneous touches by more than one user. Some have the ability to recognize objects by distinguishing between the differences in pressure and temperature of what is placed on the surface. Depending on the size and applications installed in the surface, two or more people can be doing different or independent applications on the device. Multi-touch computing is the direct manipulation of virtual objects, pages, and images allowing you to swipe, pinch, grab, rotate, type, and command them eliminating the need for a keyboard and a mouse. Everything can be done with our finger tips.

Learn about Microsoft Surface technical resources

Microsoft Surface is a new product and a new platform, and there are multiple resources that describe the various aspects of Surface. If you are new to Surface, start by visiting the following: What is Microsoft Surface? Getting Started in the Surface section of the TechNet Library Microsoft Surface Support is available on MSDN and TechNet  Microsoft Surface Design and Development Training For Developers If you want to start developing, the following resources can help you set up your development environment and develop your first, basic Surface application. Surface SDK This package includes the Microsoft Surface SDK 1.0 SP1 Workstation Edition installation file and documentation. The Surface SDK includes the APIs, documentation, and tools to help you develop Surface touch-enabled applications on your workstation. Before you download the Surface SDK, make sure you read the Setting Up a Development Environment article to learn about the hardware and software requirements for developing Surface applications on a workstation. Surface SDK Documentation in the MSDN Library This documentation provides the latest information about how you can develop and design applications for the Surface software platform, including control-specific design guidelines, quick starts for creating WPF and XNA applications, How Do I...? examples that explain common Surface programming tasks, and sample applications that demonstrate multiple Surface programming techniques in a complete application. Related Technologies and Resources This page describes tools and technologies that you might want to learn more about as you develop Surface applications, including Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), XNA, and Expression Blend. Microsoft Surface Toolkit for Windows Touch Beta  (NEW)This beta package includes the advanced Microsoft Surface controls, templates, and samples to easily create applications that are optimized for multi-touch interaction and that run on Windows Touch PCs. With the .NET Framework 4.0, Windows Presentation Framework 4.0 (WPF), and this toolkit, Windows Touch developers can quickly and consistently create advanced multi-touch applications for Windows Touch PCs.  This toolkit also provides a jump-start for Surface application developers to prepare for the next version of Microsoft Surface. For Designers Microsoft Surface presents some unique design challenges. To help you understand and solve these challenges, read the Microsoft Surface User Experience Guidelines. These guidelines are intended for designers, program managers, and developers of Surface applications to inform you about requirements and recommendations for designing great Surface applications. Microsoft Surface User Experience Guidelines   For IT Professionals If you are managing one or more Surface units in a venue, you will need to understand the core administration tasks that you can perform with a Surface unit, including planning, configuring and deploying, monitoring, and troubleshooting. To learn about how to perform these tasks, see the following resource: Microsoft Surface section of the TechNet Library This section also includes tools to help you administer Surface units and answers some frequently asked questions about the Surface hardware and software.

Hands-on First Look

Understanding Microsoft Surface

Understanding Microsoft Surface

Surface Terminology

2.Social

1. Surface experiences are inherently multi-person and therefore more social by nature
2. in standard GUIs, Social barriers occurs because of the input and output methods
3. Surface accepts multi- person input,so multiple users can gather around one Microsoft Surface Unit

1.Seamless

1. Require users to be Mentally and emotionally immersed so they fearlessly commit to new experiences 
2. The suspension of disbelief refers to a person's willingness to accept as something as true
3.Achieve suspension of disbelief by making objects behave the same way as object in the real world

These are about the Main Points of Seamless

UX Guidelines and principals

NUI:-  UX Guidelines and principals

1. Seamless
2. Social
3. Spatial
4. Super Realism
5. Contextual Environments
6. Scaffolding
7. Performance Aesthetics
8. Direct Manipulation

How does Microsoft Surface work?

Microsoft Surface uses cameras and image recognition in the infrared spectrum to recognize different types of objects such as fingers, tagged items and shapes. This input is then processed by the computer and the resulting interaction is displayed using rear projection. The user can manipulate content and interact with the computer using natural touch and hand gestures, instead of a typical mouse and keyboard.

What are the key capabilities of Microsoft Surface?

Microsoft Surface has four key capabilities that make it such a unique experience:

* Direct interaction. Users can grab digital information with their hands and interact with content on-screen by touch and gesture – without using a mouse or keyboard.

* Multi-user experience. The large, horizontal, 30 inch display makes it easy for several people to gather and interact together with Microsoft Surface - providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.

* Multi-touch. Microsoft Surface responds to many points of contact simultaneously - not just from one finger, as with a typical touch screen, but from dozens of contact points at once.

* Object recognition. Users can place physical objects on the screen to trigger different types of digital responses – providing for a multitude of applications and the transfer of digital content to mobile devices.

What is Microsoft Surface?

Microsoft Surface is a revolutionary multi-touch computer that responds to natural hand gestures and real-world objects, helping people interact with digital content in a simple and intuitive way. With a large, horizontal user interface, Surface offers a unique gathering place where multiple users can collaboratively and simultaneously interact with data and each other.

For Users: Microsoft Surface represents a fundamental change in the way we interact with digital content. Leave the mouse and keyboard behind. Surface lets you grab digital content with your hands and move information with simple gestures and touches. Surface also sees and interacts with objects placed on the screen, allowing you to move information between devices like mobile phones or cameras. The result is a fun, social and exciting computing experience like you’ve never had before.

For Businesses: Microsoft Surface provides tremendous potential for businesses to improve communication, and be more efficient in how they deliver information and services to their customers. The intuitive and approachable interface is easy to learn and the familiar software platform makes it easy to manage, too. The multi-touch and multi-user capabilities create an incredibly collaborative experience, where sharing and exploring information is easier than ever.

Learn about Microsoft Surface technical resources

Microsoft Surface is a new product and a new platform, and there are multiple resources that describe the various aspects of Surface. If you are new to Surface, start by visiting the following:

* What is Microsoft Surface?

* Getting Started in the Surface section of the TechNet Library

* Microsoft Surface Support is available on MSDN and TechNet

* Microsoft Surface Design and Development Training

For Developers

If you want to start developing, the following resources can help you set up your development environment and develop your first, basic Surface application.

* Surface SDK

This package includes the Microsoft Surface SDK 1.0 SP1 Workstation Edition installation file and documentation. The Surface SDK includes the APIs, documentation, and tools to help you develop Surface touch-enabled applications on your workstation. Before you download the Surface SDK, make sure you read the Setting Up a Development Environment article to learn about the hardware and software requirements for developing Surface applications on a workstation.

* Surface SDK Documentation in the MSDN Library

This documentation provides the latest information about how you can develop and design applications for the Surface software platform, including control-specific design guidelines, quick starts for creating WPF and XNA applications, How Do I...? examples that explain common Surface programming tasks, and sample applications that demonstrate multiple Surface programming techniques in a complete application.

* Related Technologies and Resources

This page describes tools and technologies that you might want to learn more about as you develop Surface applications, including Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), XNA, and Expression Blend.

* Microsoft Surface Toolkit for Windows Touch Beta (NEW)

This beta package includes the advanced Microsoft Surface controls, templates, and samples to easily create applications that are optimized for multi-touch interaction and that run on Windows Touch PCs. With the .NET Framework 4.0, Windows Presentation Framework 4.0 (WPF), and this toolkit, Windows Touch developers can quickly and consistently create advanced multi-touch applications for Windows Touch PCs. This toolkit also provides a jump-start for Surface application developers to prepare for the next version of Microsoft Surface.

For Designers

Microsoft Surface presents some unique design challenges. To help you understand and solve these challenges, read the Microsoft Surface User Experience Guidelines. These guidelines are intended for designers, program managers, and developers of Surface applications to inform you about requirements and recommendations for designing great Surface applications.

* Microsoft Surface User Experience Guidelines

For IT Professionals

If you are managing one or more Surface units in a venue, you will need to understand the core administration tasks that you can perform with a Surface unit, including planning, configuring and deploying, monitoring, and troubleshooting. To learn about how to perform these tasks, see the following resource:

* Microsoft Surface section of the TechNet Library

This section also includes tools to help you administer Surface units and answers some frequently asked questions about the Surface hardware and software.

Hands on Microsoft Surface @ CES 2010