You Can Touch This, microsoft, playtable, project milan

Microsoft's Mystery Product Is... A Touch-Sensitive Table?

Update: a new tipster has come with corroborative information—see below
Nearly 100 comments, and only one guy came close. According to an assortment of unrelated sources, the best guess is that tonight at midnight, Microsoft will finally launching its PlayTable concept as a full-blown entertainment product. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley says PlayTable, aka Project Milan is a "multi-touch, gestural- and object-recognition interface technology" that Microsoft has demoed to a lot of people lately, but mainly as technology rather than a product in development. CrunchGear suggests that, based on a demo he saw, it might be a touch-friendly game console that competes with the Wii on intuitive user interface front.

We have another source that confirms the table-ness of the announcement, but says that it will be a kiosk-type of device, meant to provide gaming entertainment and a retail interface for Zune, but that, at a cost of $10,000 a pop, it won't be something that people actually buy for their homes.

Our source doesn't name the product, but says that rather than being a touchscreen LCD, it's a rear-projection table that uses an array of projectors, all aimed up at the screen, which has a resolution of 1024x768, and will be 23 to 25 inches in size. Two or more people can use it, and it would be situated in casinos or other places. (Partnerships already allegedly formed are with Harrah's Casinos and Sheraton hotels.)

Some alleged applications:
•Music - You put your music player on the table, and your credit card. Both are recognized, then you drag songs to the player. Zune is obvious first device, but potential other partner in the works. One demo used a nano. Could partner really be Apple? Let's not get carried away... yet.
•Virtual Concierge - A fairly self explanatory guide program, complete with mapping programs
•Food & Drink - Not just interactive menus, but glass (and presumably plate and maybe even silverware) recognition. Like Music program, it reads credit cards just by placing them on table.
•Photo - A simple photo editor reminiscent of iPhoto
•Puzzle - A game where you assemble actual pieces of glass on top of the table, each with a sliver of live video playing
•Water - A water screensaver that you can touch to make ripples
•Paint - Simple painting program that reads pressure sensitivity by judging the size of your fingerprint

The bottom line from our source is that it's very reminiscent of OSX, and also, like with Zune and Xbox, the Microsoft branding is lowkey. Its name, whatever that is, will be the center branding. It will likely not be in final form during the All Things D demonstrations.

Below I've embedded a video, brought to our attention by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, that demonstrates the sort of gestural recognition that will be found in the PlayTable (or whatever). Will I post confirmation at midnight? You bet! – Wilson Rothman

Okay, as we approach the bewitching hour, more information is coming to light. A more appropriate term for the technology is Microsoft Smart Surface, which replaced the nickname "PlayTable" a long time ago. (I still like PlayTable better.) The size and shape can vary, but the demo unit scheduled for use tomorrow looks like a coffee table. Our new tips corroborate our original information in that 1) object recognition will use RFID or other near-field technology for identification of objects (a Microsoft favorite going way back) and 2) the iPod is indeed part of the equation. Apparently Zune ain't enough to get music fans revved about PlayTable, er, Microsoft Smart Surface. – WR

Microsoft to take the wraps off 'PlayTable' [ZDNet]
Microsoft's Mystery Product: Game Table? Yah, Probably [CrunchGear]
Top Secret Microsoft Product To Launch At Midnight [Gizmodo]

And thanks tipsters!

8:46 PM on Tue May 29 2007
By Wilson Rothman
19,977 views
45 comments

Comments

TonyRockyHorror at 07:49 PM on 05/29/07
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HAH! I was right! i posted about this in the other thread about MSFT's big announcement.

score!
Karttikeya at 08:00 PM on 05/29/07
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*Sigh*

I was looking forward to buying something new.
dollarbill at 08:04 PM on 05/29/07
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And what if you have one hand?

No, im kidding, this looks awesome. Just think of what you can do with interactive porn!
dollarbill at 08:06 PM on 05/29/07
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And what if you have one hand?

No, im kidding. This looks GREAT!!! Just think of what you can do with interactive porn.
cannibalrock at 08:13 PM on 05/29/07
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so when are they going to actually come out with something geared towards an end user...possibly an end user with a 35k a year job...do i really need another reminder of how poor I am?

gadgets...my major downfall.
aR-Tard at 08:14 PM on 05/29/07
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So...hardly a mystery product..since most of the people reading this site won't be buying any $10,000 equipment in the near future...

I guess it's the usual bedtime tonight; thanks for the heads-up Wilson.
habookale at 08:15 PM on 05/29/07
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lame! i built one of these on my own. this is shit. microsoft has yet to impress me.
go check nuigroup.com
it's a group of people who builds these exact screens. it took me only a few hours to do build a 12"x12".

if microsoft wanted to do this right, it wouldn't be a projection screen. that's crap. low res, and cheap. 10 grand my ass. my screen cost less than 50 bucks. granted, all i could do was very basic stuff.

fuck you microsoft... pretty much every feature of the software they're including with this is available for free on nuigroup.com

god... i'm going to the university of illinois at urbana-champaign next year and studying computer engineering. apparently microsoft hires more kids out of there than any other institution in the world. says a lot about my fucking school.
corneeeeelius at 08:18 PM on 05/29/07
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Cornelius/Neil Coons
Sternfan91 at 08:28 PM on 05/29/07
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I see that Fry thing from Futurama from a Myspace.....speechless
NeoXY at 08:38 PM on 05/29/07
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10,000 a pop?

FTS...
kevin100SuperStephenson at 08:38 PM on 05/29/07
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interesting!? i wonder when Apple will come along & spoil Micosofts party?
Roflgoat at 08:44 PM on 05/29/07
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You know that the tip-off is a bunch of hooey, right?

Why would MSFT unveil something that is Apple-esque in front of Jobsy?
CptPoland at 08:59 PM on 05/29/07
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yup tony had it right
crackalacker at 09:01 PM on 05/29/07
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Ok... so I swear you guys posted this about 9 months ago, it had 2 projectors and a digital camera, you could hold a picture to it and then edit it, all auto like. In one of the comments someone put a link to the one at TED. But I can't find it, I dunno what to say.
VisualVillain83 at 09:26 PM on 05/29/07
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@kevin100SuperStephenson - they probably took it from the dumpsters where Apples bad ideas went haha
jbhitter24 at 09:34 PM on 05/29/07
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might be $10000 right now, but i see alot of potential for this interface. everyone raves over the iphones 'multitouch', but i see this play table as a far more practical and also expandable way of using multitouch systems.
strider_mt2k at 10:00 PM on 05/29/07
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Connectedness Index: 717
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Perhaps if they made a large electronic Badger...
quikboy at 10:12 PM on 05/29/07
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@VisualVillain83:

Apple has bad ideas?
jbhitter24 at 10:25 PM on 05/29/07
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could've sworn i commented already, but...

although the playtable is pretty steep at $10000 right now, i cant way to see how its implemented into MS's products. iphone multitouch got nothing on this baby...
bdkennedy1 at 10:46 PM on 05/29/07
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A table. "Hey, honey! Let's go buy a Microsoft interactive table!"

Sometimes I can't believe Microsoft even came up with the XBox.
graydon at 11:06 PM on 05/29/07
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A very expensive table that the only people that can afford it are people like... Bill Gates and that sweaty ape Balmer.

I simply can't wait to see a blue screen that big... or hear the screams when the CC recognition screws up with some virus and *poof* all your funds are gone. And all in a casino of all places.

On a side note the announcement will make a $500 iPhone seem like chump change to almost everyone. Thanks again Microsoft!
adamgamble at 11:07 PM on 05/29/07
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I just want this to play real time strategies on. That would be so awesome.
RustyBones at 11:16 PM on 05/29/07
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Apparently someone forgot to tell me that Gizmodo is now just Apple fanboy circle jerk. I'll hand my nick and password in at the door.
yoshi at 11:19 PM on 05/29/07
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I guess Microsoft is the first company to release a "multi-touch, gestural- and object-recognition interface technology."

Break Through Technology!
Revolutionary!
Cool!

Start Your Copying Machines, Apple!
davere at 11:34 PM on 05/29/07
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A touch sensitive table? Like the Philips Entertaible?
http://www.research.philips.com/newscenter/pictures/entert...
RobotVampire at 11:40 PM on 05/29/07
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$10k for 1024x768?! For that kind of change the thing should be at least 720p. Thanks again Microtard!
xxdesmus at 11:49 PM on 05/29/07
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@RustyBones

So true. Just about any site on the web at this point has turned into a meet and greet, followed promptly by a circle jerk for Apple fanboys. They are by far the most obnoxious and outspoken (ala nut job Tom Cruise) group around the web these days. I think we need to have a good ol' fashion Crusade :P
lschofield at 11:51 PM on 05/29/07
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Only Microsoft would replace a very trade-markable and brandable name like "play table" and replace it with a emotionless, only-a-dork-would-love "smart surface".

More to the point, Microsoft hopes to capture the arcade hardware market now that its a fraction of what it once was. Or, Microsoft wants to dominate the embedded entertainment cabinet from what is now mostly cabinets with a Windows box running in them.

Or maybe just pulling out something in the lab that seems close to the Wii since Wii is killing everything for being new and exciting.
wetworker at 11:57 PM on 05/29/07
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vista home sp.1
vista business sp.1
vista ultimate sp.1
xp home sp.1
xp pro sp.1

..........zune 2.0
mrsalty at 11:58 PM on 05/29/07
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Here was our original crusade, only problem is one got away...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KNrxwl59I0
mrsalty at 12:05 AM on 05/30/07
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Ok, so it's like midnight already!!!
jason724 at 12:06 AM on 05/30/07
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tick... tock.... tick... tock
LoopTrack at 12:09 AM on 05/30/07
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http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070530/microsoft_coffee_table_of_t...
jason724 at 12:14 AM on 05/30/07
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boooo

thanks for the link though...
testuser at 12:14 AM on 05/30/07
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http://www.microsoft.com/surface/
rglenn at 12:17 AM on 05/30/07
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www.surface.com is the site
Justin D at 12:18 AM on 05/30/07
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This will fail miserably, just like LCDs in taxi cabs and consumer-oriented tablet PCs. =D
xxdesmus at 12:18 AM on 05/30/07
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it's out,

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2007/may07/05-...

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/may07/05-29M...

surface.com is password protected right now...how stupid.
mattnyc99 at 12:23 AM on 05/30/07
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Extensive VIDEO and commentary (including by Jeff Han) from Popular Mechanics, which was the first to see Surface: http://www.popularmechanics.com/surfacecomputing
habookale at 12:23 AM on 05/30/07
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www.nuigroup.com

there are instructions there to build your own version of this thing. they've been there for a loong time, and there's some software for it. i even built one, and it only took me 5 hours or so. i'm not impressed, microsoft...
bunny_rabid at 12:27 AM on 05/30/07
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Thanks xxdesmus.

Surface.com is up now.
quikboy at 12:27 AM on 05/30/07
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Microsoft Surface? I like the thing itself, but not the name. I hope they'll change it.
bunny_rabid at 12:59 AM on 05/30/07
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Chief John Anderton from "Minority Report" called and said he wants his UI back.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find out whoever makes Purell and buy a bunch of their stock, because the future looks like I'll be putting my fingers on the same surface as your fingers, and I have no idea where your fingers have been. LOL
Cleverboy at 05:41 AM on 05/30/07
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This is a bit annoying. The demonstration LOOKS great. It LOOKS very cool. But so did the Longhorn preview. DeepFish also LOOKS nice as a technology for mobile browsing, yet a year after its surfaced, no ship date. Microsoft needs to STOP RELEASING VAPORWARE. When they mentioned a product, either say it ships "tomorrow", or... god forbid... in 6 months. This whole "imagine the future" BS has got to go, because its already given them a blackeye. Just look at the oFone fake commercial. Looks like it could even ship, and yet its a joke product. Apparently these forward-looking videos and presentations are very easy for Microsoft to turn out.
Will_USA at 12:51 PM on 05/30/07
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Are you guys not capable of seeing where this is going? Think 5 years down the road when this technology has progressed, gotten smaller, cheaper and has made its way to the tablet PC. Version 1 of anything is always overpriced and expensive. Need examples from history? How about the Beta-Max VCR? The first DVD players? The 286 IBM machines that ran close to $6,000? Scoff all you want, but I'm intelligent enough to see great potential in this product, unlike many of you.