Many users can use the same surface at the same time, [...]]]>

With Microsoft Surface, we catch a
glimpse of the future of computing.  It is a
computer platform where the interface is a table top.
Cameras identify human movement and translate that
into an interaction with digital items just as if they
were physical objects.  There is no keyboard, or
mouse.

Many users can use the same surface
at the same time, so it is ideal for collaborative
ventures.

The price tag right now is around
$12,500 and
at the moment it is available only for commercial
locations like hotels and banks.

In the future, it will be able to
communicate with other electronic devices like cell
phones so that it would function as shown in the video
to the right.

A similar device will
eventually replace your coffee table, or even
integrated into household appliances.

What is Microsoft Surface?

The Microsoft Surface platform has been criticized for being an oversized iPhone, being nothing more that a gimmick because it really doesn’t offer any more functionality than an ordinary computer.  However, the real reason for investing in this project really is not so much its present rewards, but, (like investing in real estate itself)  the real reward comes in the future.  Coldwell Banker is the oldest real estate company in the world and we keep adding to our greatest asset.  With Coldwell Banker’s Microsoft Surface application, it forced us to look at information from new angles, imagining what consumers will demand in the future.  We have learned a lot about how best to convert a physical home into an easier to manipulate digital one, experimenting with what information the consumer expects to have in that representation.

This project is just one of our research ventures, there are other tools that we have pioneered and are in use right now to help our clients.  If you are buying or selling, ask me about some of the technologies I deploy on your behalf that our competition are not able to offer. When you are talking about the place you call home, you will want to have an edge over your competition.