It’s a table, it’s a computer, it’s Microsoft Surface!
It’s a table…but so much more. It can grab your photos, share and download music, give you electronics specs, send e-mail, send picture messages, split a check, take your order, and more! Microsoft Surface…wow!
Here’s one video Microsoft released showing the possibilities that lay before us when it comes to the Surface:
Adults love it, bars love it, Vegas will love it! But what advantages does the Surface offer the youngsters of the world, besides the fact they’ll never have the opportunity to waitress? An article I found explains that SMART Technologies, a worldwide leader for interactive whiteboard products, has been using touch-sensitive technology to help children learn since 1991. Now that Microsoft has come out with the Surface, Smart Technologies has introduced the SMART Table. It looks almost identical to the Surface, works the exact same way, but is different in that it is specifically designed to help teach children in the classroom. The 27-inch screen “is loaded with games to help kids read, write, solve puzzles, match colors, and more. Teachers can even connect their computer to the table to customize preloaded applications or upload their own activities or games.”
But does SMART Technologies have the monopoly on childhood education and touch-surface technology? Microsoft Surface isn’t lacking:
Seems pretty amazing, doesn’t it?
But what about typing up a document? What about creating something in PowerPoint? When it comes down to it, Microsoft’s Surface is still a computer, but it’s not letting consumers use it for their basic computing needs. What do we do when our digital bar table crashes? Will our orders be lost? Right now it seems all about the thrill of innovation, but what about the logic behind it? Why spend upwards of $10,000 on a tabletop computer that does, well, a lot, but then still pay for our laptops to type documents on?
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