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June 2007
From Microsoft ‘Kitchen’ to talking paper
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We thought we had heard it all last week when Microsoft revealed its plans for “surface computing,” which essentially means an ordinary surface, such as a tabletop or a wall, can become a computer. Remember Tom Cruise scanning newspaper headlines on a very slick, interactive device in the movie “Minority Report”? A Microsoft official told PC World: “It will feel like ‘Minority Report.’ Very futuristic — but it will be here this year.”
Today, however, two new reports show the futuristic fun has just begun.
Longtime Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley reports on ZDNet the software giant plans to release a series of customized Windows platforms for rooms around the home, starting with the kitchen. The “Kitchen Client” software, Foley reports, will power such features as family calendars, recipe centers, entertainment items and a shared bulletin board.
Advances in technology are always interesting as they impact life in the digital age. They also affect the always competitive online world, fighting for audience — and revenue.
But, wait, there’s more. PC World also reports Swedish researchers are studying how to print loudspeakers and keyboards on paper. In short, talking paper, activated by touch.
While such technology could be wonderful for the blind, there could also be such pitfalls as an ad playing every time it’s accidentally touched on a piece of paper.
Researchers told PC World that the technology will never leave the lab unless they can find a cheaper way to produce it.
We’ll be watching, or should we say, listening.
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