14 DAY TRIAL // Although Windows 7 will be the product to bring natural user interfaces into mainstream computing, Microsoft had been offering NUI-based interaction to users years ahead, with the release of Microsoft Surface. Most recently, guests visiting the Hard Rock Café in Las Vegas will be able to experience first-hand NUI technology from the Redmond company, through a variety of screens in the location. Microsoft is behind the Rock Wall, a massive, 18-foot-wide, 4-foot-tall glass screen featuring images of items stored in the world’s largest music memorabilia collection belonging to Hard Rock International.
The Rock Wall itself is interactive, allowing visitors to browse through various content featuring John Lennon handwritten lyrics, Jimi Hendrix's Flying-V guitar, and Michael Jackson's sequined glove. "People make a beeline right for (the technology)," noted Greg Thomas, general manager at the Las Vegas Hard Rock, as he watches from the lobby. "You could sit here all day and play with this stuff."
But it doesn’t stop with the Rock Wall. The Vegas Hard Rock Café features a number of Microsoft Surface units as well, scattered across the location, enabling guests to use also touch music history, albeit at a smaller scale than the Rock Wall. In addition, all booths inside Hard Rock's main dining area have been equipped with 19-inch touch screens which are designed to act as jukeboxes, allowing users to vote on the content that makes it on the screens in the Café. A combination of products was used in order to allow new NUI experiences for Hard Rock Café visitors, including Microsoft’s Surface, Silverlight, SharePoint, and Windows technologies.
"We have over 71,000 pieces of memorabilia in our collection and are the curator of the world's largest music memorabilia collection," stated Joe Tenzcar, senior director of technology and CIO, Hard Rock International. "With Surface, we're able to bring the vast collection from Hard Rock locations around the world for our customers to see and explore in a whole new way, enhancing their time with us. You know, my jaw still drops when I walk into this place and see what we're able to do. I'm hoping our guests will have that same experience."