14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Surface 2.0 is a leap forward compared to its predecessor, and at the same time just a step in the Redmond company’s vision to allow computers to be embedded into virtually any surface, be it a table or a wall. 2011 brings with it the second generation of Microsoft Surface for which the software giant worked closely with Samsung.
The opening keynote address at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas unveiled Surface 2.0 to the world.
Designed to offer all the original features of the initial example of surface computing from Microsoft, the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface brings to the table so much more, especially the new PixelSense technology, which means that virtually every pixel of the LCD screen covered by gorilla glass can see.
“Microsoft continues to innovate in vision-based interaction and software designed for touch. With the introduction of the next generation of Surface, using PixelSense technology, we’ll bring more tables and walls to life with amazing natural experiences for people to enjoy together,” noted Panos Panay, general manager, Microsoft Surface.
“We partnered with Samsung because of its strengths in LCD technology, hardware design and manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of large-format displays.
“The companies have built an incredibly successful collaboration that moved from invention to development to manufacturing and sales of a high-quality, industrialized commercial product.”
Make sure to watch the two videos at the bottom of the screen in order to get an idea of what Microsoft Surface 2.0 brings to the table.
The first video is the Redmond company’s perspective over how Surface 2.0 will be leveraged in commercial venues.
The second is the actual Surface 2.0 demonstration from CES 2011, and is definitely worth a watch.
“Samsung collaborated with Microsoft to bring the Surface experience to a new, thin design with powerful vision-based capabilities in the LCD market.
“The Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface delivers an interactive experience not available anywhere else and will change the way companies engage with their customers,” said Jeong-Hwan Kim, senior vice president of Display Sales & Marketing team at Samsung Electronics.
Users will start to see the first Surface 2.0 products in venues of such companies as Dassault Aviation, Fujifilm, Red Bull, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
Of course, Microsoft and Samsung will sell the product to additional customers interesting in kicking up a notch the user experiences they are able to offer.
Contributing to this will be the reduced costs of this second gen Surface, starting at just $7,600, while its predecessor’s cost was in excess of $10,000.
Microsoft revealed that the Samsung SUR40 is planned for availability in no less than 23 markets in 2011, including: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“With Samsung’s cutting-edge interactive LCD technology and Microsoft’s innovation in vision-based systems, together we were able to define a new LCD architecture,” said HyungGuel Kim, senior vice president of Samsung Electronics LCD Business.
“This brand-new concept of LCD provides image-sensing technology along with massive multitouch capability and enhanced horizontal durability, which are specialized for the Microsoft Surface experience.”
