![microsoft-surface[1].jpg](http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/rich-tehrani/uploads/microsoft-surface[1]-thumb-384x222.jpg)
Microsoft has this new computing initiative (Tom Keating's take with sound) which focuses on surface technology with hand-based gestures. Announced a few months back it is now in production and available at select Sheraton hotels (Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Seattle).Microsoft says there are vertical applications for this technology such as retail, healthcare, automotive and I am sure they are right. My question is will people use these things in a hotel?
Somehow I doubt they will because I have seen so many technologies in the US which are in public locations not make it. Remember internet kiosks? Public fax machines? phone booths? It seems that if you want to get someone to use a technology in public it needs to provide power or connect to their iPhones/iPods.
Since I am sure we won't be seeing either of these things integrated into surface computing machines from Redmond, it will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out and whether I am wrong on this matter. Hope so.
Technorati
Del.icio.us
Slashdot
Digg
twitter
I think that a venue like Sheraton - or many other major hotels - would be a great place to see this working.
The applications that they mentioned, which sound almost like a virtual / multi-media concierge, is perfect for this - allowing the user to browse through the surrounding area and discover things to go, places to see, etc.
Good test bed M$.
r.