"I was prepared to write that the Windows 8 interface was forcing unnecessary touchscreen controls on people who wouldn't appreciate them, particularly if they were simply grafted onto a traditional laptop. But the more I've used Windows 8, despite its faults, the more I've become convinced that touchscreens are the future - even vertical ones." I can see his point. I, too, have often felt the desire to touch regular and laptop displays, especially when doing things like photo and video.
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Member since:2005-07-22
Good points but you have missoed one essential factor.
In a drawing office you are essentially dealing with MATTE media. Thus reflections from the overhead lighting don't come into play.
As soon as you have a large flat touch tilted surface that AFAIK (and probably due to current technology) you will suffer from a myriad of reflections that will effectively stop you from doing much productive work.
Once the boffins come up with a resilient non reflective coating for BOTH surfaces of the glass then we be getting somewhere. Why both surfaces?
Optics 101. As light enters glass some of it act as if the glass is a prism (think the front cover of Dark Side of the Moon if you are old enough). This is due to the angles at which the wavelengths of light strike the surface. Then glass is a two way medium.
The screen makers can learn a think or two from the Camera Lens designers. They've been battling with this subject for decades.
We aren't there yet but I have no doubt that in time it will become an affordable reality.
Will I take it up? I doubt it as I'm less than 5 years away from retirement.
Member since:2007-03-22
It was called the surface. For a while there was a bit of text on microsoft.com/surface that indicated that the product you linked to had been renamed to "SUR40 with PixelSense" so that they could repurpose the Surface name. Having played with one at a local Microsoft building... It has a unique interface (I think this is the part they now refer to as PixelSense) that seemed incredibly limited. It was little more than a kiosk, and was pretty horrible to use.
I love the idea of a large low-angle touchscreen as a lightbox or architect's desk style thing. Now I want to know where to get a 30" touchscreen and a strong luxo-lamp style mount for it to move between desk and display modes.
Member since:2007-04-25
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Member since:
2006-01-14
The only way I see touch coming to the desktop is if the monitor becomes the surface of your desk. And it tilts up like a drafting table or photo editors table. If the monitor is vertical like they are now, it will fail. And you will still need a slide out level surface for the keyboard and mouse. Question is, who can afford a 30-40 inch touch screen to go with their desktop. Of course you could also do a row of flat panels as multi monitors.
Did anyone else know that Microsoft makes a table called the surface?
http://www.samsung.com/us/business/commercial-display-solutions/LH4...
Maybe surface is the name of the interface?