Alexandra Burlacu
When Microsoft gazes into the future, it sees huge interactive surfaces that will magnify and maximize today's great mobile variety.
According to Microsoft's visions, the future will see people walking up to a giant interactive screen with a Surface tablet, tap it and continue working on the big screen. Under the same concept, people could also project their Windows Phone screen onto a larger surface.
The software giant just cut the rope on a new Envisioning Center where it envisions how technologies will shape people's lives. It's all part of Microsoft's longstanding "Home of the Future" vision, and the company released an exciting concept video to mark the occasion.
The concept video is called "Microsoft's Future Vision: Live, Work, Play," and it describes how people will live in five to ten years, enjoying future interaction between devices of all sizes and touch surfaces.
This concept video stems from Microsoft's new Envisioning Center, and describes a touch and voice controlled household where people can swipe, flick and shift media all over the home. The kitchen could be able to identify the user's groceries, and every footstool could sport its own Surface.
"As part of today's opening, we put together a short video that gives a sense of what's inside - and while none of these ideas are meant to be predictive about our products, they do highlight some of the key trends we're investing in, such as machine learning and NUI," Microsoft's Steve Clayton explains in a March 1 blog post touting the new Envisioning Center. "They also give you a sense of where these technologies could lead us over the next five to ten years."
While concept videos are often too futuristic to see them as reality anytime soon, Microsoft's vision doesn't seem too far off. Creating giant touch display walls and projected interfaces is not impossible with today's technology, while current gadgetry could also enable media streaming and object recognition. Price, however, would be a completely different thing. The technology of the future may not be impossible to create, but for many it would be impossible to afford. It also remains to be seen whether the five-to-ten-years timescale is realistic or not.
most read
related stories
more stories from What's Hot
Rockstar Games has acknowledged the most common GTA Online launch issues and detailed the bug fix status for each problem it's currently working on.
ernest hamiltonTarget has announced its new prepaid mobile service, Brightspot, which will debut on Sunday, Oct. 6.
ernest hamiltonHulu has added support for Google's Chromecast streaming dongle, allowing Hulu Plus users to 'cast' video directly to Chromecast.
ernest hamiltonThe much-awaited Grand Theft Auto (GTA) Online mode has finally gone live, unfolding a whole interconnected universe.
ernest hamiltonBlackBerry has posted its Q2 fiscal results and blames a $935 million hit on 'Z10 Inventory Charge'
ernest hamiltonThe KitKat contest has now reached India, bringing promotional packages with the chance to win a new Nexus 7 (2013).
ernest hamiltonGoogle Talk has been sending messages to the wrong recipients, raising some serious privacy concerns.
ernest hamiltonGrand Theft Auto V publisher Take-Two has announced that the new GTA 5 made a whopping $800 million on launch day, breaking the record previously set by Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
ernest hamilton