Here comes Sphere: Microsoft debuts computing in round
Flat-panel displays might be all the rage, but at least in some situations, Microsoft thinks the shape of things to come might be a sphere.After months of rumors, Microsoft researchers are taking the wraps off a prototype that uses an internal projection and vision system to bring a spherical computer display to life. People can touch the surface with multiple fingers and hands to manipulate photos, play games, spin a virtual globe, or watch 360-degree videos.
Sphere, as its known, is expected to be shown publicly for the first time Tuesday at Microsofts Faculty Summit in Redmond. For now, its purely a research project. The company says it doesnt have plans to offer it as a product. The idea is to see what the technology can do and how people will use it.
This is nothing more than a sign of impending doom: All other once-great tech companies came out with cool shit right before they fell apart.
It might be more useful as a bowl shape. As in toilet or sink. Complete with the hole zone, in the middle, for deleting content. How are you suppose to delete stuff on a globe, drop it on the pacific ocean (that garbage vortex)? Anyway.
A globe is about as useful at displaying general information as the food pyramid is at telling us what to eat. But for displaying large scale geographic info, it will probably be ideal. And maybe other “round” things, like the human head. But is it really that practical, to go running around the other side of the display, to see all of it. Or simply using 3D software, on a flat display, and rotating the image, as we do now? This will be another rich man’s toy. We’ll see a giant version of it in a James Bond movie, someday. The evil tycoon will have half a dozen of, displaying all that he owns, or plans to own. Which reminds me, we’ve seen that already in, “The Spy Who Loved Me”. And a flat project of the oceans would have worked just as well, if not better. Because who could have seen the northern pacific on that huge round thing? Did it revolve to face the operator? I doubt it.
#21 for the win
Vista’s big “feature” was the default theme it came with it.
A THEME! The Aero _theme_
7 years of development for a theme.
Somebody’s been watching too many sci fi movies. Obviously inspired by poor thought. Only application I can see is true 3d imaging for a few things like heart transplants, but what else?
#19 you can rotate the couple doing it 360 in real time.
M$ seems to be trotting out a lot of “New Technology” – this sphere, the surface, but they seem to have skipped over the Point and the Line, geometrically speaking. Too bad they can’t seem to perfect their other “New Technology” – NT, or is it XP, or Vista !!! They seem to have brought their “Cash Cow” in for the SLAUGHTER, while they spend BILLIONS chasing the Illusive Butterfly of Internet Advertising and compete with Google !!! Does M$ need NEW MANAGEMENT ???
Listen to the pathetic apple fanboys calling foul on this, when, if it was apple, we’d be hearing from these same losers how revolutionary it is.
I was waiting to see the evil witch and her monkeys!!