CES Full of Great Ideas, and some not so Great...
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I saw a report on the CES in Las Vegas. Bill Gates was promoting a self aware amusement coffee table. OK it was a Large Touch Sensitive Flat Panel Screen formed into a Coffee Table. It could be loaded with photographs, Music, etc, access the web, email etc. Super, he was backing it saying it was the next thing. However, is it only me or do others think this is Dumb? Basic premise...It is a coffee table! It will have coffee, tea, coke and one hundred other substances spilt on it, and ergonomically very poor for viewing, and price prohibitive. I think Gates has got this one wrong.
"On one of my cards it said I had to find temperatures lower than -8. The numbers I uncovered were -6 and -7 so I thought I had won, and so did the woman in the shop. But when she scanned the card the machine said I hadn't. "I phoned Camelot and they fobbed me off with some story that -6 is higher - not lower - than -8 but I'm not having it." -Tina Farrell, a 23 year old thicky from Levenshulme, Manchester.
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I saw a report on the CES in Las Vegas. Bill Gates was promoting a self aware amusement coffee table. OK it was a Large Touch Sensitive Flat Panel Screen formed into a Coffee Table. It could be loaded with photographs, Music, etc, access the web, email etc. Super, he was backing it saying it was the next thing. However, is it only me or do others think this is Dumb? Basic premise...It is a coffee table! It will have coffee, tea, coke and one hundred other substances spilt on it, and ergonomically very poor for viewing, and price prohibitive. I think Gates has got this one wrong.
Dalek Dave wrote:
Basic premise...It is a coffee table!
It's an example - a show case of the technology if you will. I can think of a couple of situations, where this could come in handy. News paper editors would probably love it - just move headings and pictures around with your hands. Graphic designers would probably love it as well, provided that there will be accompanying tools (brushes, and whatnot). I don't see myself as visionary guru, so I'm sure I've missed a few hundred other situations, where this "coffee table" would be useful. :) I for one, would love to have such a table at home.
-- Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit
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I saw a report on the CES in Las Vegas. Bill Gates was promoting a self aware amusement coffee table. OK it was a Large Touch Sensitive Flat Panel Screen formed into a Coffee Table. It could be loaded with photographs, Music, etc, access the web, email etc. Super, he was backing it saying it was the next thing. However, is it only me or do others think this is Dumb? Basic premise...It is a coffee table! It will have coffee, tea, coke and one hundred other substances spilt on it, and ergonomically very poor for viewing, and price prohibitive. I think Gates has got this one wrong.
I think one suggested application would be in trendy bars or restaurants - if the glasses/plates have barcodes or rfid chips, the tables would recognise the drinks or food placed down and provide additional information, targeted info, etc. I can't see a coffee table in a person's house being that useful, as you'd naturally want to pick up something to read it comfortably, rather than craning over a table, although again, other examples like putting your camera and PDA on a table, and being able to drag/drop media between them is pretty cool (and nice and intuitive for non tech savvy people)
-- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit! Buzzwords!
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I saw a report on the CES in Las Vegas. Bill Gates was promoting a self aware amusement coffee table. OK it was a Large Touch Sensitive Flat Panel Screen formed into a Coffee Table. It could be loaded with photographs, Music, etc, access the web, email etc. Super, he was backing it saying it was the next thing. However, is it only me or do others think this is Dumb? Basic premise...It is a coffee table! It will have coffee, tea, coke and one hundred other substances spilt on it, and ergonomically very poor for viewing, and price prohibitive. I think Gates has got this one wrong.
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Dalek Dave wrote:
However, is it only me or do others think this is Dumb?
The flat top computer had it's heyday in 1978 with the flat top Space Invaders machine. After that flat top coffee tables went downhill.
OK You have convinced me it works as a concept, Retro Gaming! Damn, how did I miss that! :-D
------------------------------------ I try to appear cooler, by calling him Euler.
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I saw a report on the CES in Las Vegas. Bill Gates was promoting a self aware amusement coffee table. OK it was a Large Touch Sensitive Flat Panel Screen formed into a Coffee Table. It could be loaded with photographs, Music, etc, access the web, email etc. Super, he was backing it saying it was the next thing. However, is it only me or do others think this is Dumb? Basic premise...It is a coffee table! It will have coffee, tea, coke and one hundred other substances spilt on it, and ergonomically very poor for viewing, and price prohibitive. I think Gates has got this one wrong.
Actually, I would like to have one if I could afford dropping that kind of cash for entertainment. I think it would be a great way to share photos or the web or even as as something to talk about. I do feel it is more of a method of displaying the direction they are moving with the technology not really that they plan to "do" coffee tables for the next ten years. These would be great if they game companies would get on the ball and make a bunch of games just for it. Friends could set around the coffee table and have just about any virtual board game without having the parts of the game to lose or manage. For example, Monopoly (no pun intended) would be cool as there would be no cash, board, cards,etc. And everyone could move thier own peices, manage their money on the table top and the hotels and houses could take on an entire new appearance, same with going to jail, have the police come and arrest you and drag your token to jail :)
Rocky <>< Blog Post: Silverlight goes Beta 2.0 Tech Blog Post: Cheap Biofuels and Synthetics coming soon?
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I saw a report on the CES in Las Vegas. Bill Gates was promoting a self aware amusement coffee table. OK it was a Large Touch Sensitive Flat Panel Screen formed into a Coffee Table. It could be loaded with photographs, Music, etc, access the web, email etc. Super, he was backing it saying it was the next thing. However, is it only me or do others think this is Dumb? Basic premise...It is a coffee table! It will have coffee, tea, coke and one hundred other substances spilt on it, and ergonomically very poor for viewing, and price prohibitive. I think Gates has got this one wrong.
I agree the coffee table bit is not the best idea but multi-touch computing is a great idea and part of the future. The iPhone is helping to prove that and I hope to see laptops and tablets incorporate multi-touch soon.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Andy Brummer wrote:
Watson's law: As an online discussion of cars grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving the Bugatti Veyron approaches one.
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I agree the coffee table bit is not the best idea but multi-touch computing is a great idea and part of the future. The iPhone is helping to prove that and I hope to see laptops and tablets incorporate multi-touch soon.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Andy Brummer wrote:
Watson's law: As an online discussion of cars grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving the Bugatti Veyron approaches one.
Now an interactive Holographic 'table' where you can see the chess pieces move around/fidget and talk (back) to you when you poke [sic] them (...a la pixar characters), or look at a 3d Map and explore caves with your fingers... ..and pR0n? :)
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Now an interactive Holographic 'table' where you can see the chess pieces move around/fidget and talk (back) to you when you poke [sic] them (...a la pixar characters), or look at a 3d Map and explore caves with your fingers... ..and pR0n? :)
Hmm. A holographic table. I assume the Wookie opponent will be an add-on.
Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.
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I think one suggested application would be in trendy bars or restaurants - if the glasses/plates have barcodes or rfid chips, the tables would recognise the drinks or food placed down and provide additional information, targeted info, etc. I can't see a coffee table in a person's house being that useful, as you'd naturally want to pick up something to read it comfortably, rather than craning over a table, although again, other examples like putting your camera and PDA on a table, and being able to drag/drop media between them is pretty cool (and nice and intuitive for non tech savvy people)
-- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit! Buzzwords!
benjymous wrote:
rather than craning over a table
I could see some people thinking it would be better to mount it on a wall to avoid neck strain.
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Hmm. A holographic table. I assume the Wookie opponent will be an add-on.
Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.
That surely opens the door for the Wookey Hole Joke again! :)
------------------------------------ I try to appear cooler, by calling him Euler.
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I think one suggested application would be in trendy bars or restaurants - if the glasses/plates have barcodes or rfid chips, the tables would recognise the drinks or food placed down and provide additional information, targeted info, etc. I can't see a coffee table in a person's house being that useful, as you'd naturally want to pick up something to read it comfortably, rather than craning over a table, although again, other examples like putting your camera and PDA on a table, and being able to drag/drop media between them is pretty cool (and nice and intuitive for non tech savvy people)
-- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit! Buzzwords!
oh yes, RFID'd drinks with little tags on the table so you know who's is who's even when you're 2 sheets to the wind. and all those conversations after you've bought a round where you can't remember which one is lager and which one is (Fosters) would be gone for good. You sir are a genius.