The new “surface” computer … cool but impractical

Microsoft has invented the “interactive coffee table” — a touchscreen computer it calls Surface. You can see a demonstration of it via this video    Surface is essentially a Windows Vista PC that is encased by a black table and topped with a touchscreen. It has gadgets galore — five cameras that can sense nearby objects are mounted beneath the screen. Users can operate the PC by touching it or dragging objects across it (like paintbrushes). It can also interact with items tagged with bar-codes. But it seems to be the type of the thing rich folks, rolling in dough from bulging stock options, would create. It is a showpiece kind of technology, not something the average household will ever think it needs.