“A group of academics will be among the first people outside Microsoft to see Sphere, a spherical surface computer developed by Microsoft Research,” Ina Fried reports or CNET News.
MacDailyNews Take: If this were any other company, we’d swear this was a joke, but this is what happens when “Microsoft Research” strays from its primary focus: 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014.
Fried continues, “The sphere-shaped, multitouch computer is similar to the tabletop Surface computer that Microsoft announced last year… This incarnation, however, remains a project within Microsoft Research and the company has no current plans to bring it to market.”
MacDailyNews Take: We can’t wait for Microsoft’s Big Ass Toilet Seat. Now that would sell – to women (guys would leave it up all the time). If it offered the gals some haptics, the lines would stretch for miles.
Fried continues, “Bill Gates has talked about a vision for surface computing that stretches far beyond the high-end commercial applications of Surface and in several years’ time would have many, many of today’s surfaces becoming computerized, both at home and at work.”
MacDailyNews Take: Because he’s such a visionary (dripping with sarcasm).
Full article here.
Todd Bishop reports for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “Sphere will be shown Tuesday at the annual Microsoft Research Faculty Summit alongside other projects from Microsoft and university researchers.”
Video: Microsoft’s Big Ass Ball:
Direct link to video here.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Steven P. Jobs on a popsicle stick! After they reverse themselves and bring it to market, Microsoft is going to corner the entire novelty world globe market which is worth… wait for it… ONE MILLLLLION DOLLARS!
At this rate, “Vanquishing the Borg” is going to be easier than we thought.
Go, Ballmer, Go! Shovel that filthy lucre into your giant cash furnace, you sweaty SOB!
[Originally posted at 1:03pm EDT. Updated: 3:31pm EDT with new photo illustration and some additional “Takes.]
@karrde97
Apple has filed patents, doen’t mean they have them yet. Also, and more importantly, the technologies are vastly different, M$ using camera technology and Apple using sensor technoloy.
Oh boy, it has never been this hilarious to read the MDN Take and all the comments. No community can beat you in the art of being open-minded visionaries.
Let’s burn them up, these heretic touch-screens of unfamiliar shape and size!
And thank you for the entertainment, I hope it will continue to full four pages. Will check back later, so don’t hesitate to post your opinion on a sphere-shaped touch-screen from Microsoft, I will read them all.
Final analysis: What does PORN look like on it. Probably not good. Case closed – it’s dead.
“What does PORN look like on it.”
All the chicks appear to be pregnant.
That actually works for a lot of people.
Fun, geekish kind of toy in search of a reason to be. The “social” aspects of group interaction and muliple users hasn’t been clearly thought out and it actually has the down sides of multiple monitors while forcing people to huddle around a realatively small viewing area.
Seriously bad crap. There will be some cool interfaces in the future and a video ball might be one of them, just like a table will probably be one. But none of them are going to be like the stuff I’ve seen from MS.
They think making eye candy is the same as making useful stuff. They are trying very hard to be creative, but have NO clue.
@ Sir Gill Bates
I suppose the litmus test for the Big Ass Ball is if the porn industry adopts it.
Afterall, if it doesn’t work for porn, it doesn’t work for us consumers, either.
Andy,
That’s a big 10-4 buddy.
Little ships cruising around, and you have to pee them out of the water
Imagine a new kind of UI. Aim-and-pee versus point-and-click.
You crapped on my battleship
That’s for the aircraft carrier.
Microsoft also made a doughnut-shaped version, but Ballmer ate it.
At last M$ come clean.
As the man demonstrating the “sphere” said –
“WE CALL IT, SENT TO DARK-SIDE … IDEA”
Mathematically a sphere only has one side – Ipso facto, M$ is the dark-side.
Bring it on, you math nuts!
all microsoft is basically doing is showing the infinite possibilities with multi-touch/surface. This will most likely not make the home market but it has potential to be used from the government, Imagine it being used as a globe with google map technologys and being able to zoom in on countries or neighborhoods with just a simple hand gesture.
@Mac Boy Pro
a globe is not necessary for that type of zooming, and, if you’ll note from multiple past posts in this discussion (albeit that there are many) looking at a map on a globe is not better. The reason is, is that a sphere represents one size. When you zoom in on a globe, it is no longer a spheroid.
I’m as MacCentric as most on this board, but I have to admit that this looks like a great device. It can really be used for people with disabilities and has great potential for adding mobile simulations.
Come on, just because it’s from Microsoft doesn’t mean that we cannot say that the product looks half good.
/rick.
I think someone at Microsoft deserves a nice kick in their Big Ass Balls over this one.
Apparently Bill Gates left Ballmer in charge because he’s perhaps even more competitive than him (and also more of an ignorant douchebag). Ok, you guys officially have the monopoly on Big Ass Balls and Big Ass Tables, but what the f— does that matter if no one buys them? That’s even worse than the Zune project. Nowhere near a monopoly and still only a few buyers. More competitive when it comes to Windows and your other cash cow, but methinks you missed the train when it comes to entertainment and hardware, Bally boy.