More Courier-like concept video (or why Microsoft Research should run the company)

April 9, 2010 | By Surur

Long Zheng from the istartedsomething blog drew out attention to this Microsoft Research video showing a natural user interface based on a combination of pen and finger to enable a variety of interactions which would be much more difficult with either alone.

The features are being demoed on a Microsoft Surface, using an infra-red pen, but I imagine these features would work just as well on the elusive and mythical Microsoft Courier tablet or even some of the newer Windows 7 tablets.

See Bill Buxton, Microsoft Research’s main Natural User Interface evangelists and Principle Researcher, explain what its all about in a second video after the break, using a variety of Windows Mobile devices.

Via istartedsomething.com

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About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged microsoft courier, microsoft surface, multi-touch, nui, ui, video

http://intensedebate.com/people/martinschmidler martinschmidler

Research blah blah….. turn it into actual products otherwise no one cares! That has always been Microsofts problem: Brilliant engineers, but the people in power didn't push hard enough to get the ideas into actual usable products. Okay, we are starting to see a change, the Xbox is a very good example and Natal as well. But I'm highly sceptical for the Courier.

http://intensedebate.com/people/simbadogg simbadogg

discounting the research of a company like microsoft. i'm sorry, but this is one of the dumbest things i've ever heard anyone say

http://intensedebate.com/people/martinschmidler martinschmidler

Didn't you read my comment? I know MS has clever people. But why should we care if those innovations stay inside a lab in Redmond? I – and most people – care about products that result from innovation. Period.

Eugene Q

Bill Buxton looks like the Mad Professor. But he's got some great ideas.

Microsoft has lots of talented people. They have new concepts about user interface that are often better than anything else on the market.

Problem: Microsoft is controlled by Bumbling Baffoon Ballmer, who ordered all the WP7 engineers to copy Apple's iPhone 1.0, from 2007. Microsoft tried to copy everything Apple did, right down to no multitasking, no C&P, locked app store etc etc. Instead of creating something new, with its talented engineers, Microsoft copied the past.

Solution: I can't see Ballmer lasting much longer at Microsoft. The failure of the company's mobile division will be the last straw.

Craig S

It's silly to say Ballmer "ordered" any such thing. That's ignorant.

What did we get during Gates' last days? Tablet edition never going anywhere, PlaysForSure going nowhere, the pipe dream of Longhorn crashing and resulting in a poorly received Vista. Ballmer hit his stride and what do we get? Zune, the best media experience. Windows 7, critically acclaimed. Office 2007 with the excellent Ribbon. Bing, besting Google in many ways and actually climbing in marketshare. Services FINALLY starting to come together, and now Windows Live, Zune, and XBox co-mingle and will dance together in my pocket. IE starts putting out real browsers again. 2009 was a heck of a year for MS, under Ballmer.

So I don't get all this 'Baffoon' talk. Even if you think he made wrong decisions, watch an interview and he's obviously a smart man

Craig S

Every blog that's reported this video today has mentioned Courier. You all need to calm down on that, this is a Surface app and Courier hasn't even been acknowledged publicly by company leadership

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