Nice, but can it look into the future, show me where my gf is or open up portals. If not can it atleast be converted into a magic eight ball?

karmakid

Bah! Ripoff!
[www.sensisphere.de]

Martin

But did you go inside...?

cbdsteve

Please, sir, stop multi-touching my balls.

This is VERY cool technology but it's about as useful as Microsoft's Ms. Pac-Man coin-op table.

MrYuk

"It's more advanced than Surface, ..., and uses an infrared system to detect hands and objects touching it."

Er... Surface uses IR to detect hands and objects...

I have to agree with labrats5, Surface and Sphere are OK but they aren't that practical. It just feels like these are the wrong way to implement the idea's they are trying to push forward with them.

meddigo

My verdict for this is the same as for the first microsoft surface: incredibly cool, but almost entirely useless and completely impractical.

labrats5

@aaj111: yeah its much too big...

Charging_Mooses

Doesn't look like it'll blend.

aaj111

MicroSoft...We.have.multitouch.balls!

Brau

Another.useless.product.from.your.friends.at.Microsoft...bigass.table.now.for.sale.

Brau

not that one, but a wall one

thomusvoo

they got a whole school filled with that at seatle.
all donated from microsoft

thomusvoo

I won't ask if it can play Doom - I know it can. But I WANT TO SEE IT!

Griffehpoo

OMG sweet!

sprice82

Awesome.

Evangelion

Holy fail link, batman!

+ Watch video

mhlaxp

Ah, but can it play

mhlaxp

When they can make a spherical OLED touch display then I will shat myselves!

Stacky Botrus

i dont see any use but a moving weather globe.

fostina1

Okama Gamesphere!

MastaFalse

Looked a little jumpy to me....

Y2KGTP

I don't see how this is pragmatic, but to my defense, I'm only using 3% of my brain max.

Joseph

Why would I want to resize photos on a giant sphere again?

broho

Bill must have read Jpod

tuckertuck

The bad thing about this is that your digital camera and cell phone keep sliding off when you try to sync them with it, heh.

maven2k

Microsoft makes you touch their balls... With both hands... So... What's new?

DaSmith

@MastaFalse: It's actually pronounced, "Okama-aa Game-u-sphe-ru!"

misterwight

@Charging_Mooses: Just some temporary swelling, probably from all of the touching.

ps61318

This is what I've been wanting (and talking about) for 10 years now. My idea was to have an interactive globe that could change between different maps views (geological, political, etc.), show animations of continental drift, show different planets, and play videos about areas you touch.

It would be a great (and fun) educational tool.

LittleJon

@cbdsteve: that's what makes spheres so cool: when you can go inside.

Fierock

I don't think that they are trying to produce the sphere and surface to the typical consumer. Its more of a conceptual thing that businesses may be interested in. The technology being developed with the sphere/surface can be implemented into other products that will later be targeted to consumers.

Very jetsons-y and I'm glad that innovations are happening. In order for Back2theFuture to be on track I need hoverboards,flying cars, and self fitting jackets by 2015.

spimoles

Rangers! Behold the viewing globe!

Reilaos~

My pretties, I am thinking wicked witch of the west omniscience with this little beauty.

geschmidtt

Perhaps the folks at Microsoft have a vision of where this technology could be applied that some of you have not thought of yet. Relax people, damn, enjoy the shear geekyness of it, that's why you're here no?

NagChampa

Fail for not waiting until you have Google earth and a Globe interface.

2001gsr

Talk about the ultimate Google Earth set up! That would be just too sweet.

Husar

Lame.

CharitableNinja

This is virgon 6...

bpapa9013

Does this mean next week Apple will release one 1/100th the size that you can actually buy?

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege

I would like to see a movie recorded with an omnidirectional camera on this thing. Imagine being able to look in any direction in a movie.

PopsG

"everybody ... gets an equally valid view and nobody has a "master" position" sounds like communism to me... Microsoft are clearly a bunch of commies! You heard it here first.

PerryLexis

This is cool in the sense that it can project and interact in a 360 degree spherical way, but why.

The surface made sense...it proposed a way of bringing a touch platform into bar or home areas where anyone could interact with, and sync gadgets with.

I fail to see how anyone would want a giant sphere in their homes. The touch could be used as a coffee table when not in use. The sphere would need to be placed in the center of a room for full functionality. It is very clunky and hard to hide, or store somewhere in the house where later it could be brought out when needed.

It seems like the technology was invented and then they tried to come up with practical uses for the technology. Case in point the "feature" that there is "security" in that you can only view pictures (or whatever) on one side of the sphere, unless moved to the other. Or the guy moves to your side of the screen.

Apple seems to do things like this better when they see a need, and reason, for a technology and then invent it. Rather than "hey...we did this, and...this is what you can do with it." Followed by a "why doesn't anybody look amused?"

PONG WAS COOL THOUGH!

guyute4220

Now all we need is a multi-touch girlfriend to turn off and on when you want, and allow you to "send to the dark side."

SachiEriphyle

Even though I am not much of a Microsoft Fan, I can this being a useful tool in museums or anywhere there could be a demonstration where multiple people could view it at one time. The pong style game seems like a cool idea but I doubt you could get much more complex than that.

It reminds me of those things that you see in the mall that when you walk over them it interacts with your shadow, but what they really are is a giant glorified advertisement that attracts 5 year olds.

FutureBear