At the Tesco wine fair the Microsoft Surface table turns from a bar in to a rich immersive experience for the wine enthusiasts to explore content though touch and natural gestures. The punters had their own take on the five Ss in tasting wine. So as spit became swallow and their hand-eye coordination slowly declined over the day, you waited for the inevitable to happen as the enthusiasts reached out to interact with the digital content with their wine glass sat precariously on the Surface tabletop.
Microsoft provides instructions on how to clean and care for the Surface tabletop but I couldn't find any documentation about the unit’s ability to cope with sizeable spillage. What would happen if a pitcher of beer accidentally got knocked over?
I don’t have an answer from Microsoft but here’s my conclusion...
Microsoft is targeting customers in the retail, hospitality and entertainment businesses. Sheraton Hotels and Harrah's Casino have already rolled out Microsoft Surface. They offer social experiences in public situations which expose the table to all manner of drinks – hot or cold, soft or alcoholic – and it’s inevitable that spillages will occur. Would Microsoft target restaurants, hotels and casino’s if they didn’t have confidence that the unit could handle some spillage? As of yet I’ve not heard of any Surface owners suffering any problems from drink spillages
The horizontal form factor provides a collaborative experience and enables object recognition by users placing physical objects on the tabletop. It’s one of the unique features of Microsoft Surface and something that lends itself so well to drinking and dining experiences. If Microsoft is serious about the horizontal form factor then the unit would need to withstand food and drink spillage. And they certainly are serious – Microsoft is currently working on an R&D project (SurfaceWare) that will measure the amount of liquid remaining in your glass by projecting a laser through a glass with an optical prism designed in the base. The bar staff could then be alerted at the perfect time to offer the diner a top-up. More evidence that Microsoft sees Surface being a great device for bars and restaurants, where punters can browse virtual wine cellars and food menu’s, ordering and then dining off the table.
And why would Microsoft take waterproofing lightly? Consider what is inside the unit. At the core of the unit is a high-end PC running Vista, five infrared cameras and a rear projector. Protecting the £8500 unit from liquid spillage is a given.
And anyway, waterproofing computer devices is nothing new. We already have waterproof laptops that can withstand coffee or water spills, and even be taken in to the shower! Plasma Product Innovations has developed a chemical that can make any material 100% waterproof. Wired had an interesting article on this waterproof technology. So we’re not short on waterproof technologies.
We've had several beer spillages on our unit but everything still functions and performs as it should. So until I hear otherwise from other Surface owners out there I will assume that the unit can more than hold its own with drink spillages.
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