GeekSugar

Eyecandy Sound Lounge & Bar Provides the Full Geek Experience

GeekSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:33:08 -0800

I am so glad I discovered this fantastic new bar on Bornrich, considering I'll be heading to Vegas next week for CES! The Eyecandy Sound Lounge and Bar, located in the center of Mandalay Bay’s casino floor, is exactly that -100 percent eyecandy.

Opened in October 2007, Eyecandy features interactive touch tables that allow guests to create visuals and messages as well as project images onto screens above the dance floor. These tables also include stationary and motorized cameras to check out the action elsewhere in the lounge and bar area. And if you have a favorite song you want to hear, just plug your iPod into a sound station so the DJ can mix your tunes into the song line-up. This bar puts Twentyfour in London to shame, as Eyecandy's high-tech nightclub experience also boasts a fiber-optic channel running through the bar for a shimmering light effect as well as a LED tiled dance floor-allowing dancers to change images and graphics! To check out a video about it read more

Microsoft's New Surface: Interactive Multi-Touch Table

GeekSugar — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:10:41 -0700

Last night at midnight Microsoft announced a new product, the Microsoft Surface, which is a multi-touch table that aims to change the way we interact with digital content. The table uses cameras to sense objects, hand gestures and touch. The user input is then processed and the result is displayed on the surface using rear projection. This gives the user complete control over the content - such as photos, music, and maps.

By the looks of it, the device combines all the elements of digital life into a snazzy, futuristic table that looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie.

To see more images and to watch a video of how it works, read more

Surface will be available in restaurants, hotels, retail establishments and public entertainment venues. The Surface will be available to the market in winter of 2007 and will reportedly cost $10,000.

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Microsoft's 'Surface' Table Explored

GeekSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:00:39 -0700

While hanging out in Hollywood for the TCA press tour my gal BuzzSugar got a chance to get up close and personal with Microsoft's newly-announced 'Surface' table, which is a multi-touch table that aims to change the way we interact with digital content. Buzz reports that the device is going to be on display in Starwood Hotels, T-Mobile stores and some other places soon, but it's still several years from home use. Oh course, it has a hefty price tag of $10,000, so you better start saving up.

The table looks like a regular coffee table at first glance, but it has cameras and touch sensitivity (iPhone style, but bigger) and you can do everything from organize photos to watch videos to drag and drop music into your Zune (of course it’s the Zune ...Thanks, Microsoft).

For additional photos and some of the coolest applications Buzz witnessed, read more

In one application, called Video Puzzle, the guy played a video on the table, but all we saw was a blank, black screen. He then dropped several square pieces of clear lucite on the table, and the picture popped up playing through those pieces. You could arrange them however you wanted, with the idea that you would put them together like puzzle pieces to see the full picture.
In another, the guy demonstrated how you could use it to order drinks at a restaurant (when you put your drink down on the table, it drew a ring around it like a virtual coaster). He then pulled up a bill of food and drinks that had been ordered by two people. He then dragged the listing for each item toward one drink on the table or to the other, splitting the bill and showing each person their own total. One that they are using for Starwood Hotels is a music application that would let you find out what music was playing in the lobby. If you wanted to download that song, you could put your Zune down on the table, and it instantly recognizes it and its files, so you can drag and drop songs into it. If you put two Zunes on the table, you can share music between them by dragging and dropping. This is something they think can eventually be expanded to anything with an RFID tag.
Maybe the most immediately useful application is the one for T-Mobile. The scenario he set up was that you’re shopping for cell phones and want to be able to compare and contrast their features. You put phones on the Surface and it immediately recognizes them, creating side-by-side comparison cards of the phones. If you’ve chosen one and you want to buy a plan, you can scroll through a list of plans and pull up descriptive cards on each, which you can rotate so multiple people can see them (that’s a bad description, but he said, “So then you say, what do you think about this one, honey?” and mimicked turning the card at an angle to show someone who was looking over his shoulder.) If you choose your plan, you just draw and drop it into the phone, and the salesperson knows to come ring you up.

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Microsoft's Surface Gets Touched, and Touched Some More

GeekSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:00:29 -0700

Yesterday we ventured out to the AT&T Experience stores in San Bruno, CA to check out Microsoft's Surface table, which is now appearing in four cities across the United States. Set to become available in all AT&T stores nationwide within the next few months, the Surface table is already bringing eyes and lots of hands to the four AT&T stores where it is located. Thankfully, we had our pick from six different tables and wasted no time experimenting with its interactive features.

The giant 30-inch plastic-covered display screen on the Surface (they swear it's spill and dance proof), is totally touch-friendly, as your fingertips can move objects around and expand windows. By placing two cell phones (we suggested they should up this total) on the table, customers can read the features from each phone and decide which one better suits their needs . . . without having to deal with a salesperson. My thoughts? Actually my exact words. . . ."It's cool, but it has the potential to be cooler."

To find out more about my up close and personal account with Microsoft's surface, read more.

What can the table, which costs between $5,000 to $10,000, do right now? Basically just compare specs on phones and zoom in on maps to see AT&T network coverage, but AT&T swears that more fun features are set to come, including: being able to add new ringtones to your phone and exchange photos by dragging and dropping them on the table. I'm more excited about what they'll be able to do once they make their way to the Harrah's hotel chain - which is said to be next on the list. When asked why the iPhone didn't make the cut to being one of the featured phones at the table? An AT&T rep said that stores already have designated "iPhone locations" and that they wanted to focus on some of their other popular phones that would benefit from being displayed on the Surface.

Microsoft Surface Coming to AT&T April 17th

GeekSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:36:07 -0700

Looks like Microsoft's high-tech interactive touch table won't be making its debut in Starwood hotels this Spring, but it will be available for the public to play with on April 17 in AT&T stores. According to Engadget, these $10,000 tables will initially be installed in NYC, San Francisco, Atlanta, and San Antonio AT&T stores.

AT&T is hoping that the tables will educate customers about all the handsets for sale (info about the phone is displayed when set on the table), and they'll also be able to purchase ringtones, graphics and videos directly from the table and drag them on their phones. Now that is something I can't wait to test out!

Is Microsoft's New 'Surface' Table Old Tech?

GeekSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Wednesday's release of Microsoft's interactive multi-touch table "Surface," which uses cameras to sense objects, hand gestures and touch, made a significant splash with drolling techies but some are scoffing at the device technology for being less than "new." Case in point: When YumSugar went home to her fiancé Wednesday and asked him if he had seen the Surface table he said, (presumably in a sarcastic Napoleon Dynamite voice) "Yeah, I liked it a lot when I saw it two years ago." Ever the knowing geek, he forwarded me Jeff Han's presentation of the futuristic multi-touch interface in 2006. Han is a research scientist for NYU's Media Research Lab, and the inventor of an "interface-free" touch-driven computer screen.

Touch screens are no longer a thing of the future and devices like the iPhone and Prada phone have put them in the hands of your average consumer, but it does seem like the Surface table's technology is more of a thing of the past than the future.

World’s Largest Multi-Touch Screen

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 09:00:11 -0700

I should have guessed that the unveiling of Microsoft's interactive Surface table would launch a techie showdown of all the touch-screens out there. Particularly considering the iPhone, which comes out June 29, is also a touch screen and has been the talk of geek town since before it was even announced. According to Technabob, HP wowed crowds with their multi-touch display wall at the recent Wall Street Journal D5 Conference. The screen is 16 by 8-feet and allows multiple visitors to simultaneously control audio, video, photos and other multimedia content using their hands to navigate. Just for reference, the Microsoft Surface table has a 30 inch table top. Not that it's a fair competition.

To check out the video of the giant screen, read more

This Week On Geek - Martha Shows Up On Wired With Wii Cake

GeekSugar — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 11:00:57 -0700

Homemaking expert Martha Stewart may not have stripped down like Jenna Fischer for her cover of Wired, but she does get her geek on with a baked-to-perfection Wii cake and by revealing her inner techieness.
For all the iPhone hype the device may be falling behind the too-hot-to-trot Prada phone. Word is, the Prada phone by LG has sold over 300,000 units since its launch in March, while earlier this week AT&T announced it has only activated 146,000 iPhones. Which Do You Prefer: iPhone or Prada Phone?
Designed by Cherif Morsi, the TimeCap hopes to become a burial ritual for the 21st century. The idea is that instead of putting someone’s ashes in an urn, the small USB device holds photos, sound bytes, videos, and any other type of digital media. Love It Or Leave It: TimeCap Digital Urn
Black and white desk top items might be the most obvious and subtle choice, but if you are trying to add some sweet, lovable feeling to your workspace consider a colorful pad. Mouse Pad Love: Pads With A Romantic Flair
While hanging out in Hollywood for the TCA press tour my gal BuzzSugar got a chance to get up close and personal with Microsoft's newly-announced 'Surface' table, which is a multi-touch table that aims to change the way we interact with digital content. Microsoft's 'Surface' Table Explored
In search of your afternoon distraction? Check out Statetris, a free Tetris game based on a map of the United States. Statetris: It's Tetris On A Map Of The US
MSN recently featured an interesting story on the debate of whether or not parents should buy mobile devices for their preteens. The piece lead with a description of Robert, a typical 10-year-old who came home from summer camp and asked his parents for a BlackBerry because one of his counselors had one. Should a 10-Year-Old Own A BlackBerry?

This Week On Geeksugar - World’s Largest Multi-Touch Screen

GeekSugar — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 12:00:40 -0700

I should have guessed that the unveiling of Microsoft's interactive Surface table would launch a techie showdown of all the touch-screens out there. I didn't know it would be this big. World’s Largest Multi-Touch Screen
You only have one more day to find your dad or father figure a delightful Father's Day treat. Of course, the good news is most dads are geeks. Father's Day Gift Guide: Part 2 (Reader's Choice)
If you're a Google user, you can now go ballistic and pimp your Google Calendar with Google's Calendar gallery. The new gallery will allow anyone with a Google account to add various events and reminders to their calendars. Geek Tip: Using Google Calendar Gallery
We already know that everyone and their mother ends up putting their new albums on their computer and MP3 player after purchasing them, so why not buy them on a pretty USB drive you can use later instead of a CD that will likely get scratched? Get White Stripes Album Via USB Device
There are some accessories that really do make me feel sexy - new cute heels, a sleek clutch, even new gadgets - but the Sexy Underwear Cell Phone Strap from Strapyaworld are a little more than I can handle. Totally Geeky or Geek Chic? Sexy Cell Phone Charm
A recent AT&T study found that women are catching up with men when it comes to cell phone usage, but men still spend more time on their cell phones than women. Who Talks More On Cell Phones: Men Or Women?
Apparently, Japan is faced with a rapidly aging and shrinking population right now and in an effort to combat the alarming rates, employers are offering workers "baby bonuses" in the form of cash and cell phones. Cells And Cash Offered In Exchange For Parenthood