Connecting with Deepak - I'm a PC

Mr. Chopra on the humanity of technology, in a longer-form video created exclusively for the Web as part of the "I'm a PC" initiative.





When money attacks... Windows advertising

I'm a PC - Not Alone

Who is the real PC?




When money attacks... Windows advertising

Microsoft Surface - Flirt

Flirt app running on Microsoft Surface at iBar in the Rio Las Vegas.



When money attacks... flirting

Microsoft Surface at Vectorform

In this interview, Eric Havir of the Microsoft Surface team sits down with designers and developers and talks about how creating apps for Surface brings them together.

Part 1


Part 2



When money attacks... developer interviews.

I'm a PC - Not Alone

Who is the real PC? Answer: all of us.




When money attacks... Windows advertising

Microsoft Surface and Windows 7 - Digital Photographs app

Meaghan McAllister of identity mine demonstrates a new application built for Microsoft Surface that lets you display digital photographs on a multi-touch surface.




And then she transitions the photos to Windows 7 multi-touch.


When money attacks... cameras

Google Android Phone expanded demo

Deeper hands-on demo at the T-Mobile G1 / HTC / Google Android phone launch event. Featuring "street view" demo, and in-depth Android Market (apps store) details.




Here is a basic run through of the G1's user interface.




Google Android Demo at Mobile World Congress 2008




When money attacks... Google and phones.

Microsoft Surface - Go!!! game

GO is a go on Surface.


Authenticity is the driver for the cool ancient Chinese board game of Surface GO. When the Microsoft HPC group approached Vectorform with this concept, we jumped right in and crafted the NUI to drive home the Surface experience through intuitive gesturing game play actions, design and functionality.



Using WPF coding allowed us a shorter development time and gave our creative team the ability to make larger contributions. We used Microsoft Expression Blend to build UI elements such as clam shell and slate stones and a fully 3D rendered wood grain board.



To round out the authenticity of the experience, we added in ambient and game play sounds. Surface GO features multiple game play options including a 9×9 board, a 19×19 board, handicap options, and most exciting is that you can chose between human vs. human, AI vs. human or AI vs. AI. That’s right, you can chose from a list of GO engines and pit super computers against each other. This game has more move combinations than chess and will be featured at Microsoft PDC 2008.



From:
http://www.vectorform.com/surface/?p=283



When money attacks... go!!!

Pharrell Williams - Exclusive Video - I'm a PC

Pharrell Williams shares his views on music, life, energy, and technology in this exclusive Web-only video, as part of the Microsoft Windows "I'm a PC" Life Without Walls initiative.




When money attacks... Windows advertising

Microsoft Surface - At Web 2.0 - New York 2008

As many of you are aware of, Vectorform totally rocked-out the Web 2.0 conference here in NYC (literally rocked out…). As Kevin noted, we had the most happening spot in the center. People just couldn’t get enough of the Surface DJ, and by the end of the two days, Markus, Kevin, Christina and myself were doing a demo every 10 minutes for the growing crowds. We even had it down to somewhat of a science—while one of us manned the machine, the others answered questions in the audience.



We learned a few things over the last two days, but the most important thing was the emphasis on the Surface as a social experience.

Here are a few more images from the show—just look at those smiling faces!




From:
http://www.vectorform.com/surface/?p=244



When money attacks... shows.

Microsoft Surface - Finance Trivia

We recently completed our first implementation of the Vectorform Surface Trivia Engine, Full Throttle. Players answer questions about automotive finance in a head to head race with friends to rack up points and race across the country. We knew it would be a challenge to make a fun game out of finance trivia, but after a couple of pizzas, a few liters of soda, and the helpful testing of some local students, we found our first game is hard to put down.



From:
http://www.vectorform.com/surface/?p=209


When money attacks... finance info?

Microsoft Surface - Surface DJ and Drums

James Ryan of Mercedes-Benz Dual Wields SurfaceDJ and Vector Drums

James Ryan, an executive from Mercedes-Benz Financial, stopped by for his third demo of our entertainment apps and ups the ante by simultaneously playing SurfaceDJ and VectorDrums at the same time. Check out the video below to see the rhythmic action…



From:
http://www.vectorform.com/surface/?p=183



When money attacks... Multi-taskers =^)

Sean Siler - Interview and Outtakes - I'm a PC

Sean Siler - Interview and Outtakes - I'm a PC

Microsoft engineer Sean Siler, who plays the role of The Real PC in the "I'm a PC" Life Without Walls campaign advertisements, shares his thoughts.



When money attacks... Windows advertising

Microsoft Surface and Vect-O Lantern

One of the Surface partners, Vectorform, came up with this great pumpkin carving application in their spare time over a few days using Expression Blend and the Surface SDK. Check it out.



When money attacks... pumpkin carving

Meet the Microsoft Surface Team

The team behind the Microsoft Surface



When money attacks... Microsoft employees

Microsoft Surface - BMW Application

You might be asking yourself, what is a muster, anyway? A “muster” is a term that was coined by our office in Berlin, and refers to any real-world object that provides a way to interact with a Microsoft Surface. Initially, we created musters using 1.5×1.5 wooden blocks, with an image on one side and black foam on the other. The muster would then be “tagged” with a sticker allowing the Microsoft Surface to associate the object with information, and display the related information.

Official musters made their grand debut when they were introduced on the BMW project. Each muster- approximately 20 in number – was created using images from BMW catalogs using authentic paint chips and actual materials from the car. The musters represented interior and exterior color and texture options, wheels, trim, and accessories as an interactive tool for viewing and selecting particular car choices. Our musters were designed with the customer in mind, to provide an interactive selection process through the use of real-world objects.

From:
http://www.vectorform.com/surface/?p=32



When money attacks... BMW

Microsoft Surface - A few apps developed for MSNBC

We had a blast creating the applications MSNBC is using on the Surface, and it’s been pretty exciting to see them in play. Each one is unique with a different theme and function—we’ve provided a little more info below on the ones you saw today. Check back for more details as MSNBC uses the other applications to delve deeper into the upcoming election.

The Electoral Map
The Electoral Map provides an interactive tabulation of the electoral vote, by State. While on-air, Chuck Todd can indicate a state as likely or leaning toward a candidate, or as a toss-up. By quickly changing the State’s status with just a touch, Mr. Todd can demonstrate how different scenarios affect the total electoral vote. In addition to voting predictions, the map interacts with musters and displays factoids about each state. Like all the applications, the map can accept hand-drawn annotations.

The Battleground States
As the whole country learned in the 2000 Presidential Election, one swing state, also known as a battleground state, can have a deciding effect on the next American president. Vectorform created the Battleground State Application to help MSNBC and Chuck Todd demonstrate the importance of a battleground state’s vote.

Check out our pictures from our day on the set, and we will be posting more information in the coming days and weeks, so stay tuned for more!

Florin with the electoral map



Chuck Todd preparing the bobbleheads:



Group Shot!





From:
http://www.vectorform.com/surface/?p=227



When money attacks... TV stations!

Microsoft Surface - Heads the battlefront for NBC…

Check out Chuck Todd as he shows off more features of the application we built for MSNBC featuring several new poll panels as scatterview items, and navigating to the Pennsylvania state map. Be sure to stay tuned to NBC and Chuck Todd on the TODAY Show throughout the election season for more reports on the Microsoft Surface. 7:00 - 7:30 am (the country’s most-watched morning television program.)



From:
http://www.vectorform.com/surface/?p=251



When money attacks... polls!

Microsoft Surface - Trivia Application

Most early adopters of Microsoft Surface technology are likely to have the resources to develop custom applications, but as multi-touch technology becomes more accessible, a large class of Microsoft Surface owners will not have the resources to develop custom applications. As consumers become more familiar with multi-touch applications it will become increasingly important that every Microsoft Surface deployment provides a unique user experience, or consumers will grow bored with the technology and adopt a “seen one–seen them all” mentality.



To help every Microsoft Surface owner provide a unique experience, we are developing applications that can be rebranded and customized by end users. One application we are working on is the Surface Trivia Engine. The Surface Trivia Engine allows non-technical users to build interactive trivia games. These customized applications and owner-friendly controls will ensure that every time a user sits down at a surface, they will get a totally new experience.

From:
http://www.vectorform.com/surface/?p=43


When money attacks... trivia!

Microsoft Surface at PDC2008 - SecondLight

Second Light Surface Demo from Microsoft Research at PDC 2008



Microsoft researchers demonstrate SecondLight, a new variation of the company's Surface technology, at the Professional Developers Conference in L.A.



When money attacks... Tracing Paper

Tons of Microsoft Surface applications at PDC2008!!!

Microsoft has tons of surface units across PDC, at partner booths, lounges and even their own little surface spot on the main floor.

Microsoft has also been handing out the Version 1 Surface SDK to those who participate in the hands-on labs.

At PDC we were set a challenge to visit all of them with a special card and pick up photo images from each surface unit. The prize was a surface t-shirt. We thought that whilst we were visiting each of them why not record the different applications on the surface units as they varied per unit. Rafael helped out with the recordings.


Microsoft Surface Demos - PDC 2008

From:
http://www.neowin.net/news/live/08/10/29/microsoft-surfaces-at-pdc


When money attacks... computers!

Google Reader in Plain English

How to use Google Reader to read all your favorite news sites and blogs in one place and share news with friends.



When money attacks RSS readers.

Microsoft Surface - SurfaceDJ 1.0

For all you techno-loving wannabe DJ’s out there, SurfaceDJ 1.0 is the killer app to get your groove on. I had the idea of creating a Mixer-type application for the Microsoft Surface shortly after creating VectorDrums. I brought this idea up to Joe who loved the concept. After some long hours during the day, we opened up a bottle of our favorite drink (gotta love a glass of… coke) and sat down and began prototyping. Within an hour, we had a simple app that played some sounds when objects were placed in a specific area of the Microsoft Surface. As fun as that sounds, we needed something more.



As an amateur music producer, I was struggling to figure out a way to incorporate music into this app. A mixer is great and all, but it isn’t really creative. It’s just a playlist with cross fades… meh. So we had an app that plays sounds and a new innovate device with a completely new interface to computing. Where could we go with this? Then it hit me.

I went home and started writing musical loops that would sound well when layered on top of one another. The idea was to create an application that allowed multiple users to work together to create a song that sounded good without any musical experience. Heh, yeah it’s not that easy. I brought in the loops the next day and added them to the app and invited people to mess around and see what they thought. The response was overwhelming. I had almost everyone in the office hovered around my Microsoft Surface waiting for their chance to collaborate and develop their own song. The app was very simple, which allowed anyone to use it, but provided a unique experience that cannot be found anywhere else on any device.

As with the VectorDrums, we invited James Ryan, an executive from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, to check out and play with our new creation. He immediately began to sequence his own song, starting with a simple kick drum and eventually layering more complex melodies on top of it. His performance was taped for your viewing pleasure.

Since the initial prototype, SurfaceDJ has been re-skinned and shown to Microsoft who praised the application and will demo it at their upcoming Surface Release Party. Who knew that having the ability to touch their music would be so fun?



From:
http://www.vectorform.com/surface/?p=44


When money attacks... DJs!!!

I'm a PC - Stereotype

http://imapc.lifewithoutwalls.com/
Who is the real PC? Answer: all of us.



When money attacks... Windows advertising