Microsoft set to unveil "PlayTable" technology

As we here at DailyTechRag often say, touch-sensitive technology is the next big thing. With products like the iPhone and LG Prada Phone just weeks from release, the world of consumer electronics is just about to see an explosion of interest in touch-sensitive technologies. Of course, Microsoft doesn't want to be left out, and to that end, the company will reveal its "PlayTable" technology next week. What exactly is PlayTable? ZDnet describes it as a "multi-touch, gestural- and object-recognition interface technology," which "can be used to facilitate gestures, touch, and other emerging input modes on various computing surfaces." The company has been showing off prototypes for a few years now, including a dazzling demo at CES 2006 where Chairman Bill Gates "placed a cell phone containing digital photos on a tabletop device and all the pictures 'flew out of it' and could be manipulated by touch and gestures." No word on what form the actual technology will take, though the prototype that the company has been showing off consists of a projector, a camera with an infrared pass filter and an infrared LED device. Stay tuned.

For more on Microsoft's "PlayTable":
- see this ZDnet article