Microsoft Israel unveils keyboard-free touch technology

Admit it, the thought of germs breeding in your keyboard, feasting on crumbs falling from your lunch, is nauseating. Microsoft Surface is one answer to some of those qualms: Microsoft Israel unveiled the innovation at its offices in Herzliya Pituach Wednesday, a year after its presentation in the United States.

The Surface is a touch screen that looks rather like a restless kiddie's table. It is operated solely by fingers - without keyboard or mouse. Its surface is a touch screen that can identify multiple finger-touches simultaneously, which means that several people can interact on it together. You touch and drag.

At present the applications that can run on the Surface computer are limited, but Microsoft Israel's team will be participating in the development of new ones.

Current applications include image editing, map navigation, music with a virtual DJ station (which was developed in Israel), a piano and games.

Another feature of Microsoft's Surface is biometric identification of users, by their handprint. And then there's its ability to interact with electronic devices, such as cellphones and digital cameras, and exchange information with them, though that capacity has some development to undergo.

Behind the Surface lies not a supercomputer but a standard one running Windows Vista, with additional properties.

Using the Surface computer is easy and intuitive and control of the objects on screen, such as images or musical notes, is done by moving one's fingers. But the real beauty is the multi-touch possibility, meaning, multiple users. Four people can play a single game together, for instance.

For now this is not a technology available in any technology shop. But the future? The Surface could serve as a combination of games console and personal accountant that could also be used to conveniently make calls, during which you transmit pictures of your favorite fighting fish.

Although the Surface is really still a product in development, two American companies have already adopted it. AT&T will be placing them at all its sales points and the Sheraton Hotel was also charmed enough to order Surfaces for its lobbies. Each one costs $10,000.