The people over at nsquared have released the first book for developers and designers getting started on Microsoft Surface. Aptly titled, Developing for Microsoft Surface: Crafting Exceptional Experiences, provides the more than just the essentials for developing software on Microsoft Surface. It provides insight into what makes creating experiences on Surface different. It also goes through theory and onto hands on labs for practice.
Don’t forget to pick up Visual Studio 2008 and the free download of Microsoft Surface SDK 1.0 SP1 Workstation Edition if you don’t have a Surface to start out on.
I can see from downloads of the SDK over the weekend and the traffic on our Partner QuickStart this morning that Microsoft partners must be returning to the office from PDC. In case you missed it, here’s a recap from the past week.
New from this week: Surface SDK 1.0 SP1 supports XNA Game Studio 3.0 and later
- Eric
Prior to SP1 the Surface SDK supported only XNA Game Studio 2.0, which lacked support for Visual Studio 2008. Most people don't know it, but our the Surface SDK 1.0 SP1 release added support for XNA Game Studio 3.0 and later. And starting with version 3.0, XNA Game Studio supports Visual Studio 2008.
Note: You can download the Microsoft Sruface SDK Workstation Edition from Surface.com.
Just install XNA Game Studio 3.x before you install the Surface SDK. If you already have the SDK installed, install XNA Game Studio 3.x and then repair the Surface SDK through Programs and Features in Control Panel. Then in Visual Studio, create a new project, and select the Surface Application (XNA Game Studio 3.0) template under Visual C# > Surface > v1.0.
When we talk about what we’re doing here at Microsoft Surface, there are several attributes that come to mind. Sometimes for those who haven’t been exposed to a lot of touch and multi-touch, it seems like all touch is the same. Here’s a crash course to bring you up to speed.
Two Important Attributes
One aspect to keep in mind when thinking about Surface is the massive multi-touch that is provided by the hardware. This is very important for multiple users, or together computing. When you have several people clustered around a device, the experience breaks down if you can only handle a few touches. Many multi-touch monitors only handle two touches. That may be okay for a single user scenario on a desktop or laptop PC, but Surface enables so much more collaboration, allowing over 50 touches at once. Another important aspect is objects. The vision system in Surface can see what’s going on the table-top. This allows for all manner of natural user interfaces to be employed both with everyday objects, and objects specifically crafted to work with Surface. These objects both make Surface more engaging and it can be more efficient at the same time.
Monster Mashup and Objects @ PDC
Today at PDC, Robert Levy and Anson Tsao talked about Microsoft Surface and Windows 7 for .NET developers. (We’ll recap in another post once the session video comes out.) During that discussion, Robert showed some video that really speaks to the amazing things you can do with Surface and objects. High resolution tags that are unique into the billions really expand the possibilities beyond simple tags. Attendees of PDC have seen this in the contact cards they’re using to digitally connect with each other on Surface.
As promised, here are the videos shown in the session that illustrate these points. Enjoy!
Eric (Follow us on Twitter and Facebook)
More Surface goodness at PDC today. Most folks in the booth today were buzzing about the news we made regarding the broad availability of the SDK, the new controls and the contest winner. In the event you missed the details scroll down the blog and check out Eric's recap and if you're at PDC swing by the booth tomorrow for more info or attend our session at 11:30am.
In addition to the steady booth traffic, we continued to register several hundred more attendees with our conference connection card. We also hosted a table at the Ask The Expert session where we fielded questions from roadmap (yes, we're working it) to competition to WPF integration. Lot's of good, challenging and technical discussions.
The evening ended with the PDC Geekfest (think party with old school video games, music, food and beer) during which we were invaded by a huge contingent of developers from Iceland. Using Surface and our Concierge app we not only discovered everyone's home, but also learned that many people (nearly everyone) in their Iceland neighborhood owned a large trampoline. No joke. Apparently it was the fashion last summer. Who knew? Next time you're at a Surface, search within Reykjavik, and those round structures you see in people's backyards...they aren't pools, they're trampolines. Only at PDC...
Off to bed,
K
I promised a better look at the picture I posted earlier today. Here it is. It’s actually a monster. Yes, a monster on Microsoft Surface. He’s part of the demo we’re showing on stage at our PDC session, 11:30am Thursday at Petree Hall C. Be sure not to miss out, because this is only half of the demo. We’re calling it the “monster mashup”. Get there early to grab a good view.
Thousands picked up a card to connect with each other on Microsoft Surface at PDC day one. If you want to know what that’s about and get a card for yourself, stop by our special Surface registration desk across from the PDC conference registration desk.
-Eric (Twitter and Facebook)
Microsoft Surface has really experienced positive momentum in the past year. At last year’s PDC we had 60 Microsoft Surface partners and in just one year that number has grown to more than 250 active partners. Our customer roster has expanded since PDC 2008 to include brands such as Hard Rock International, Barclays Bank and Vodafone, who have deployed units around the world. We also have a strong presence in the Microsoft retails stores which opened this fall.
Today at PDC 2009, we have a couple of exciting announcements.
Microsoft Surface SDK Workstation Edition
We are announcing the broad availability of the Microsoft Surface SDK Workstation Edition. Now anyone interested in developing collaborative, engaging massive multi-touch, multi-user experiences for Surface can easily access the software at no cost through Surface.com. The Surface hardware is needed to deploy an application, and many use the Surface Developer units to create and test their applications directly on the device. The SDK Workstation Edition lets you use a PC to develop and a PC based simulator to test applications using multiple mice and tag simulation tools. We launched resources for developers, designers and IT Professionals.
Touch First Contest winner
We are also pleased to announce the winner of the Touch First developer contest, with the grand prize being a Microsoft Surface Developer unit. We received nearly 40 contest entries from around the world and the judges had no easy task given all of the amazing applications submitted. Congratulations to the winner, User Interface Design GmbH in Ludwigsberg, Germany! You can see their winning application, UID Porfolio, below.
But wait, there’s more!
Remember, our session at PDC is tomorrow at 11:30am in Petree Hall C. You’ll want to attend this session to see what our mystery demo is all about. More to come. :)
- Eric (Follow us on Twitter and Facebook)
What is this picture of, and what does it have to do with Microsoft Surface? I promise I won’t keep you in the dark for long. Check back after 11am Pacific today and I’ll fill you in on the complete picture.
- Eric
Surface was back in action at PDC for another round of heady developer talks, loads of Surface Q&A time in the booth and a steady stream of folks still amazed at what this technology can do and the implications it has for Microsoft's future with NUI products. Once again our dev team is on hand to show off some of the latest applications and help people get hands on with Surface. A big attraction this year in the booth seems to be the dedicated unit which features all of the Hard Rock Surface applications that were recently deployed at the new Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas. It proves to be a natural seque in our conversations when folks ask about real world examples of how customers are using Surface. Beyond the booth, Surface is keeping attendees connected and networking through our “conference connection” cards and application on units spread throughout the show. Each attendee receives a tagged ID card that uniquely recognizes them at key Surface units. Using this card on Surface allows them to then share their contact info with other attendees, as well as keep up on real time Twitter and Flickr feeds from PDC. It's proving popular as the team registered over a 1,000 attendees in just one day.
We'll be back in the booth tomorrow, as well as hosting a table at the Ask the Experts session in the evening. Stop on by to learn more about Surface, how you can get the SDK and meet some of the technical team behind the development scenes.
Cheers,
K
Here’s a recap of what we talked about this week in the Microsoft Surface blog.
Next week is PDC. Kyle is our man on the ground. He’ll take photos and send back reports from the event in case you miss anything. If you can’t get your news fast enough, there’s always Twitter.
I’ve confirmed that we’ll have the complete suite of applications from the Hard Rock Cafe installed on one of the Microsoft Surface units at our PDC ‘09 booth next week. That means that if you’re in attendance, you’ll be able to check out the Memorabilia and other Hard Rock branded apps. Make sure to see our session as well and follow us on @MSurface.
Recently, I was down in Las Vegas at the grand opening of the NEW Hard Rock Cafe on the Las Vegas strip. It’s an amazing location to shop, dine and take in a concert. While we were there, we shot a video interview with the team that brought the Surface experience into the venue. The resulting impact is brilliant when you walk in the doors at the Hard Rock Cafe.
For a video demo of the Memorabilia application, check out this previous post. For a little more background on what went into creating the application, here’s an interview I did with Paul Osburn, Touch Technologist at Vertigo. Vertigo is a Microsoft Surface Strategic Partner. The Memorabilia application was created in partnership with Hard Rock, designed by Duncan/Channon and built by Vertigo.
Eric Havir: Why did you choose to create the experience on Surface?
Paul Osburn: All of us at Hard Rock, Duncan/Channon, and Vertigo wanted to create an experience that showcased Hard Rock’s music memorabilia collection. We didn’t want a traditional user interface to get in the way. With the Worldwide Memorabilia application, the content is the interface. Want to find where Hard Rock is located in Europe? Spin the 3D globe to Europe. Want to look at Bo Diddley’s guitar in more detail? Touch the guitar and use your fingers to zoom into it. Want to share what you find with a friend who is sitting next to you? Slide the guitar over to them. Using Surface allowed us to make the memorabilia the focus and create a social experience for the user.
EH: Can you describe the application?
PO: The Worldwide Memorabilia application allows users to explore Hard Rock's memorabilia collection in detail, read the story that goes with each item, watch videos, and discover Hard Rock properties using the 3D globe. Users open collections of memorabilia that float around on Surface and then zoom into any item they’re interested in. Up to 5 five people can use the application at the same time, from any side of Surface. From John Lennon’s army jacket to Michael Jackson’s white glove to Buddy Holly’s iconic glasses, there are thousands of items to look at and more being added every day since the application is connected to Hard Rock’s digital asset management system.
EH: What was the process for creating this experience? Where did you start and what did you want to accomplish?
PO: Our vision was to provide people at the cafes with a fun way to explore Hard Rock’s music memorabilia collection and properties. We started brainstorming what the application could be. We prototyped ideas and played around with them on Surface, continuing to refine those we liked and scrapping the rest. As the overall design matured we started building the application in earnest, using short iterations as checkpoints along the way.
We had several user-testing sessions, even going so far as setting up a mock Hard Rock Café in our offices: videos playing, loud music, Surface units, you name it. User testing ended up having a big impact on how we spent our time when it came to refining the application and adding the polish that makes it so engaging and fun to use. It really focused us.
EH: In general.. What other applications / experiences would you be interested in creating?
PO: We’re interested in creating experiences where users forget they’re using a machine, where they become completely immersed in the content, and where that experience can be shared with others. The interaction that takes place between people as they use our applications on Surface are just as important and exciting to us as the application itself.
EH: All technicality aside, what would be your fantasy application and where would you want to see it deployed?
PO: How cool would it be if an application on Surface allowed you or your group to connect with some of the musicians represented in the collection? Twitter, live video feeds, whatever … features that let you to get to know the artists by communicating with them directly from the Cafe.
Finally, it would be fantastic if there was an application for Surface that allowed you to create your own donut. You choose the style of donut, the flavors, toppings, etc. Then, touch something and BAM! Out comes a piping hot donut from the new deep fryer that’s built right into the Surface.
Please let me know if you have any questions about Surface here in the blog comments.
- Eric
The Microsoft Surface SDK Workstation Edition is now available for MSDN subscribers.
If you’re an MSDN subscriber, make sure to get over there and download the Workstation Edition SDK. This will allow you to develop Surface applications using your PC. With less than a week to go before PDC, you might want to familiarize yourself with the toolset before our session and Ask the Experts for even more insight.
Microsoft Surface lands and deploys in a big way in over 60 Vodafone flagship stores across seven European markets.
Customers in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom can now engage with Surface to explore the services and features that are part of the Vodafone 360 offering. A suite of innovative internet services for the mobile and PC, Vodafone 360 gathers all of a customer’s friends, communities, entertainment and personal favorites (i.e., music, games, photos and video) in one place giving users an integrated mobile internet experience.
Vodafone and Microsoft worked closely with Microsoft Consulting Services to create a custom retail application designed to enhance Vodafone’s assisted sales scenario.
The customized application includes a video introduction to the Vodafone 360 experience and an interactive tour of Vodafone 360 features and capabilities. When the Vodafone 360 mobile devices, shown in the store, are placed on the screen it opens up additional content that lets the customer compare and contrast features and price plans of the range of Vodafone 360 mobile devices.
Microsoft Surface’s massive multi-touch technology enables multiple users to interact freely with content and compare their findings, rather than leafing through paper brochures. Vodafone sales personnel can use Surface to create a more personalized and engaging retail experience for their customers while interacting with them face-to-face.
At Vodafone, the latest product information is updated to Surface from a central location for each country. This creates an efficiency of distribution that is only possible with digital content. And yet, with Surface, the digital content handles intuitively like a brochure.
If you’re in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain or the United Kingdom, why don’t you head down to your nearest flagship Vodafone store and see if they’ve deployed Microsoft Surface. If so, we’d love to hear what you think of the experience!
Microsoft Surface and WPF Session
Attendees of PDC 2009 should mark your calendars for our session on Thursday. First there was Surface, and now touch has come to PCs with the launch of Windows 7. Robert Levy with Surface and Anson Tsao with WPF will be leading a session about multi-touch for .NET developers. You’ll want to attend this session. Not only is the content very relevant, there are some amazing demos planned that show off some of the unique capabilities of Microsoft Surface that take multi-touch to a whole new level.
Title: Multi-Touch on Microsoft Surface and Windows 7 for .NET Developers
When: Thursday at 11:30AM
Where: Petree Hall C
Ask the Experts
On Wednesday night, we’ll be hosting a table at the Ask The Experts. Bring your questions for the Surface team.
Microsoft Surface Booth
We’ll have a Surface booth with 4 Surface units showing off a bunch of applications. I should have more on what we’re showing as details get finalized closer to the show.
Surface Conference Connection Stations
We’ll have several clusters of Surface units spread throughout the Los Angeles Convention Center. They will have our conference connect experience with business card exchange plus Twitter and Flickr feeds. If you haven’t seen that software, check this out.
Last week Microsoft launched the first of the new Microsoft Retail Stores in Phoenix with Microsoft Surface. This week we’ve launched a new store in Mission Viejo, and Microsoft Surface is there too. If you’re in SoCal, head on down to the Shops at Mission Viejo and check out Microsoft Surface.
From last week..
Microsoft Surface is not being offered for sale to consumers at the store. Surface is in four distinct merchandise areas at the corners of the store – supporting Games, Mobility, Personalization and PCs.
Microsoft worked closely with our partners Vectorform, Infusion and Wirestone to create custom applications for the retail experience and we’ve also included some other engaging applications that showcase Microsoft Surface for visitors to the store. You will find a mobility selection tool for Windows Phones as well as a Surface version of the hit service Skin-It for mobile phones, laptops and other devices. There are other applications that offer the visitor utility, exploration and fun.
If you’re in the Mission Viejo area, stop by and check out Microsoft Surface. Here’s the press release about the Microsoft Store.
