Microsoft offers a glimpse into the future of productivity
October 28, 2011 by Amara D. Angelica
Microsoft has posted an awesome new concept video with some ubercool new interfaces that could be here in five to ten years, estimates Kurt DelBene, President, Microsoft Office Division.
That sounds a bit conservative. “All of the ideas in the video are based on real technology,” he said. “Some of the capabilities, such as speech recognition, real time collaboration, and data visualization, already exist today. Others are not yet available in specific products, but represent active research and development happening at Microsoft and other companies.”
“Other companies” — hmm, some of the concepts look a bit like Nokia’s visionary Morph concept tech (see the video at the bottom of this post and our 2010 news item).
Added: Nov 9, 2011 — A contrarian rant






Comments (12)
by jack
Wot no driverless car?
by sean
what are we going to be?
by gulim1
hi
if this is true its amazing.who can imagine before ten to 20 years earlier that technology can go at this hype.
http://www.abdbuzz.com/2011/11/get-satellite-direct
by ebongeek
…To its credit these videos are well produced, awe inspiring and futuristic. Its a world where technology is everywhere, seemingly embedded and integrated into everything from the tables to the walls, the tools and applications depicted appear not only useful but truly beautiful. Oddly that’s the problem, Microsoft’s future vision is not truly as radical and revolutionary as one would expect or hope for. This future is just like now but better, with wider, thinner, brighter and faster versions of devices and applications that exist today. If one is to strive for a vision of the future it must be more than a better version of the present it must be truly transformative and revolutionary. So come on Microsoft surprise us, astound us, show us something we have never seen before. Read More: http://ebongeek.com/2011/10/30/microsoft-envisions-a-future-but-are-they-truly-capable-of-creating-it/
by Cybernettr
I wasn’t terribly impressed with this video either. When I saw the glasses, I thought they would be the type that project augmented reality or virtual reality, but they were just translating (why would this be built into glasses?).
I saw some snazzy interfaces on mobile phones and tablets and that was about it.
Plus, MS couldn’t seem to make up its mind what it was predicting. Screens with holographic images? If you have holograms, what do you need video display screens for? Duh!
by JILogan
How amazing! Microsoft sees bigger iPads and thinner iPhones in the future. Wow, it’s like prophetic!
by Mjr_Dzaster
With regard to the video posted at the top of this article…it IS exciting to see such technology for the near future. But as someone who is earning between $12,000.00 to $14,000.00 per year right now, down from $60, 000.00 only seven to eight years ago…I see this technology being only available to the Yuppie/Upwardly Mobile, Tech-Savvy “New” Gen-Xers and not so available to middle-aged, wanna-be’s…or has-been’s who were screwed by the very banking system that I suspect is in bed with the High Tech Industry that is promoting/advertising this sterile looking, albeit (let’s make life easier for the people who have money generation) while we drain Social Security, dismantle the Health Care System in all its forms, and start programming the population to think that Biometric Implants are necessary and THE LAW.
I WISH I were that wealthy to afford such luxuries. Meanwhile, my fourteen year old daughter in enrolled in a “Public” School System that is inadequate and not designed to accommodate the individual needs of my child, so she is lumped into a overpopulated classroom with thirty other kids who ALSO are not getting the individual attention that they deserve and NEED. I noticed that even though we are getting more tech savvy each year, our children are being down-educated instead of up-educated. I noticed that my son (who is now OUT of High School now for about two years…he’s attending a local Junior College) when he was still in high school, I perused the history book that he was issued and so while looking through this inadequate book on so-called history, I jumped to the section on World War II. That particular section was a piece of crap that was only about twelve pages of just about nothing of historical value, that noted absolutely NOTHING about WHO the financial backers were of Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini. It was I who had to teach my son that Prescott Bush was one of the financial backers of our enemies in WW II. No, even with all this wonderful technology, we still cannot even be honest with our younger generations where I am assuming that the Power Elite, the Illuminati, The Black Nobility…i.e. The Bilderberg Membership can continue their Global Plan for the “New World Order” as George H.W. Bush so eloquently put it when HE was the fake leader of the Untied States of Central North America.
I love having my computer. I am on it all the time. I use it for performing Photoshop jobs. I create art in different software programs on my PC. I use it clearly to communicate with the outside world like I am doing here right now. But it IS just a tool, right? I read British Author Neal Asher’s sci-fi novels and especially his ongoing trilogy based on a future for Earth known as The Polity Universe. Where humans have created such powerful computers that the computers of the future have of course become sentient, self-aware beings and which the humans have allowed to take over everything, basically all governance of law, health care etc. and for some reason, it all seems to work out quite well. But there ARE separatists who do not want to live under a system that has allowed technologically created minds to run their lives. But aside from all that, it is the actual technology that I fond so fascinating, intriguing, alluring and desirable. Mechanical Micro-Robots that can dismantle your body and put it all back together better than you were before is part of the Polity Universe. Injuries…if your head hasn’t been severed and you don’t have a Mem-Chip previously implanted in your brain…means that your dead, but if you did have a Mem-Chip implanted prior to such a severe injury, well that’s not a real problem, because you can get a new body. Lose an arm or leg? Not a problem…either have a new one grown for you, or have a mechanical one attached. You have choices.
Where we go as a species in all up to us. But how long are we going to allow our so-called governments to “control” us? How long can our species last if we are using War Profiteering as the top motivator for our Profit Based Monetary System? The Military Industrial Complex is the biggest polluter globally. The Untied States of Central North America is the WORST polluter both as a nation as well as a Imperialist, Military Force. It’s disgusting really. There is no legitimate reason whatsoever to continue using War and the reversed fallacy of the so-called “Terrorist Threat” as an excuse for these handful of lunatic War Mongering War Profiteers to be allowed to continue this rape of our planet or as a means by which they use to “Cull” the human population…especially brown skinned people’s…so the White Banksters and the Upper Echelon can continue to live life like emperors.
As far as the Morph-Nanotechnology is concerned in the last video at the bottom of the page, how far away from that are we? Looks exciting of course, but my other question is what environmental impacts does the continuing manufacture of these devices have on Mother Nature? I know that the electronics manufacturing industry uses hundreds of millions of gallons of water to process (cleanse) microchips after they have been printed. What is the industry doing to address this issue?
Thank you for allowing me the chance to comment here.
~Peace and Namaste
by l2troll
You have destroyed all an any hope of your sons ability to live a normal life.
by RalfLippold
The bold technology is to be seen right next door here in Dresden. Yet it takes another step to make a good idea a running business (even though all the odds are in favor).
Sticking to you bold vision and take the unusual approach, a bit on the edge, not hindered by nay-sayers, and risk seers :)
by l2troll
TOUCHSCREEN IS NOT THE FUTURE. IT IS NOT FASTER. IT IS NOT EFFICIENT.
Using a touch screen instead of a keyboard and mouse is like going back to digging a hole in the ground with your hands instead of using your shovel.
by Pawel Loboz
Well either you have not typed on a touchscreen or used it for very long, but it is much easier in your fingers and wrists than pressing down physical buttons. Although newer laptop keyboards come close it is still not the same. So if you’re saying that touch screens are not the future than what is, sure as hell not CRT TV’s. Dont think this is the far out future this is only as far as we can confidently see into the future with current developing and existing technology.
by shade
HAHA this made me laugh so hard, but it is so true.