A Computer You Can Spill Coffee On!

[neonlyte]

Microsoft announces new 'coffee table computer'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6703249.stm

Am I the only one who thinks this is a completely loopy idea?

Why would you want to lean over a coffee table (just push this months copy of Bondage for Beginners to one side) to operate and view a computer?

 

[cloudy]

I dunno, they'll probably sell a ton of them once the price goes down.

I could go for a spill-proof computer, actually. I have to replace my keyboard pretty regularly.

 

[oggbashan]

I used to have a keyboard with a plastic membrane covering the whole thing.

It was completely coffee-proof and cost about five dollars. A heavier than normal key depression was necessary but that's my normal heavy handed style learned from typing on a manual office typewriter.

Now I don't bother. My local computer shop sells me guaranteed secondhand keyboards for about two dollars. A major coffee spill means a change of keyboard. I have several un-coffeed spares.

Og

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/5a7f/

Try this!

And I would so give a kidney for a panasonic toughbook! Water proof, rugged as hell.... I just need to find when teh local police department is having their office clean up sale.

 

[cloudy]

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/5a7f/

Try this!

I had one of those for years - loved it, but then it quit working (well, several of the individual keys quit working), and I haven't been able to find another one locally.

Still looking, though.

 

[oggbashan]

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/5a7f/

Try this!

And I would so give a kidney for a panasonic toughbook! Water proof, rugged as hell.... I just need to find when teh local police department is having their office clean up sale.

One of the UK's computer dealers has been offering toughbooks for a couple of years - about 150 pounds but either a 486 or a Pentium 1 running Windows 98.

Og

 

[Adi87]

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/5a7f/

Try this!

And I would so give a kidney for a panasonic toughbook! Water proof, rugged as hell.... I just need to find when teh local police department is having their office clean up sale.

I use this... its quite cheap back here and of pretty good quality, so I try to use this as much as I can instead of spoiling the keys of my laptop.

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

One of the UK's computer dealers has been offering toughbooks for a couple of years - about 150 pounds but either a 486 or a Pentium 1 running Windows 98.

Og

UGh.......I know the police use a P4 now and should be off loading a bunch of early P4 and some p3 that could do amazing things with Ubuntu linux.

Why does my one connection at the police force have to be such an irritating bitch, that I can't stand?

 

[Vermilion]

I dunno, they'll probably sell a ton of them once the price goes down.

I could go for a spill-proof computer, actually. I have to replace my keyboard pretty regularly.

Just get one of these type things then...
x
V

 

[Vermilion]

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/5a7f/

Try this!

And I would so give a kidney for a panasonic toughbook! Water proof, rugged as hell.... I just need to find when teh local police department is having their office clean up sale.

Doh. Serves me right for not following links in previous posts before making my own...
x
V

 

[Grushenka]

Am I the only one who thinks this is a completely loopy idea?

Luddite.

from NYT article:
> Microsoft says this touch screen will allow people to “interact with digital content the same way they have interacted with everyday items such as photos, paintbrushes and music their entire life: with hands, with gestures and by putting real-world objects on the surface.”

For example, when a digital camera with Wi-Fi capabilities is placed on the display, the table recognizes the camera and, at a touch of the screen, downloads its photos and video clips. The digital pictures can be sorted and sized by “handling” them as if they were physical prints.

The device uses cameras under the display to detect touches, and unlike traditional touch screens it can handle multiple touches at the same time, said Jeff Gattis, the director of product management for Surface.

Similarly, Surface can read bar codes and identification tags embedded in objects like hotel chain membership cards.

Microsoft hopes this technology will someday be common in homes, but its first uses will be commercial. By the end of this year, Surface will appear in hotels, restaurants, retail stores and public entertainment sites, where it will serve as an information kiosk and handle things like basic customer service. <

 

[neonlyte]

Luddite.

Guilty! In mitigation, the BBC headline describes it as a computer and not an Information Kiosk

Naturally one will have to be careful what photographs one takes, accidentally place the wi-fi camera on the hotel reception desk and guilty secrets must spill forth for all to see.

 

[JPMMURPHY]

I wonder when they'll wise up and make it the size of a kingsize bed? Let's see, where did I put my Celebrity clips?

 

[linuxgeek]

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/5a7f/

Try this!

And I would so give a kidney for a panasonic toughbook! Water proof, rugged as hell.... I just need to find when teh local police department is having their office clean up sale.

Use the toughbooks cf18 & cf19 for our deliverable product at work. We have ended up referring to them as the 'not so toughbooks'. They also are not the fastest CPUwise.