<s>
Microsoft	B-General_Concept
PixelSense	I-General_Concept
(	O
formerly	O
called	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
)	O
was	O
an	O
interactive	O
surface	B-Application
computing	I-Application
platform	O
that	O
allowed	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
people	O
to	O
use	O
and	O
touch	O
real-world	O
objects	O
,	O
and	O
share	O
digital	O
content	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
platform	O
consists	O
of	O
software	O
and	O
hardware	O
products	O
that	O
combine	O
vision	O
based	O
multitouch	B-Application
PC	O
hardware	O
,	O
360-degree	O
multiuser	O
application	O
design	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
software	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
natural	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
NUI	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
Surface	O
1.0	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
,	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
May	O
29	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
D5	O
Conference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
is	O
optimized	O
to	O
recognize	O
52	O
simultaneous	O
multitouch	B-Application
points	O
of	O
contact	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sales	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
1.0	O
were	O
discontinued	O
in	O
2011	O
in	O
anticipation	O
of	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Samsung	B-General_Concept
SUR40	I-General_Concept
for	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
2.0	O
software	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
and	O
Samsung	B-Application
partnered	O
to	O
announce	O
the	O
current	O
version	O
of	O
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
Samsung	B-General_Concept
SUR40	I-General_Concept
for	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
(	O
“	O
SUR40	O
”	O
)	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
(	O
CES	O
)	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Samsung	B-Application
began	O
shipping	O
the	O
new	O
SUR40	O
hardware	O
with	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
2.0	O
software	O
platform	O
to	O
customers	O
in	O
early	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Samsung	B-General_Concept
SUR40	I-General_Concept
is	O
a	O
40-inch	O
(	O
102cm	O
)	O
16:9	O
LED	O
backlit	O
LCD	O
(	O
1920×1080	O
)	O
with	O
integrated	O
PC	O
and	O
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
technology	O
,	O
which	O
replaces	O
the	O
cameras	O
in	O
the	O
previous	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
technology	O
enables	O
Samsung	B-Application
and	O
Microsoft	O
to	O
reduce	O
the	O
thickness	O
of	O
the	O
product	O
from	O
22	O
in	O
(	O
56cm	O
)	O
to	O
4	O
in	O
(	O
10cm	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Samsung	B-Application
produces	O
the	O
hardware	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
produces	O
the	O
software	O
platform	O
for	O
the	O
SUR40	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
is	O
designed	O
primarily	O
for	O
use	O
by	O
commercial	O
customers	O
to	O
use	O
in	O
public	O
settings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
combined	O
characteristics	O
place	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
platform	O
in	O
the	O
category	O
of	O
so-called	O
natural	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
NUI	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
apparent	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
systems	O
popularized	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
and	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
states	O
that	O
sales	O
of	O
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
are	O
targeted	O
toward	O
the	O
following	O
industry	O
verticals	O
:	O
retail	O
,	O
media	O
and	O
entertainment	O
,	O
healthcare	O
,	O
financial	O
services	O
,	O
education	O
,	O
and	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
is	O
available	O
for	O
sale	O
in	O
over	O
40	O
countries	O
,	O
including	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Canada	O
,	O
Austria	O
,	O
Belgium	O
,	O
Denmark	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
Ireland	O
,	O
Italy	O
,	O
Norway	O
,	O
Netherlands	O
,	O
Qatar	O
,	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
,	O
Spain	O
,	O
Sweden	O
,	O
Switzerland	B-Protocol
,	O
United	O
Arab	O
Emirates	O
(	O
UAE	O
)	O
,	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
(	O
UK	O
)	O
,	O
Australia	O
,	O
Korea	O
,	O
India	O
,	O
Singapore	O
,	O
and	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
for	O
the	O
product	O
was	O
initially	O
conceptualized	O
in	O
2001	O
by	O
Steven	O
Bathiche	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Hardware	I-Device
and	O
Andy	O
Wilson	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
Research	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
also	O
developed	O
some	O
applications	O
,	O
including	O
pinball	B-Application
,	O
a	O
photo	O
browser	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
video	O
puzzle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
technology	O
was	O
unveiled	O
as	O
under	O
the	O
"	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
"	O
name	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
CEO	O
Steve	O
Ballmer	O
on	O
May	O
30	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
at	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal'''s	O
'	O
D	O
:	O
All	O
Things	O
Digital	O
 '	O
conference	O
in	O
Carlsbad	O
,	O
California	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Surface	B-Application
Computing	I-Application
is	O
part	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Productivity	O
and	O
Extended	O
Consumer	O
Experiences	O
Group	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
within	O
the	O
Entertainment	O
&	O
Devices	O
division	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2008	O
Harrah	O
’s	O
Entertainment	O
launched	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
at	O
Rio	O
iBar	O
and	O
Disneyland	O
launched	O
it	O
in	O
Tomorrowland	O
,	O
Innoventions	O
Dream	O
Home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
13	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Sheraton	O
Hotels	O
introduced	O
it	O
in	O
their	O
hotel	O
lobbies	O
at	O
5	O
locations.https://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/aug08/08	O
-13SheratonMSSurfacePR.mspx	O
Sheraton	O
Hotels	O
&	O
Resorts	O
Transforms	O
the	O
Hotel	O
Lobby	O
Experience	O
With	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
On	O
September	O
8	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
MSNBC	O
began	O
using	O
it	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
election	O
maps	O
for	O
the	O
2008	O
U.S.	O
Presidential	O
Election	O
on	O
air	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
notes	O
four	O
main	O
components	O
being	O
important	O
in	O
the	O
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
interface	O
:	O
direct	O
interaction	O
,	O
multi-touch	B-Application
contact	O
,	O
a	O
multi-user	O
experience	O
,	O
and	O
object	O
recognition.Direct	O
interaction	O
refers	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
simply	O
reach	O
out	O
and	O
touch	O
the	O
interface	O
of	O
an	O
application	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
it	O
,	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
a	O
mouse	O
or	O
keyboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multi-touch	B-Application
contact	O
refers	O
to	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
have	O
multiple	O
contact	O
points	O
with	O
an	O
interface	O
,	O
unlike	O
with	O
a	O
mouse	O
,	O
where	O
there	O
is	O
only	O
one	O
cursor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multi-user	O
experience	O
is	O
a	O
benefit	O
of	O
multi-touch	B-Application
:	O
several	O
people	O
can	O
orient	O
themselves	O
on	O
different	O
sides	O
of	O
the	O
surface	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
an	O
application	O
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
made	O
possible	O
by	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
,	O
in	O
using	O
cameras	O
for	O
input	O
,	O
the	O
system	O
does	O
not	O
rely	O
on	O
restrictive	O
properties	O
required	O
of	O
conventional	O
touchscreen	B-Device
or	O
touchpad	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
capacitance	O
,	O
electrical	O
resistance	O
,	O
or	O
temperature	O
of	O
the	O
tool	O
used	O
(	O
see	O
Touchscreen	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
provides	O
the	O
free	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Surface	I-Device
2.0	O
Software	B-Application
Development	I-Application
Kit	I-Application
(	O
SDK	B-Application
)	O
for	O
developers	O
to	O
create	O
NUI	O
touch	O
applications	O
for	O
devices	O
with	O
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
and	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
touch	O
PCs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Applications	O
for	O
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
can	O
be	O
written	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
Presentation	I-Device
Foundation	I-Device
or	O
XNA	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
process	O
is	O
much	O
like	O
normal	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
development	O
,	O
but	O
custom	O
WPF	O
controls	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
created	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
unique	O
interface	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
already	O
proficient	O
in	O
WPF	O
can	O
utilize	O
the	O
SDK	B-Application
to	O
write	O
applications	O
for	O
PixelSense	B-General_Concept
for	O
deployments	O
for	O
the	O
large	O
hotels	O
,	O
casinos	O
,	O
and	O
restaurants	O
.	O
</s>
