I want one of these! Microsoft has recently announced Surface. It’s a computer inside a table with a huge 30 inch touchscreen. You can manipulate the computer by touching or dragging your fingers on the table. Or place specially-tagged objects onto the table’s surface. The computer will recognize the object and present a menu of choices on the screen (for instance a wine menu near a wine glass you place on the table).

But the feature that appeals to me most as a photographer is the photo sorting capabilities. Visit Microsoft’s Surface site and watch the video entitled “The Power”. It shows a woman using her fingers to organize her electronic photos (and videos) just like you would photo prints.

The price won’t be cheap - between US$5-10,000 each initially which means they’ll mostly find their way to hotels and clubs. Microsoft hopes that prices will eventually drop enough to make consumer versions.