I'd like the entire surface of my desk to be made up of a big hi-res LCD flat panel display. It would display a standard windowing UI. The area of any window would be touch-sensitive and would respond to pressure from a stylus. Alternatively I could draw out a mousepad and use a (wireless) mouse on that.

Other cool stuff - I'd have a phone handset on my desk but no phone - the 'buttons' bit of the phone would just be another desktop window.

An LCD flat-panel "bathroom mirror" would be fun too - it would display a (reflected) realtime video image of say, me shaving, overlaid with scrolling news headlines, stock tickers, etc.
-- hippo, Mar 06 2000

The Sun Starfire Project http://www.asktog.c...e/starfireHome.html
Starfire is like the concept car of workstations. One of the main features is the large display, which also works as a multi-function input device (they thought up a neat trick. Instead of a scanner, you flip the material upside down over the display and rub it like you were making a Silly Putty impression. CCDs embedded inside the LCD act as the scanner). The videotape is a little more understandable than the website, if you can find it. [koz, Mar 06 2000, last modified Oct 21 2004]

(?) Tilty Tables http://www.thetech....d/tilty_tables.html
A cute UI idea from PARC. LCD projectors pointed downwards display an image on a square table, mounted on a pivot. Tilting the table pans the image (or controls a simulated rolling ball, etc.). [rmutt, Mar 06 2000, last modified Oct 21 2004]

(?) HP done http://us.gizmodo.c...table-pc-156305.php
finally, a working model, not yet for sale. [neilp, Feb 23 2006]

Microsoft Surface http://www.youtube....watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY
Spoof video - real product. Don't know where to get one. [DIYMatt, May 21 2009]

Problem with a touch sensitive desktop is that desktops get things put on them, and if someone tossed down a pen and closed the Word doc you'd just spent an hour working on, you'd likely be peeved...<grin> Better would be a switch to turn it on and off, or a stylus that was the only thing the surface was sensitive to.

On the other hand, being able to tell someone that your desk crashed could be amusing...
-- StarChaser, Mar 06 2000


Your neck might get tired from always staring downwards. Methinks it would need to be like a drafting table, so you could angle it up a bit. Either that, or you could hang from the ceiling like Tom Cruise in _Mission Impossible_.
-- johan, Mar 06 2000


Oh yes - my PDA would 'dock' into the edge of the desk to form a contiguous part of the surface.
-- hippo, Mar 06 2000


Hrm... Well, you could have an interactive screensaver that moved say, a red vertically alligned rectangle around the surface that, when you placed your hand on it, would perform (at least) one level of user authentication and you could be granted access to the desktop. When you get up to do something or when someone pops in to add stuff to the desk in a "catch this" manner, have an easy to activate sequence to trigger the screensaver (or disable touch input for 30 seconds while the papers land and settle down).

I do, however, have issues with biometrics as a replacement for passwords, let along a single sign-on technology, but that's neither here nor there.
-- dnm, Mar 07 2000


People look downward at desks all day long...does cause problems sometimes, though. Having the UI tilted upward would give you 'gorilla arm' after a while, though...having to hold your arm out in front of you and point at things would hurt...Being able to rest your arm on the desk and just move your hand would work better for me...and not having to find a notepad would be cool, just nab a stylus and write on the desk, then have it send to where it needs to be. <grin> My handwriting would give any OCR system a nervous breakdown...I wrote a D on an IBM Workpad and it came up with the word 'tit', which amused my cow-orkers no end...
-- StarChaser, Mar 14 2000


This is a great idea for a small table that can be used at an internet cafe (if such establishments are still popular). I imagine a square table with a square panel seemlessly inset in the middle. It could be used to browse the net, and if it can show an onscreen keyboard, to compose email etc...

Also, it could become a game, like chess, where each player can rotate the whole image to face them.
-- ps, Mar 16 2000


Maybe if it was running windows and crashed, the desk faded away and everything fell to the floor.... hehehehe that would be funny :-)
-- noweb4u, Mar 29 2000


Actually I like the idea of a desktop-desktop, but you would need a blue desk....

Just in case your desktop-desktop crashed!

BTW kudos to the man with the PDA desktop corner idea. having a PDA become part of the desk surface would be cool, however a popup panel would need to be present to take the place of the PDA. Other wise dirt might coat or corrode the PDA connection port.
-- n3pla2000, Apr 12 2003


largely baked today as a concept, if not a widespread product in the market.
-- kamathln, May 21 2009


Baked "as a concept"?!
-- hippo, May 21 2009


Isn't this exactly what the microsoft Surface is? I posted a video link - it's a parody but the product is real (and does all that stuff).
-- DIYMatt, May 21 2009


Doh. I must have been sleepy.. I meant to write "The concept is largely baked today, If not a widespread product in the market.
-- kamathln, May 21 2009



random, halfbakery