No the title is not a typo - it should read window and not Windows. Samsung has a really off-the-wall, or should that be window, idea for bringing computing into new locations.
Why not create a transparent monitor and mount it as if it was a window pane?
The result is a window that acts as a touch sensitive screen. The suggestion is that you could install it in a kitchen and have a big TV screen plus a computer without having to give up any space to it.
If it sounds like a silly idea take a look at it in action:
During the day it uses natural light and by night it glows with the help of a fluorescent lamp. It is partly solar powered and it is is 22-inches at 168x105 pixels. Traditional LCDs only manage a 5% transparency but the new screen manages about 20% making it an effective but dim window.
I can't help but think about what the effect would be of having your data displayed in a window pane that the whole world could see from the other side. OK, the text would be mirror reversed but how hard is it to read mirror reversed writing?
Watching a movie might also become a rather public event, as would any recipes you cooked up. It might be a good idea to keep such a display for rooms with a very private view. And what about double glazing? And when a ball came through the window it would be a real disaster.
I like the simulated blinds however - but that's an expensive pair of blinds even if I can choose the color every day! A more extensive augmented reality display might just make it worthwhile. Imagine placing the Smart Window so that it looked out onto a view that was worth adding animated 3D prehistoric creatures to...
The Kinect is a device that has a huge potential - if you only understand how to harness it. This is where "Making Things See" can help and O'Reilly has provided 10 e-book copies for winners of a priz [ ... ]
