Microsoft - Could it be they now have a good idea?

This may be the computer "thing" which" will revolutionise the world (of I.T. anyway). While it is undeniably bulky, there is something about it which is quite amazing. This is not the first time an computer has escaped from the accepted bounds; we have had various bits and pieces in fridges for quite some time, and you can even get an oven with a built in recipe book.
However, everything that has come before has been a bit limited. Who really wants to stand at the fridge and type an e-mail; and as for looking up recipes, these designers have never cooked. I can think of nothing better than dragging my chicken coated fingers across a screen, as I go through the instructions for making terrine. But then again, when it comes to kitchens, I suppose the computer guys are probably better with design than kitchen designers; the latter are not rated highly!
The concept, if put into viable production, has the potential to change not only the way that we interact with computers, but the way we interact with our world. It is not likely that this will be the machine which will lead us into a brave new world; but it may well lay the ground work. Being able to put your PDA on a surface, and copy the directions from your house to a restaurant you are taking your new girlfriend to is something we have wanted to do. In fact, it makes so much sense that that it is bizarre that it is still so difficult to achieve this.
There will obviously remain a demand for the conventional computer system, for a while at least. But the role played by the current desktop is changed everyday, and with this system, could be reduced even more. There is no doubt that the desktop PC revolutionised the way we live, work and play, but it may be the next Colossus. The desktop PC got applications off hideous main-frames which were used by the odd computer scientist here and there, or shared by a couple of hundred employees at a department store (with warts, punch cards and all). But it may soon be time to push the applications back onto the main-frames; for the most part, anyway. Of course, this is reliant on increases in performance of the telecommunications networks, which are need ever so desperately in Australia.
Of course, the greatest problem, which seems to shadow Microsoft like the curse of the three witches, is its inability to pull something off, coupled with its reputation of squeezing other people out of the market, or buying companies out to get its hands on some great, innovative idea. However, if Microsoft can do this properly, and actually create a product on time, and deliver it effectively to market, it may have a chance. There are a lot of ifs and buts, but it would appear that if Microsoft gets it right, it may well be seen as a great innovator, and could give Apple and run for its money.
So, the next year looks to be quite interesting, if Microsoft gets it right ... or wrong.

Walsingham Nut