Yesterday the big news was that Microsoft would be launching a new product today (well, at midnight). The most popular guess was the ZunePhone but it turns out this product has been in development for much longer - since 2001, in fact.

Microsoft’s Surface is a 30-inch tabletop that offers direct interaction through touch. User can actually grab items on screen and interact with them - for instance, sorting a stack of pictures.

The Surface is a pretty exciting technology that Microsoft is marketing to hotels, retailers, and public entertainment venues first. Wireless providers could allow customers to select multiple phones, place them on the Surface, and quickly compare them heads-up with one another. Hotels could provide concierge service to their visitors with maps and local information. Restaurants could allow customers to place an order directly from their table or match dishes up with suggested wines. Casinos could track player stats and provide instant notification of how much money is in the pot or in a player’s chip stack.

The list goes on an on - I definitely want one of these for the house.