The next generation of Microsoft Surface lets people to collaborate using a large, thin LCD that both senses your touch and sees things set on its screen.

And Samsung is the partner, making available a 40" Full HD 1080p screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 1920x1080 resolution.

The original surface was clunky, expensive, and had a very limited number of demo programs. Designed for demanding locations such as retail, hospitality and education, the new surface is only 4? thick, can be mounted vertically or horizontally. It can both sense your touch and see things set on it (that's Samsung’s Pixel Sense technology). It costs about $6000 less than the original (manufacturer's suggested price for Samsung SUR40 starts at $7600 in USA).

The Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface will reach business customers later in 2011 in 13 European countries and 10 others including USA and some Middle East markets. Dassault Aviation, Fujifilm, Red Bull GmbH, Royal Bank of Canada and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. announce signed up to deploy the new product.

Microsoft and Samsung worked closely to develop the LCD panel which is being manufactured by Samsung and will be sold to business customers through its distribution network.

"With Samsung's cutting-edge interactive LCD technology and Microsoft's innovation in vision-based systems, together we were able to define a new LCD architecture," said HyungGuel Kim, senior VP Samsung Electronics LCD Business. "This brand-new concept of LCD provides image-sensing technology along with massive multitouch capability and enhanced horizontal durability, which are specialized for the Microsoft Surface experience."

Thin form factor, 4" thin, makes it easy to use horizontally, hang vertically with the VESA mount, or embed in walls or custom enclosures. Standard legs are available or customers can design and attach their own.

If SU40 takes off, you can say that Red Bull "gave it wings."

Red Bull, a producer of energy drinks, and Red Bull Media House, provider of media content from Red Bull extreme sports events, have selected T-Systems Multimedia Solutions, a Surface Strategic Partner, to develop a Surface application in an innovative project for use in bars and clubs.

Red Bull is investing in Surface for its ability to enhance the brand experience in a variety of locations, as well as its presence at worldwide extreme sports events. Using the Microsoft Surface application, fans of Red Bull will be able to interact with the product and multimedia content at the same time. When guests place their tagged Red Bull cans on the display, video content of Red Bull events and current news is shown on the display and can be saved for viewing later by snapping a photo of a QR tag with a smartphone.

Microsoft will also showcase Samsung SUR40 in its Microsoft Stores where they intend to deploy two to four Samsung SUR40 units per location.

Go Samsung SU40 with Microsoft Surface

EDITOR's NOTE: Microsoft changed the name in JULY 2012. It's now called "Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense." 

Microsoft Kinect isn’t the only gesture UI in the game. For one other example, Hitachi has shown in its lab a gesture-based system that will let you control any kind of information display on a TV or by a video projector, by simply waving your hands in any directions.

Here you can see the video of a working prototype that Hitachi is working on for digital signage, medical displays–as well as other CE areas like TV.

Go Hitachi Gesture System

At this year’s Digital Signage Expo in USA, The MediaTile Company showcased its HumanKiosk with 4G Video Presence.

MediaTile’s HumanKiosk utilizes 4G networking Video Presence technology to deliver a live, 2-way in-store video session as an integrated and relevant part of the content and messages displayed on the digital sign.

This enables a consumer to be much more actively engaged in a product experience though a live conversation with a representative of that product or service. A customer seeking additional information about a new product can simply touch the screen to establish a live visual and audio connection with a product expert located anywhere around the globe.

Once the video session is completed, the digital sign returns to its regular on-screen promotional schedule. Setting up the fully integrated solution requires nothing more than accessing a standard power outlet. It can be easily deployed into any retail, service or other locations that consumers regularly visit.

Go The Human Kiosk

Augmented reality (AR) technologies, which superimpose information from computers on real fields of view in real time, are now in use on streets in Japan.

For example, they are now being used for improving item description on digital signage, providing new features to show windows and helping shoppers find stores.

One of the Japanese companies, Toppan Printing Co Ltd., is testing a terminal that looks like a vending machine but features AR functions to showcase products at several Ito-Yokado supermarkets.

Consumers can use their mobile phones to read the QR codes (printed together with sample product information on electronics fliers available on Toppan's website). After completing member registration on the web, they receive a QR code. When they show the QR code to the camera equipped on one of the terminals, they can get a sample product.

When the package of a sample product is shown to the terminal's camera, the display on the terminal superimposes the description of the product on a real image.

In other examples from Japan: Sony Music Communications Inc (SMC) and Sky&Road Co Ltd are providing the "interactive show-window display using AR technologies" offering shoppers new experience. When a person stands in front of the display, it superimposes a virtual image around the person in the real image by using face recognition technology.

Go AR in Japan

Holografix Tube is a POS retail display with a stand-alone application of Holografix projection technology and an HD media player (network compatible). One animated custom logo included.

Available in different sizes: 24" up to 103," this design-tube is an easily transportable eye-catcher.

Go Holografix Tube

The French-made SpotDAPs directs sound exactly where you want it (within 3 degrees of directivity) and we” spotted” it because SpotDAP is up for an innovation award in Netherlands.

Pointing a SpotDAP towards sculptures or paintings can give the impression that they are alive with sound. Or direct the sound across passage ways to attract visitor attention.

SpotDAP is based on American Technology Corporation's patented HSS HyperSonic Sound System. The tight directionality of the SpotDAP should significantly reduce the noise levels in any situation where ambient noise is an issue.

Another SpotDAP feature is its ability to project intelligible sound a long distance, even up to 20 metres. Applications include points of sale, digital signage, grocery stores, kiosks, lobbies, banks, parks and museums.

The SpotDAPs are small and lightweight. All their elements are contained within the enclosure (digital processing, amplification and emitter devices) therefore they are very simple to install.

No audio amplifier is necessary as the SpotDAPs works along the same principles as an active loudspeaker.

Go SpotDAP