Microsoft Surface: accidental hit?

A lot has been said already about Surface, the killer UI making “Minority Report” look like “Driving Miss Daisy”.
A video from the application to be found at the Caesars’ Palace can be found here, and Manuel Diaz posted a very complete video on the .Gr blog.

Following the analysts’ meetings and our FY07 results, the press is all over Microsoft. Interestingly enough my favorite Richard Waters has posted a note on Surface in the FT’s Tech blog (which you should all be reading by now). The bottom line seemed too obvious for even him had to write it which makes me feel kinda sad. Here it goes:

It’s a reminder that the company’s developers can indeed come up with hot products, though it also says a lot about its internal development process. You could never see Steve Jobs accidentally stumbling onto something in this way.

Technorati Tags: Apple, digital design, emakina, Groupe Reflect, Microsoft, surface, user experience

Windows Live QuickApps: register NOW!

The Windows Live Quick Application program has been launched following the Worldwide Partner Conference to minimize the learning curve of Windows Live services and technologies. If you are even remotely interested in web technologies I think you should take a close look at these applications and join the program as it will provide you with valuable insight as these services become available.

Technorati Tags: Live, Microsoft, Windows Live

Microsoft Surface @ Caesars Palace

I managed to get one of the product managers from Microsoft Surface to do a quick demo of how the table will be used at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

It is interesting and a good complement to other videos you can find on the web. The table price point is currently set around $10k and should decrease steadily (think flat screen price curve) as large deals with large volume make the unit costs go down.

Technorati Tags: digital design, Microsoft, surface, user experience

Executive lunch with Kevin Turner

Today the Interactive Agencies (AKQA, Frog Design, Monochrome, FullSix, Emakina-Groupe Reflect, aso.) had an executive lunch with Kevin Turner and Alison Watson to discuss Microsoft’s engagement towards the web ecosystem.

Damon and Manuel share their feedbacks on this lunch and explain the next steps going forward. As before, they do it in French, but they do it with style!

Feedback from French Web Agencies @ WPC2007

While seating in a great Windows Vista Ford Mustang, Damon and Manuel share their feedbacks on the WPC2007, Microsoft’s engagement towards interactive agencies and they do it with style! 

Technorati Tags: 7Seven, digital advertising, emakina, e-marketing, FullSix, Groupe Reflect, Microsoft, WPC2007, web 2.0

French Web Agencies @ WPC2007 in Denver

This is our first podcast from Denver, taken during the VIP cocktail party thrown exclusively for the interactive agencies.

AvenueA | Razorfish comments on the recent aQuantive acquisition by Microsoft, what it means to the industry and specifically what it means to Duke, the French agency they acquired earlier this year. Note that Manuel also did a post on this earlier this week.

Technorati Tags: AvenueA Razorfish, digital advertising, Duke, e-marketing, Groupe Reflect, web 2.0

Danone Nations Cup: when Silverlight meets Zinedine Zidane

Today was the final of the Danone Nations’ Cup, a worldwide football competition in which kids from 40 countries aged 10-12 play together. Zinedine Zidane is the sponsor of this event in favor of ELA. This great event is the result of competitions being held at national level all over the world and as such gathers a very international crowd. A website has been created to support the event and make sure that this community can share pictures, videos and maybe just stay in touch year after year.

Technorati Tags: Danone, Microsoft, Silverlight, Groupe Reflect, Zidane

Technology is a means, not an end: usage is!

So I am about to head to the Microsoft Partner Conference with two outstanding people (Damon from FullSix/7Seven and Manuel from EMakina-Groupe Reflect should you wish to know) and as I browse through the list of agencies present I come across Projekt202.

Their baseline pitch is just so true… It is really not technology that matters but rather usage. Give more sense to a phone, add a twist of design and let the users do the rest… it is a non-issue that the network sucks rocks, that the battery will die on you faster than you can say “call me on my fixed line”, all that really matters is that you can relate to what it is you will do with it. And this is easier said than done!

Technorati Tags: 7Seven, digital advertising, digital design, emakina, Microsoft, reflect, FullSix, web 2.0

Microsoft Surface… try before you buy ;-)

For those of you interested in Microsoft Surface, try the following Silverlight application.

It will enable you to handle the pictures the way you would normally do it using only your hands. For the real thing, I suggest you fly to Vegas and play with it next fall in selected casinos. 

Technorati Tags: digital design, Microsoft, Silverlight, surface

Popfly: franchise products announced

Following our MIX’07 Paris event, a select number of franchise products are being launched. As can be seen below we currently have 4 models, based on the popular popfly gizmo. Should you feel interested, do not hesitate to contact us for further information. Pricing is yet to be determined and will be based exclusively on the demand curve.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Popfly