Microsoft demonstrated the touch capabilities of its Windows 7 operating
system and introduced a new suite of multi-touch applications at the Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital
conference on May 27.
In a blog post on the demonstration, Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows communication
manager at Microsoft, noted that the touch demonstration comes a year after
Microsoft initially introduced the company's multi-touch capabilities at last
year's All Things Digital conference.
Said LeBlanc:
"At Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital conference about a year
ago today, Julie Larson-Green first introduced Walt Mossberg to Windows 7 and
its multi-touch capabilities, which we call Windows Touch. While we’ve been
working on bringing natural user interface to you in many Microsoft products,
we first introduced multi-touch in Microsoft Surface. Since then, the Windows
and Surface development teams have been collaborating closely on bringing multi-touch
to Windows, and last year demoed a few applications they created to run on
Windows 7. Today, we thought it would be fitting on this 'anniversary' of first
talking about Windows Touch to introduce the Microsoft
Touch Pack for Windows 7."
Thus Microsoft introduced the new Touch Pack for Windows 7, which is "a
set of six multi-touch optimized applications and games that are designed to
truly showcase the capabilities of Windows Touch in Windows 7," LeBlanc
said. "It consists of 3 casual games, and 3 Microsoft Surface applications
that have been created for Windows 7."
The Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 includes Microsoft Surface Globe,
which uses the Virtual Earth 3D engine to display a 3D version of the world, as
well as Microsoft Surface Collage, which enables users to display digital
photos and arrange and resize them using their fingertips. Other components of
the Touch Pack include the Microsoft Surface Lagoon, which is a screensaver
that users can interact with using multi-touch; Microsoft Blackboard, which
enables users to create things on a virtual blackboard using gestures;
Microsoft Rebound, a ball game; and Microsoft Garden Pond, an application
featuring origami creations on a pond.
Regarding the adoption and availability of the multi-touch applications,
LeBlanc said:
"In order to use the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7, you’ll need a
Windows 7 PC that supports multi-touch. The Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7
will be available to PC makers (OEMs) who will have the option to pre-install
some, none or all of the applications available in the Microsoft Touch Pack for
Windows 7 on PCs designed for Windows Touch (PCs that meet the logo
requirements for Windows Touch)—so you should start to see these applications
showing up on some touch PCs around the time Windows 7 is made broadly
available. After general availability of Windows 7, we will look at making the
Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 even more broadly available based on
feedback from customers and partners."
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