This week, Microsoft will show off some projects in development to employees at the Microsoft Research showcase in Redmond. The employee-only event will show off new directions for the company that the rest of us may see in the years to come. One such project involves Microsoft’s fun Surface product and making it mobile. We’ve more »

LG has a number of phones to show off here at CES including the LG Expo, the Choclate BL40 and Chocolate Touch. They could have been boring, and just have stations for each phone like you’d find in any store. However, LG found a better way, a dummy phone that can be placed on a more »

As we have seen in the past, the Microsoft Surface has recently made its way into another Las Vegas hotspot and the latest location is the new Hard Rock Cafe which is located in the Showcase Mall. Now, in addition to walking around and checking out the memorabilia on the walls (as well as buying some overpriced souvenirs), visitors can spend some time and check out any of the seven Surface tables that will be on display.

It was just over a year ago that we saw the Microsoft Surface make an appearance at Harrah’s Rio bar in Las Vegas and now it will also be on-site at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City. The Surface will be on display at the Xhibition Bar and visitors will be able to sit down and more »

Sure we all love to see a nice unboxing, getting to live vicariously through someone else. However, it is not everyday that we get to see an unboxing of a Microsoft Surface. Given the $13,500 price tag, it does not seem likely that these will become commonplace. In the meantime, we have this nice set of photos to enjoy, which according to the images, appear to be from the Darien Library in Darien Connecticut, and the images are courtesy of jblyberg’s Flickr page. I can only hope that they have as much fun playing around as I did when I got to visit the Surface team a few months back.

These images are pretty interesting, you can see that underneath the fancy Surface exterior it is running Windows Vista, not to mention jblyberg has also included a nice shot of an input panel. Something I cannot remember seeing on any of the units that were on display around the Surface headquarters.

Keep reading to check out a few images from the set, then make sure you click through on the Flickr link below to check out the full set…

BMW has recently become the first car manufacturer to begin using the Microsoft Surface to allow potential customers to configure their car with the fun of multi-touch. The BMW Product Navigator will let customers change and configure the exterior and interior colors, rims, and more through the use of color tiles that are placed on top of the Surface table. The Product Navigator even allows for optional accessories to be added.

Additionally, it has a secondary monitor that lets the customer see, and also share what they have configured with others. Once the customer has their car ready and complete they can then choose to print or e-mail the details, and even save them to a USB flash drive to take with them. I am not sure this would make be buy a BMW, well maybe if I had the money, but if nothing else it would sure make car shopping a little more enjoyable. Now, they just need to find a way to deal with the annoying salesperson. Keep reading to check out a video showing off the process…

Getting in the Halloween spirit, how about carving a pumpkin, virtually, of course. The carving demonstration is just another cool example of what the Microsoft Surface is capable of doing.

The application is courtesy of Vectorform, who was also responsible for the MSNBC election application, and while this may not be quite as important, it certainly is a lot more fun. The application is called Vect-O’ Lantern, and it does exactly what you would think — it carves your virtual pumpkin.

Continue reading to check out the video and to find out what’s really cool about this app…

Every once in a while, some new piece of technology comes out that changes education forever. Just think about how much computers are used in classrooms today. An organization known as SynergyNet has developed “an interactive multi-touch desk that looks and acts like a large version of an Apple iPhone”. Check out the video that can be viewed after the jump.

Little by little the Microsoft Surface is finding its way into the lives of more and more people. Between the slow, but seemingly steady move into hotels and bars such as the Sheraton and Rio, now the Surface has gone and gotten all political and made its latest appearance on MSNBC.

The newly political Surface was a customized unit that featured two new applications which included Electoral Map and Battleground States. Although other apps were not demoed, it was mentioned that more will be unveiled in the coming weeks that will “further highlight the candidates, the issues, polls and relevant political news.”

Electoral Map – Todd will use Surface to quickly and easily view historic voting results, polling insights and demographic data for each state. And by placing an object on the display, Todd will be able to instantly change the map to showcase results from previous predictions or to identify up-to-the minute changes.

Battleground States –This application will allow Todd to visually demonstrate the impact of various potential voting outcomes in key states and the effect they have on the number of electoral votes needed to win the election. This will be a great tool for Todd to lay out various electoral scenarios.

Continue on to check out a video of the new apps in action…

Some of you may remember when we reported that select Sheraton hotels were getting a Microsoft Surface table in their lobby. Well, I happened to be in Seattle for the Penny Arcade Expo last weekend, (you can read more about that at Gamertell.com, our sister site) and so I had a chance to sit down and try it out for myself.

I took a video of my findings which you can check out after the jump, or you can read my quick summary of what I discovered with the three functions of CityTrips, Sheraton Snapshots, and Sounds of Sheraton.