Microsoft erects a giant Surface tablet in the center of London
Microsoft has a fascination with big screens. The software giant has demonstrated Windows 8 on its 82-inch Perceptive Pixel PC and created giant displays with Kinect built in. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates even uses a giant 80-inch Windows 8 display
occasionally. Today, however, Microsoft is going one step further. At
one of London’s biggest tourist attractions, Trafalgar Square, the
company has created a 383-inch Surface tablet.
Sitting right next to Nelson’s
Column, the giant Surface dwarfs all the other historic statues at
Trafalgar Square. Microsoft built the structure in around 12 hours, and
it's 27 feet wide and 17 feet high, making it a roughly 383-inch
display. A purple Type Cover 2 has been recreated, with keys that feed
back to a Surface Pro 2 nearby. Microsoft is letting nearby school kids
play on the keyboard with a spelling game. It’s all connected via USB
and Micro HDMI and you can jump on the keys to control the input. The
company has even built space around the keys so you can walk around them
before you select the correct key to jump on. We tried the keyboard
with the Twitter app for Windows 8, and it worked surprisingly well.
It’s all a publicity stunt in
the center of London, designed to market Microsoft’s recently released
Surface 2. Thousands of tourists and workers pass through Trafalgar
Square each day, so Microsoft has clearly picked an ideal location for
its giant Surface tablet. It might not be a giant Windows Phone or a giant Surface cake, but it’s just as impressive. Fox News must be jealous.
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Trafalgar Square plays host to a giant Surface.
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The giant Surface 2 dwarfs other statues in the area.
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Microsoft also has a Surface keyboard.
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You jump on the keys to activate them.
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It's all powered by a Surface Pro 2.
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383-inch Windows 8.1 Start Screen.
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Big vs. small.
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Microsoft workers demonstrate Surface 2.