Is it possible that the monopoly of Apple on the sleek and innovative technologies of global consumerism is finally being challenged? Microsoft, probably more aware than anyone of the juggernaut slowly growing at Apple HQ, have come out all guns blazing in the next round of tech wars.

In the battle for your dollar we have recently seen the announcement of the Apple iPad, said to be the revolutioniser of how we absorb our media and entertainment. Microsoft put forward their challenger in less portable form. While most of us have heard inklings of the new Microsoft Surface, and Microsofts mission of turning as many home surfaces into computers as they can, we had yet receive any truly solid details on this new gadget.

With it's highly interactive functionality and home based design is it possible that the humble PC will one day be replaced entirely with a single screen and no peripherals?

More importantly what will this mean for gaming? Is the day of the arrow keys and mouse to move and shoot approaching it's end? Are Wii like controllers, tailored for specific actions in each game, using motion sensors going to see a rise to prominence? Our fingers may find themselves to be in far more direct control as we prowl dungeons, scale cliffs and fly high in the future.

No one can deny touch screen computing is on the rise. The unknown is what this means for gamers in years to come.

IT'S a coffee table-cum-computer and, following its release in Australia this week, it's yours for just $21,000.

The Microsoft Surface, a touchscreen coffee table with built-in cameras, is aimed at bars, cafes, clubs, shops and offices.

Able to detect 250 different finger touches at the same time, it features cameras that can identify the size, shape and even the text printed on objects placed on the tabletop.

Microsoft Australia developer Michael Kordahi said the table was designed to be used by several people at a time.

"It's not a device you would buy and stick in your lounge room, but it is something that can build a customer experience," he said.

Euphoric via news.com.au »