What is SURFACE COMPUTING?

Surface computing at its most basic is an attempt to make the use of a computer better match the way we interact with other things in our environments as well as better interacting with those things and allowing for far less time thinking about how we interact with our computers so more energy can be put into how we use them.

The most common and popular type of surface computing is that of touch screen monitors of the type that can be found on many modern phones. These are also common in many businesses where untrained workers are expected to use a computer. Until recently though these touch screen monitors were really little more than a replacement of the mouse. You could still only point at one thing at a time, and it wasn't even as good as a mouse because you can't right click or highlight things without using a keyboard.

More recently though both Microsoft and Apple have come up with new ways to use surface computing.

Microsoft's plan is a device called Microsoft Surface which takes the form of a large table and would be used in places such as hotels and casinos or board rooms. The key difference between this and other similar devices is the multi touch system. This allows users to use both hands to manipulate things such as photos, as well as the use of hand gestures and even physical gestures. Other features on the Microsoft surface allows for wireless communicates between devices so things like phones, cameras and laptops can sync with the table and move data between them effortlessly.

Huawei launches Android phones

Telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei said its subsidiary Huawei Devices has launched Android-based smartphone, IDEOS, at a price of Rs 8,499 in the country.


The smartphone offers multiple ways to access the Internet and comes pre-loaded with a range of social networking, email and useful services like Google Talk, Google Maps, YouTube and GMail, the company said in a statement.


Android is a software for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.


"Innovation and premium experiences shouldn't be restricted to high-priced devices. We believe that IDEOS will redefine the Internet experience for Indian youth," Huawei Devices Marketing Director Anand Narang said.

An Android™ phone can also run multiple applications at the same time and in the background of a phone, making multitasking easier and the functionality of the phone more fluid than other cellphones.
Android™ phones are considered revolutionary in some circles because of its open source, mobile platform. All developers, whether professional or hobbyists, are encouraged to write programs and applications for the Android™ operating system and contribute to the evolving Android™ project by submitting them to the Android™ Market. G1 users then choose to download and use the applications on their phone by accessing the application library on their handset.

What is ANDROID PHONES ?

An Android™ phone is a cellphone that uses the Google-developed Android™ operating system and platform. Google partnered with the High Tech Computer Corporation (HTCC) to build hardware for the G1 cellphone, the first mobile phone to run the Android™ platform. In 2008, T-Mobile premiered the G1 Android™ phone to the public.
On the technical side, an Android™ phone runs on the Android™ operating system, key applications and middleware. It's Linux kernel-based, has applications that are written in the Java language and can even run applications written in the C language. It is also a product, partly, of the Open Handset Alliance, which encourages the use and advancement of open source software for cellphones.