Retail and Hospitality

Microsoft Surface 2.0 now shipping

17 January 2012

Developers are showcasing several never-before-seen solutions for the device at NRF

Samsung Electronics America, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics and leading global brand of professional commercial display LCD products, is demonstrating its digital solutions leadership featuring the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface and a variety of applications from development partners at NRF 2012.

Available now through Samsung channel and reseller partners, the Samsung-Microsoft collaboration incorporates Microsoft Surface 2.0 software and touch technology into an interactive and engaging 40-inch full HD LCD that can be used horizontally as a table, mounted vertically on a wall or embedded in other fixtures and furniture.

“Both retailers and consumers are adapting to ever-evolving ways of interacting with information and merchandise and have expressed a desire for technology that delivers information in an engaging and visually dynamic way,” said Todd Bouman, vice president of product marketing for Samsung Electronics America, Enterprise Business Division. “With the availability of the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface, Samsung is energising the retail space and anticipates an all-new approach to customer engagement.”

The Samsung SUR40 is an interactive, collaborative multi-touch device, offering a thin, 4-inch profile and a large screen size. It integrates Samsung’s LCD panel capability with touch technology, combining Microsoft’s massive multi-touch and object recognition software to maximise the performance of a brand new type of touch screen technology – PixelSense.

Microsoft’s PixelSense technology – which gives LCD panels the power to see without the use of cameras – and the Microsoft Surface 2.0 software, the premier touch-first experience for end users, have been combined with Samsung’s display leadership to create an industry-changing information display device. The new SUR40 makes it possible for people to share, collaborate and explore together using a large, thin display. Not only can the SUR40 recognise fingers and hands, but it can also detect other objects placed on the screen supporting up to 50 points of contact at one time.

Major consumer brands and other technology partners such as Fujifilm, Industrial Color, Le Métier de Beauté and Pepsico Beverages Canada have near-term plans to use the Samsung SUR40 to support immersive retail scenarios, professional tools and/or marketing efforts.

“The Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface is an intelligent, specialised device, that can deliver highly-customised, engaging experiences for retailers and their customers,” said Somanna Palacanda, director, Microsoft Surface. “We’re eager to see the impact this innovative technology will have on a variety of industries and to continue to learn about and address customer needs.”

Shipments to customers will begin in January 2012. Estimated street pricing for the SUR40 for Microsoft Surface for US customers will start at US$8,400 (display only) and US$9,049 (tabletop unit with matching stand). Pricing for other countries and/or regions may differ.

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