Silverlight technology is now available for Symbian devices by way of a new download from Nokia’s OVI store. The latest release works on S60 5th edition phones, a lineup which includes the Nokia XpressMusic, N97 and N97 Mini, which are used by 20+ million users worldwide.

The Silverlight technology brings the following features to these Nokia users (according to the Team blog post):

• Media: Hardware assisted Media playback of H.264 content. This gives a great media viewing experience using full hardware decode and hardware post processing.

• IIS Smooth Streaming: Enables users to access live and on demand media content streamed using IIS Smooth Streaming including multiple bit rate switching.

• Rich UI: Developers get access to the Silverlight V2 surface area to create Rich Interactive Web Applications.

• .NET Programmability: .NET Compact Framework class libraries and runtime.

But as an end user, you may want to know what exactly you can do with Silverlight on your Nokia phone. Well for starters, there’s a handy Bing app featuring News, Entertainment, Video, Sports, Weather, Money and Stocks info. There’s also an HSN app which lets you watch the Home Shopping network Live, On Demand while also providing quick access to the “deal of the day” and more.

Developers interested in building their own apps should check out the developer tools and device runtime.

A joint project from Microsoft Research and the University of California brings us another touchscreen, mutitouch table-top computing experience. Like a larger version of Surface, the Pictionaire, as it’s called, is also operated via human touch using gestures made on the table’s surface. However, unlike Surface, the camera used features a higher resolution - and it’s positioned above the computer’s screen, via a mount on the ceiling. With this setup, the camera can “see” the items placed on the table and when the item is removed, it can be replaced with a digital version. For example, if you place a keyboard on the table, the Pictionaire will pull up a text-entry box. If you place a sketchbook on the table, a digital version of the page soon appears. You can even do this process in reverse – the Pictionaire can project a digitized image onto the real life object, like the digital sketchpad image projected onto a piece of paper so you can trace it back onto the physical page.

To see the Pictionaire in action, check out the videos posted over on Slashgear. The Pictionaire will be demonstrated at the Computer Supported Cooperative Work conference in Savannah, Georgia, next month.

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Microsoft Surface is in the spotlight again. Some of you may have seen it in use during the E! network’s annual Red Carpet special at the Golden Globes this past weekend. At this event, fashion expert Jay Manuel used the tabletop computing platform during his “play-by-play” analysis of the stars’ designer duds, notes a post on the Surface blog. However, an even more interesting use of the technology comes from the recent installation in Las Vegas.

A Microsoft Surface machine has been installed in Vegas’s Hard Rock Cafe where a combination of Microsoft technologies that also includes Silverlight, SharePoint, and Windows are used in combination to present the company’s online collection of rock memorabilia to diners. Even cooler, the Cafe features something called the “Rock Wall,” an 18-foot-wide, 4-foot-tall touchscreen showcase of the Hard Rock’s treasures just like those found on Memorabilia website here.

This unique, customized experience lets Cafe diners interact with the rock history showcase on the giant glass screen while waiting for a table. They can also interact with the collection using a Microsoft Surface computer to zoom in and out of the memorabilia. The collection, which includes things like handwritten lyrics by John Lennon and Michael Jackson’s sequined glove, consistently draws a crowd eager to play with the Microsoft technology.

In addition to the Rock Wall and Surface computer, the Cafe’s customers can also interact with the memorabilia collection using 19” touchscreens installed in the restaurant’s booths.

Blogger Long Zheng noticed something cool at the National Retail Federation Convention & Expo this week – a digital screen that brings to mind the intelligent signage featured in the movie “Minority Report.” Many of us have long since looked to that popular sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise for hints of what’s to come in the world of tech. In 2006, we looked at Microsoft Research projects which offer intuitive human interfaces to machines and more recently, we’ve seen things like Microsoft Surface computing, the direct manipulation video player DimP, Seadragon's large collection management, and the upcoming full body motion control for Xbox, Project Natal, all of which seem inspired by the film. Now you can add this digital signage proof-of-concept to the list of Microsoft-created “Minority Report-esque” developments.

Created in conjunction with Intel, this sign run an Intel Core i7 processor and Windows Embedded Standard 2011, the next release of Windows Embedded which is based on Windows 7. The sign, like the one in the movie, senses when people come near the screen and it can recommend products for you to buy. However, unlike the sign in the movie, it doesn’t actually identify you by name (whew! That was a little freaky), but it does recognize your gender and height. You can also touch the screen itself or wave your hand in front of it to interact with the software and see the ads being offered, view a store map, access coupons and send them to your phone, and more.

To see the sign in action, check out this YouTube video here.  

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Great multy touch photo  viewing aplication. I get more knowledge after reading this artickle. Than's for share.

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