[JohnPlace]

Why is everyone talking about voice recognition?

Even if the video did say something about voice recognition (which I apparently missed), the main focus was on the interactive, hands on manipulation afforded by the unique visual interface.

According to the video, "This type of interface works extremely well for photo sharing, maps, and menus, where browsing on a traditional screen pales in comparison to the detailed hands-on manipulation people are used to with paper."

The interface may not be suitable (or useful) for every computing application, but it's cool, guys. Come on. And it clearly has its place. I expect casinos (mentioned in the video) will buy a bunch of them, and customers will fill them with money because they're cool.

No, this $10,000 coffee table will never make it into consumer households -- that's not the point. The point is that the technology itself holds much promise, especially when combined with the ultra flat screens of the future. If you think a plasma TV is thin, wait until you see paper-thin, flexible screens (such as TFT).

That coffee table reminded me of the virtual dashboard Tom Cruise used in the movie "Minority Report." Very cool, and apparently it will be available for purchase by the end of the year.