True enough, we just had a geeky coffee table post yesterday, but with due respect to the Andre "The Giant" Bermudez I think Microsoft Surface (formerly known as Milan) is way cooler. I saw this demoed a few weeks back and was pretty impressed by Microsoft's new surface computing system. And this is no flaky, proof-of-concept system--not only was it stable, but it is shipping by the end of the year. It is just for commercial buyers, not end users, right now. Still, I really want one.

Milan is essentially a custom-built a closed Windows Vista PC, but instead of a mouse and keyboard, you navigate the interface using the 30-inch touch sensitive display and your fingers. Each vendor will bring their own applications to the party. And the display is also object aware, recognizing objects that are placed on the surface and responding accordingly. In a demo, I watched it taking the images off a WiFi-enabled camera in seconds. And T-Mobile will offer a Milan-based Kiosk that lets you place a phone down on the surface and call up all sorts of spec data. It will even let you add service options juts by dragging them onto the device.

Milan is pretty hard to explain, but trust me, it is a pleasure to use. It will be a while before we see this making a major inroad into the home and it will be even longer before some really useful business apps come out. Still, I think it is the shape of things to come.

You can read more about Milan and check out more images of the product at PCmag.com.