Microsoft pairs surface computing with wine
With its new surface computer, Microsoft wants to help restaurant-goers find just the right dinner to go with their wine.
Like every year, the Consumer Electronics Show is jam-packed with gadgets, from shiny new cell phones to giant TVs.
But this year, reporters scouring the CES show floor found a few goodies for the foodies too.
CNET News.com's Ina Fried sat down Wednesday with Mark Bolger of Microsoft's surface computing team to see what types of applications the tabletop technology could be used for. One of the ideas they've come up with is a system called Wine Bar that would allow restaurant-goers to select from a restaurant's wine list based on their taste preferences. So you can imagine selecting traits like acidity or fruitiness and having the tableside computer bring back appropriate wines from the restaurant's wine list. Or those who buy wine based on the pretty labels (you know who you are) could visually scroll through the list and look at each bottle.
Bolger also suggests the system could then make food recommendations based on the wine that's been ordered. That might be the reverse of how most people order their meals, but I like the way he thinks.
Click here to see Fried's video.