Rio iBar First to Offer Microsoft Surface

The Vegas hotspot will be the first bar to wheel out Microsoft's Surface computers and let drinkers get geeky.

Finally making good on Microsoft Surface’s promise of combining computers and drinking, Microsoft and Harrah’s Entertainment announced Wednesday that the Rio iBar in Las Vegas would be the first bar to install the 30-inch multi-touch entertainment units.

The customized Surface computers will be outfitted with a range of software tailored to a lounge atmosphere. Mixologists, for instance, will let users create their own drink recipes on the Surface, then order them up for themselves or someone else. Hip-notic will deliver online videos, and Head Games will include bowling, pinball, and a musical memory game. Flirt will even let you mimic the experience of flirting through a webcam in your basement, but while embarrassing yourself in public and paying $10 a drink.

“People continue to be excited about the endless possibilities of Surface technology and how it can transform everyday scenarios, including the social and entertainment space,” said Pete Thompson, general manager for Microsoft Surface, in a statement. “With this latest deployment of Surface, we’re now bringing some of those possibilities to life and showcasing the breadth of opportunities Microsoft Surface provides to innovative businesses like Harrah’s.”

Microsoft launched the Surface computer at Harrah’s on Wednesday, and expects to fire up pilot programs in other venues throughout the year.

Showing 3 comments

  1. BendDesk rolls your workplace into a touchscreen at 1:53pm 29th November 2010 [...] a digital table allowing users to manipulate its data by touch. But the device was first installed at Rio iBar, a popular Vegas bar, for entertainment purposes. That along with a surface inconvenient for [...]
  2. James at 10:43am 12th June 2008 30-inches is a small screen for something like this. I think it's still cool though, you just can't fit that many people around it.
  3. Jake in LA at 9:33am 12th June 2008 I'm glad to see someone stepping up to the plate to try the Surface. I would go there just to mess around with it as well, I just hope they buy like 40 of them instead of just a few.
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