It seems to be an age of touch technology, where fingers can do wonders on a screen than simply pressing them on a boring keyboard. And it is none other than Microsoft that is playing the pioneering role in the continual regeneration of its touchscreen technology, from Surface desktops to the new Microsoft TouchWall.

All the excitement was sparked when recently retired Microsoft CEO Bill Gates showcased the TouchWall for the first time at the recently concluded Microsoft CEO Summit. Surprisingly, Microsoft’s TouchWall technology has arrived at a time when the world is applauding the long-awaited but amazing debut of the Microsoft Surface.

If one remembers correctly, it wasn’t that long ago that the then head of Microsoft announced the launch of Surface technology to the great amazement of tech fans around the world. The Surface desktop computer was the first of its kind in technology, taking user interactivity to new heights with the proper convergence of the virtual world with real-life experiences.

There has been a lot of debate about touch interfaces, used on Surface desktops. While there was an earlier announcement about the upcoming Windows 7 to feature all interfaces; Apple Inc. can well be praised for creating the most successful touchscreen computer to date, namely the iPhone. iPhones are one of the first successful interpretations and integrations of touch or Multitouch technology that allows file browsing, web browsing, zooming and image rotation, with just the movement of the fingers.

In the words of Bill Gates, TouchWall is a “smart whiteboard”. This device works almost similar to the iPhone: pinch to zoom and move your fingers to move. To the amusement of all the delegates at the Summit, Gates demonstrated the easy navigation of a complex multimedia-filled Word document with the help of the interface.

TouchWall allows you to flip through the pages of a Word document, displaying various touch effects; while a PowerPoint document can be presented in amazing style by panning and zooming on selected features. However, the most fascinating part of TouchWall is the pen function, which allows you to circle items or jot down notes, all with your finger.

The meeting was impressed with the easy interactivity of the user interface; And it didn’t take Microsoft’s CEO to categorically raise his hopes that TouchWall would become a vital tool to use with the next iteration of Microsoft Office.