Microsoft Surface SP1 additions

Microsot Surface Service Pack 1 is available to businesses who own the expensive device. Here's what's new

The company quietly (sans press release) announced that Service Pack 1 for the super-duper coffee table has been released. Apparently the service pack is the result of feedback from more than 180 partners in 11 countries who are developing on the Microsoft Surface. SP1 is meant to make development on the platform faster and easier: the SDK supports development on any .NET framework and is optimized for WPF and XNA.

Surface can run multiple applications simultaneously, but only with SP1 is it easy to tell if an application in the background needs your attention, thanks to a small notification on the side. Surface is also now easier to set up since you can calibrate without needing to plug in an external display. SP1 gives users more visual feedback about where they've touched and where they should have touched to select a specific item. Also, where applicable, Surface will let the user know that he or she cannot zoom into a specific object by showing lines leading away from the object. Below is a quick list of features that have been added; I think the Microsoft Update one is the most important one (and it probably should have been there from the start):

• Application Development: API enhancements, WFP library and menu controls, stress testing tool, and 128-big identity tag resources
• New platform capabilities: Enabling users to quickly switch between applications using tagged object routing, as well as background service application support
• Improved User Interface: Improved "Access Points," single application mode, touch/contact feedback and visualization
• Localized end-user and administrative interface in available countries
• New calibration guides removing need for external display during configuration
• Microsoft Update integration
• Microsoft Management Pack support