Sony's data tiles mix physical and virtual worlds

Check out the 33MB video clip on how the data tiles work. I don't know if I can explain the coolness of this technology in words, you are going to really have to see it yourself.

The tiles will interactively display information like weather maps, time, photos, live video or any other information they're configured to display. That's nothing new.

BUT...the tiles can interact with each other. For example, you put a time machine tile next to a weather map, and you can display weather maps corresponding to the time displayed in the time machine tile. You change the time, and the weather map will change accordingly. They have some more complex examples of the interactions in the video. You can then move the time machine tile next to another type of tile and the same tile will now interact with that other data tile switching its time.

Apparently they've also created a tile that acts as a proxy for a real computer. The video shows up an example where the user is manipulating an image on one tile and then drags-and-drops the modified image into the "computer tile". The video cuts into a view where you see the same image being transferred into a real computer. Drag-and-drop from virtual to physical world.

-TPP - coooooooooooool!