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HAL to extend Microsoft Surface to Mix on 5 shipsHAL to extend Microsoft Surface to Mix on 5 ships

Holland America Line will install five Microsoft Surface units in Mix, its new lounge with three specialty bars -- Martinis, Champagne and Spirits & Ales -- aboard four more ships. Already in operation on Veendam, Mix and Surface units will be completed on Rotterdam by mid-December, followed by three additional installations.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

December 7, 2009

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Mix is a lounge for meeting and mingling day and night. The space is anchored by a pianist. Passengers can use the Microsoft Surface touch-screen technology to listen to music and play checkers and chess, air hockey, Tetris, cards and the Touch Sports games of football, basketball and skee-ball.

HAL became the first cruise line to offer Microsoft Surface when it furnished Veendam’s Mix in March. The concept is part of Rotterdam’s ongoing drydock at Grand Bahama Shipyard and will also be extended to Ryndam in February, Statendam in April and Maasdam in April 2011.

Microsoft Surface is a computing platform that responds to touch, natural hand gestures and real-world objects placed on the display, providing interaction with information and digital content in an intuitive way. With a large, horizontal user interface, the technology enables multiple users to collaborate and interact.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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