Microsoft showed of some cool technology at the D5 conference that will help bring touchscreen technology closer to the masses.  Thier new device is a coffee table type system (much like the HP system) and acts quite a bit like the "Frustrated Total Internal Reflection-FTIR " post a made a while back.

With this new system  you do not need a mouse and perform most tasks with just your fingers.  Not only is a touchscreen type system, but it also acts as a manager for other wireless devices such as cell phones and cameras.  In the following demo it should how you can take a picture with a camera, and by simply setting the camera down on the table top, it will auotmiatcally grab the photos of the camera allow you to easily manipulate them (move, rotate, resize, etc) with just your fingers.  In the demo, they then place a cell phone on the table and simply drag the photo that was taken with the camera, over to the phone and presto, the phone now has a copy of the photo, no messy file transfers, no thought of file types, just push it to where you set the phone and it is there.  Too cool!

Here is the demo, it starts out looking like several others, but then moves ahead with some extra features:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html