Since the unwitting leak that lead to massive speculation regarding the Multitouch Sphere that Microsoft had been working on, the device has actually been demoed.  There are many different videos circulating the internet at the moment that discuss the different parts of the demo, but suffice it to say that Microsoft has drummed up more interest in Multitouch and their own company than they have seen in years.

The Sphere did a number of different things, but it is perhaps the omni-directional nature of the sphere that has so many people interested in it.  Microsoft employees were able to broadcast omni-directional video onto the sphere, allowing you to take a look at 360 degrees of camera action on the surface of the sphere.  In addition to that, you could take a look at a map of the world in globe format, manipulating the map and zooming into and out of specific features with the use of your hands.

There was even a demo of a picture sorting software package that Microsoft has come up with.  Using this package, you can have a pile of pictures placed at the top of the sphere and a number of people sorting through those pictures while standing around a sphere.  With all of the wow factor that the sphere’s demo brought, there are still some questions as to the practicality of the sphere.  After all, why stand around a sphere and sort pictures when you can sit at a table and do the exact same thing?