Microsoft Kinect Technology En Route Laptops

Friday, January 27th 2012

It's no secret that Microsoft's proprietary gesture-recognition technology it originally launched on the Xbox platform, is making its way to PCs, as software developers have access to Kinect for Windows SDK. What's interesting, though, is that soon people won't need a creepy-looking three-eyed device facing them to recognize their gestures. They will, instead, be embedded into notebook display bezels the way web-cameras are.

The Daily reports that it has seen a pair of notebook prototypes that appeared to have been "ASUS notebooks running Windows 8," with their web-cam replaced by a row of optical sensors on top of the screen, and a row of LEDs said to be at the bottom. Some might think that this is ASUS' very own Kinect-alternative WAVI Xtion, but The Daily also confirmed with a source at Microsoft that these prototypes are indeed of notebooks that are Kinect-enabled.

Sources: The Daily, Engadget

posted by btarunr - 6:14 PM | Related News |

User comments

by LAN_deRf_HA (6:18 PM) - Reply

Combine this with LGs glasses free 3D and maybe we can get a decent 3D keyboard thing going on. No more smudged screens.

by Completely Bonkers (6:28 PM) - Reply

I bought an xbox360 for kinect. Thought it would provide reach across all age groups in the family. However, found kinect to be annoying to set up (for each person of different height) and games to be lacklustre and too full of menu screens. And the kinect features are just not engaging somehow. Yes, kinect made me spend EUR 300 on hardware and EUR 200 on games and leads. So MS "sold well". But it has not lived up to expectations and I am disappointed. I'm not at all excited about kinect on PC. I think it will appeal more to "first time buyers"... and I doubt anyone with kinect experience on the xbox360 is losing any sleep in anticipation.

by FreedomEclipse (9:29 PM) - Reply

Hmmmmm I wonder if Kinect can also be used as a security measure - e.g. logging in via hand signals. A nice idea though you would look like a complete pillock depending what the signals are and where you are logging in. Id totally laugh my nuts off if a guy on the train was using 'hand guestures to loggin to his laptop.

by Frick (12:30 AM) - Reply

I think this totally makes sense in laptops. You don't use them the same way as desktops often and it would be very cool to say switch back and forward between pages and programs with flicks of your hand. I know a lot of this is being built in to the trackpads the last couple of years (scrolling, zooming etc) but still. Being able to do it by waving your hands in the air could be really good in some cases. Like when you write texts, it feels like you always have to shift your hands positions in order to move the mouse (the amazing small stick some laptops have solves a bit of that though). If they work out like a point and click system with it as well it would be awesome..

by btarunr (3:51 AM) - Reply

by: FreedomEclipse
Hmmmmm I wonder if Kinect can also be used as a security measure - e.g. logging in via hand signals.

That would be a security nightmare, as most people will use flipping the bird as their login gesture. I know I would.

by AphexDreamer (4:52 PM) - Reply

by: Completely Bonkers
I bought an xbox360 for kinect. Thought it would provide reach across all age groups in the family. However, found kinect to be annoying to set up (for each person of different height) and games to be lacklustre and too full of menu screens. And the kinect features are just not engaging somehow. Yes, kinect made me spend EUR 300 on hardware and EUR 200 on games and leads. So MS "sold well". But it has not lived up to expectations and I am disappointed. I'm not at all excited about kinect on PC. I think it will appeal more to "first time buyers"... and I doubt anyone with kinect experience on the xbox360 is losing any sleep in anticipation.

You should see all the stuff great people have made with the Kinect for the PC. Might change your mind.

by FreedomEclipse (5:30 PM) - Reply

by: btarunr
That would be a security nightmare, as most people will use flipping the bird as their login gesture. I know I would.

No one said you could have more then just one hand signal... you could have as many handsignals as you want which may or may not include flipping the bird and also its foreign varients too. even if they made it ONE handsignal instead of a combination of handsignals (as any military or Ex-miltary members we have on these forums) it would still take ages for them to 'hack it' so long as its not something bloody obvious like flipping the bird and if you do use it as a login then youre a bloody idiot and deserve to get your laptop hacked/used without authorisation or stolen etc etc Its the same as setting your bank pin number as 0000 or 1234, people are obviously gonna try the obvious ones first.

by DanishDevil (10:31 AM) - Reply

How'd you get my pin numbers :eek: :laugh: Just kiddin'. I don't know about gesture logons, as even the pattern unlock on Android is so incredibly easy to copy after casually glancing over at someone's phone.

by white phantom (7:53 PM) - Reply

there goes them nights when you watch the dirty stuff...your laptops gonna be watching and measuring your penis n stuff...yeah.....

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