Will Apple make an Smart iTV with Primesense 3D chip developer company acquisition?

Will Apple make an Smart  iTV with Primesense 3D chip developer company acquisition?

Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet confirmed the PrimeSense deal to AllThingsD.

A spokeswoman for PrimeSense said: “We can confirm the deal with Apple. Further than that, we cannot comment at this stage.”

PrimeSense became widely known in the sensor technology space for its early work with Microsoft’s Kinect gaming product, which uses cameras and depth sensors to capture players’ motions and incorporate them into Xbox gameplay. Microsoft now deploys its own homegrown sensor technology for the current generation of Kinect devices, which ship with the recently launched Xbox One.

PrimeSense has expanded its product line to include more hardware than the original large, stationary sensor seen in the Kinect, creating new, smaller sensors targeted at more compact devices.

PrimeSense’s technology could be used in any number of Apple’s actual and hypothetical products in development, including the long-rumored Apple television set (Steve Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he “finally cracked” the TV)   or an Apple-made smartwatch.

Samsung gesture control.

http://www.primesense.com/

Video: Microsoft promotes "Kinect Effect". To release SDK in 2012.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

"We built Kinect to revolutionize the way you play games and how you experience entertainment. But along the way, people started using Kinect in ways we never imagined. From helping children with autism, to helping doctors in the operating room, people are taking Kinect beyond games. And that’s what we call the Kinect Effect. "

As Microsoft celebrates the one year anniversary of its Kinect motion sensor gaming product, the company is showcasing the Kinect Effect, highlighting uses beyond gaming.  

Microsoft Kinect has been a gaming hit since its release last year- getting even the littlest players moving to the beat. But now the company is promoting new uses for the device- calling it the Kinect Effect. For example, a British hospital is using Kinect for rehabilitation for stroke patients.

 It is also being used to work with autistic children to improve language development and social skills. CNET Senior Editor Scott Stein: "This all came I think because of grassroots development. People learned, people got into hacking the Kinect early last year and you started hearing these stories about people figuring out how to use this to put onto a robot, and smartly Microsoft responded by welcoming that and encouraging more development." 

That development includes the creation of a Kinect-enabled application to help hospitals create safer operating rooms, allowing surgeons to use gestures and voice to review patient charts-without the need to break the sterile field. Next up, a software development kit just for businesses: Kinect for Windows.

 "The SDK that Microsoft is opening next year in 2012 is commercial use so a lot of things you are hearing about now are advertising.

 Toyota and Razorfish and others I think are looking at this as sort of intelligent, Minority Report style terminals that will allow you to swipe through things, find out more, talk to it because it also has a pretty advanced audio array of microphones so you could communicate like you can see now on the iPhone on Siri; maybe voice activation could be something that could be used for." Minority Report refers to the futuristic Tom Cruise movie of 2002. And with the future now closer to reality, Microsoft says they already have 200 applicants for the pilot program. 

Sources: xbox kinect  and Kinectfor windows

MS to include new subscription-based TV service on its Xbox gaming console ?

WorldWideTech & Science.

One scenario under consideration by Microsoft is to create a new TV service on its Xbox gaming console that would establish a "virtual cable operator." The service would charge a monthly fee for access through the Xbox to networks such as ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, ESPN or CNN, according to two sources familiar with the plans.

Other options include allowing cable subscribers to use the Xbox to watch shows with more interactive functions. Viewers could, for instance, message with friends over the console while viewing their favorite shows.

Microsoft is also exploring the possibility of creating programing packages for customers, setting up a bundle of sports or children shows, for example, these people said.

In addition, it could sell more individual channels, such as an HBO or Showtime, directly to subscribers. It already has Walt Disney Co's ESPN on the Xbox Live online service.

These people said a service may not arrive for another 12 months, but early discussions have been productive.

Microsoft declined to comment. The people involved in the talks asked not to be identified as the discussions were confidential.

Source: Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AS2E120101129

  

Microsoft: Gaming goes hands free

WorldWideTech. Francisco De Jesús.

Microsoft launches its new Kinect motion sensing gaming system for its Xbox in time for the holiday season.



Related post:

Microsoft: Kinect Xbox 360 game controller a hit: Videos.

http://worldwidegadget.blogspot.com/2010/11/microsoft-kinect-xbox-360-game.html

Microsoft: Kinect Xbox 360 game controller a hit: Videos.

Image via CrunchBase

WorldWideTech. Francisco De Jesús. Nov 05, 2010


Wave your arms, move your body, issue a command and voila! games happen.


Appropriately, the new $150 device began disappearing from store shelves as soon as it went on sale Thursday, as strong first-day sales helped boost forecasts for Kinect's holiday sales. Plugged into an Xbox 360, the Kinect sensor wirelessly tracks players' full-body movements, voices and faces.


Target (TGT) experienced "very strong pre-sales" for Kinect, selling out of the Kinect sensor and the 250-gigabyte Xbox 360-Kinect bundle ($400) at its online store, spokeswoman Tara Schlosser said.


Walmart.com(WMT) and its stores had Kinect on hand, but "there is going to be very high demand for these products," said the retailer's Ravi Jarawala. "We will continue to restock throughout the season."

Among games in the works:

•Kinectimals lets you train and play with 20 different virtual cats, including a lion, cheetah and tiger.

•Joyride, a racing game, lets players use their hands to hold an imaginary steering wheel — pull your hands toward you and push back out for an acceleration boost — and their bodies to execute jumps and tricks.

•Kinect Sports has six activities including boxing, bowling, beach volleyball, track and field, soccer and table tennis. To serve a volleyball, you mimic the real motion; in soccer, you can kick the ball or do a header.

•Kinect Adventures includes a river-raft time trial and obstacle course, playable by up to four players. On the raft, playing as a duo, you and a partner must lean one way or another to steer. Jumping helps the raft reach special areas for extra points.

•Dance Central, in development by MTV Games, incorporates immersive, full-body dancing without the need for a controller.

•Star Wars characters and iconic Disney favorites will be featured in separate new games being developed at Microsoft in conjunction with LucasArts and Disney.

"This is (Microsoft's) attempt to leapfrog the Wii and broaden the appeal of the Xbox," says Geoff Keighley of Spike's GameTrailers. "The questions are, 'Does the controller-free environment make (the Xbox 360) more accessible?' and 'Is it fun?' "

Related articles

• Xbox Kinect On Sale Now (informationweek.com)
• State Of the Art: Kinect Pushes Users Into a Sweaty New Dimension (nytimes.com)