Archive for May 28th, 2008
Microsoft seems to think the future of the personal doesn’t lie in traditional keyboards but in gesture-based controls, such as those used on the iPhone and its own Surface device. And the next version of Windows, for now just called Windows 7 or Vienna, will have much touchscreen and gesture support built in. While we’re still […]
Microsoft seems to think the future of the personal doesn’t lie in traditional keyboards but in gesture-based controls, such as those used on the iPhone and its own Surface device. And the next version of Windows, for now just called Windows 7 or Vienna, will have much touchscreen and gesture support built in.
While we’re still a few years away from all having Surfaces in our homes, Microsoft recently showed off a new, cheaper application of gesture control that could be integrated into monitors or laptops fairly easily. Is this what Microsoft wants to do? You bet. Microsoft knows that gesture-based input is hot, as iPhone’s popularity shows, and the surface and touch wall devices, when coupled with Windows 7, could change the way we use personal. If it works.
Via [crunchgear]
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If you’re a Tivo user and are also a fan of Maureen Ryan, then today’s you’re lucky day. The TV critic, via her paper, the Chicago Tribune, has inked a deal with Tivo to automatically push her recommended shows to Tivos across the country who subscribe to the service. Personally, this sounds rather weird to these […]
If you’re a Tivo user and are also a fan of Maureen Ryan, then today’s you’re lucky day. The Television critic, via her paper, the Chicago Tribune, has inked a deal with Tivo to automatically push her recommended shows to Tivos across the country who subscribe to the service.
Personally, this sounds rather weird to these ears. The idea of someone else, even if they’re an expert, recommending what I should watch — and filling my hard drive with the suggestions — is very odd. But then she’s not going to advocate the stuff I watch, as she’s not much of a Skinemax fan.
Via [crunchgear]
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 I can’t speak for you, dear reader, but I was once a Select Your Own Adventure addict. While the other kids on the playground were dropping acid and huffing, I was flipping to page 67 with a finger firmly bookmarking page 15…just in case. The new Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay DVD will celebrate this narrative choice of yore as you can “change the course of the film.” Here’s what we know from the box description:
DUDE, CHANGE THE MOVIE! Interactive feature puts you in control of Harold and Kumar’s trip! Select from new and alternate scenes to change the course of the film! Many possible options!
Whether or not this is one or two scenes that have little effect on the story or quite a few that can lead to absolutely different outcomes is yet to be seen. Just watch out for the “Neil Patrick Harris has sodomized your car, The End” screen. [videoETA]
 
 Via [Gizmodo]
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Borders is back on the web after a long hiatus, and its looking to take on Amazon for the on the web book buying marketplace. But its got an uphill battle, with retail giant Amazon firmly in first place. Besides being massive, Amazon has features Borders can’t match, such as the Kindle eBook reader and in-book on the internet searching. But […]
Borders is back on the web after a long hiatus, and its looking to take on Amazon for the on the web book buying marketplace. But its got an uphill battle, with retail giant Amazon firmly in first place. Besides being big, Amazon has features Borders can’t match, such as the Kindle eBook reader and in-book on the web searching. But Borders isn’t counting on high-tech to challenge Amazon, it’s instead turning to a rather time tested method of selling books: the bookstore.
The new retail presence is designed to evoke the feeling of browsing a bookstore, something many bookworms spend their weekends doing. It’s too early to tell if the strategy will work, but if there’s one thing many people dislike about Amazon its the actual shopping experience. Sure, if you know what you want it’s a great way to get a deal, but if you’re unsure it’s a hassle. We’re all for any substitute, let’s hope it works like it’s supposed to.
Via [crunchgear]
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It seems that only now are we beginning to really see decent image quality combine with truly small form factor in digital cameras. This new sensor from OmniVision solves one of the problems facing the tiny cameras in cell phones, webcams, and embedded electronics: low light sensitivity. Because of the nature of the sensors and […]
It seems that only now are we beginning to really see decent image quality combine with truly small form factor in digital cameras. This new sensor from OmniVision solves one of the problems facing the tiny cameras in cell phones, webcams, and embedded electronics: low light sensitivity. Because of the nature of the sensors and their small size, each photon counts and more often than not, on current sensors, you’re getting a lot of noise because of outrageous ISO levels for normally lit shots. OmniVision has reorganized the micrometer-thick layers so that the actual light-sensing part is closer to the light source, resulting in vastly increased light sensitivity.
Good for them, but the other problem with tiny sensors remains: you can’t get a clear image out of them. Being so small, the image must be focused on an extremely small plane, which to do without distortion or blurriness is extremely difficult at any reasonable cost. Basically, you’re not going to have the glass to create a decent image to capture, so no matter how sensitive the sensor is, the image quality is going to suck. [via Electronista]
Via [crunchgear]
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 Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher’s conference, All Things D, will be starting tonight, and I’m excited to be attending the entire event. You’ve got hours of great interviews between Walt and Kara and tech titans like Gates and Ballmer of Microsoft, Howard Stringer of Sony, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tom Rogers of TiVo and Michael Dell of…Dell. This year, we don’t get another Gates and Jobs talk, but we do get to listen to Mrs Bill, Melinda Gates talk about her work at The Foundation. This is without doubt my favorite conference of the year because the bullshit is kept to a minimum, there’s always news and free ice cream. And Powerpoint is banned from all presentations. My only complaint is that I generally end up liveblogging 5 hours a day solo at this thing, which isn’t what I call a walk in the park. [AllThingsD]
 
 Via [Gizmodo]
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 I hope you all had a lovely Memorial Day weekend! I sure did. And now here we are, back to work the day after the long holiday weekend. A little fatter, a tiny more sunburned and maybe, just maybe, still a tiny drunk. God bless America! If you remember correctly, last week I asked people to send in cameraphone pictures of their summer adventures, both of the beautiful and funny varieties. We received both! So don’t worry; while you might be stuck at a desk under harsh fluorescent lighting now, we’ll help you pretend you’re still outside, beer in one hand, hot dog in the other, enjoying summer as you should.
 
 Via [Gizmodo]
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