Microsoft has a hit on its hands with Kinect, a motion-sensing camera for the Xbox 360, but it’s not keeping the secrets of the technology to itself.
A new video, courtesy of New Scientist (and embedded above), shows how Kinect’s camera first grabs a rough outline of the person standing in front of it, and then evaluates every pixel …
Happy birthday OS X!
Mac OS X is 10 years old today. The first official release, OS X 10.0, came out on March 24, 2001. And my, hasn’t it grown…
Link: The Next Web
Happy birthday Harry Houdini!
It’s also escapologist Houdini’s 137th birthday today, and Google is celebrating with an excellent doodle on its home page. How
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Microsoft vs Barnes & Noble: Who Really Wins?
Microsoft didn’t hold back in its opening salvo:
“We have tried for over a year to reach licensing agreements with Barnes & Noble, Foxconn and Inventec. Their refusals to take licenses leave us no choice but to bring legal action to defend our innovations and fulfill our responsibility to
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Good morning. Here’s what’s been breaking in tech news while you’ve been sleeping and enjoying your breakfast.
Microsoft sues just about everybody
The lawyers will be opening another crate of champagne today, as Microsoft announces lawsuits against Barnes & Noble, Foxconn and Inventec for patent infringement. What patents, exactly?
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My TIME.com column this week is about the golden age of Web browsers we’re currently living in–and especially the release this week of Internet Explorer 9. The browser, which debuted on Monday at the South by Southwest Interactive geekfest in Austin, is the best new Microsoft browser in eons. It’s on a par with other major browsers in …
Microsoft is no longer an evil empire, according to a corporate ethics think-tank.
The software giant earned a spot on Ethisphere’s 2011 list of the world’s 110 most ethical companies. Apple, Google and Facebook were left off the list. Other tech companies that received plaudits include T-Mobile, Adobe, Xerox and …
Microsoft’s Zune has had a tough time lately. According to a Bloomberg report, Microsoft will be killing off the Zune, and no longer introducing new versions of the multimedia player, as a result of low demand.
While the “decision” hasn’t been announced, and Bloomberg’s source has refused to be identified, the company is expected …
Hackers briefly punctured the Xbox 360’s veil of security yesterday, finagling an algorithm that generates virtual currency used to purchase items through Microsoft’s online games store. The exploit reportedly allowed users to reuse special access codes and rack up counterfeit Microsoft Points, redeemable for downloadable content.
The …
The stylus may have been left behind in the age of multi-touch, but Microsoft researchers think they’ve got a way to give it new life.
Microsoft Research has posted images and video (via Engadget) of a stylus that changes functions based on how you hold it. For example, a typical pen grip allows for handwriting, but holding the stylus …
Microsoft’s “Kinect” hands-free motion control peripheral for the Xbox 360 has been confirmed by Guinness World Records as the fastest-selling consumer electronics device ever.
Kinect “sold through an average of 133,333 units per day, for a total of 8 million units in its first 60 days on sale,” says Guinness. The “sold through” part …
Perhaps in an effort to whip up Apple-esque levels of pre-launch hype, Microsoft has announced that it will hold the global launch of Internet Explorer 9 at South by South West next week: Monday 14th, at 9pm Pacific time.
The first IE9 beta was released in September last year; a Release Candidate version (sort of halfway between a …
It’s no big revelation that the successors to the current generations of PlayStation, Wii and Xbox are in development. The graphical and processing functionality of the present-day consoles will max out eventually and no platform holder wants to be the laggard in a tech arms race. Recent rumors offer up some tantalizing hints as to when …