The Kinect, originally developed by Microsoft is a pretty amazing device. Thanks to a few cameras and sensors, the Xbox add-on can accurately detect body movements in real time. Microsoft recently unveiled an SDK, which will allow developers to code their own applications for the device connected to Windows PCs, making good for more than just games. For those of you who don’t know, the term SDK, stands for “Software Development Kit,” and it is a way for companies to provide developers with information that takes advantage of a particular technology. The Kinect SDK is currently in beta form and will do just that, as Microsoft explained in a Press Release:

The SDK is designed to empower a growing community of developers, academic researchers and enthusiasts to create new experiences that include depth sensing, human motion tracking, and voice and object recognition using Kinect technology on Windows 7.

The SDK includes extensive documentation, Windows drivers, and many tools that allow developers to take advantage of features exclusive to the Kinect, such as visual and audio tracking. As with most if not all, Microsoft’s SDKs works out of the box with the company’s own development environment, known as Visual Studio, and it does so in a variety of languages including C#, C++, and Visual Basic. Microsoft held an event at its campus to celebrate the release where developers discussed the many uses Kinect will have outside the gaming world that can now be created.

Ever since the Kinect first became available in November last year, developers have already figured out ways to give it uses other than gaming. Shortly after the release, third-party open source drivers found their way onto the web. using those drivers, many third-parties have developed applications that take advantage of Microsoft’s hardware not only on the Windows OS but also on Linux as well. A scientist at Microsoft Research, Aaron Gupta, recognizes the benefit that third-party development will bring to the table and mentioned the following:

We can’t wait to see what this community will create as we work together to build more natural, intuitive computing experiences.

Third-party development was not approved by Microsoft at first, but it is clear that the company has now realized the true potential of the Kinect. With legitimate drivers, and a real SDK, the open source counterparts will likely come to an end but the community will always take credit for truly opening up the technology.

For those of you who are interested in checking the SDK out, the beta version is available as a free download today from Microsoft’s website. The final version is expected to be released later this year as a free download as well.

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Recently, Microsoft’s Israeli research and development team may have recently teased an upcoming Xbox 360 feature that is sure to catch the eye of several people: 3D gaming! Late last month, Microsoft’s R&D team posted a link from its official Twitter account pointing to a Hebrew-language. Gadgety.co.il posted about an interesting rumor regarding the tweet as well. The rumor suggests that Microsoft is currently prepping a software update for the Xbox 360 that will enable HD stereoscopic 3D. Included in Microsoft’s tweet was a question that translates to: “What do you think of a 3D console?”

Companies usually don’t typically draw attention to rumors without any base, so we are thinking someone at Microsoft got a bit too excited and might have slipped up, especially when considering the playful question posed alongside the link. The initial report suggested Microsoft’s 3D feature would be introduced at E3 2011, but that obviously didn’t happen. It was possibly not shown off because the software was not yet ready to be shown off. We think that Xbox fans could be in store for another treat soon, however, an announcement in the coming months definitely would not surprise us. A screenshot of Microsoft’s tweet can be seen below:

Microsoft announced several new Xbox Live features today at the E3 video game conference. The features are designed to expand the number of content options available and new ways to discover them as well. The Xbox Live service will soon make millions of new videos all available through partnerships, including one announced with YouTube. With a revamp to the Xbox Live experience, users will be able to navigate through the service and all of the new pieces of content with voice control powered by Microsoft’s Kinect and search powered by its Bing search engine.

Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for Xbox Live, Marc Whitten, earlier at the live press conference mentioned that Xbox Live would ramp up video content over the next year, increasing the number of content partners ten-fold and increasing the number of video assets available from hundreds of thousands to millions of titles. The biggest step toward that goal is the addition of YouTube to its content library, which also includes Netflix, Hulu Plus, and last but not least, the Zune Marketplace. Whitten also said that Xbox would increase the number of live TV options available through the Xbox Live service, following on partnerships it already has with SkyTV in the U.K, Canal Plus in France, and Foxtel in Australia. While he didn’t announce any new partnerships, Microsoft did say more live TV would be available throughout the console over the next year.

To provide some discoverability, Microsoft is adding a unified search powered by its Bing search engine. The unified search will enable viewers to search across available game content. The unified search will enable viewers to search across available game content, videos from various content partners such as Netflix and Hulu Plus, and even live TV. To ease the navigation, Xbox Live is pushing voice control of the service. Using the power of voice, Whitten said all users will be able to easily and intuitively navigate Xbox Live. That means they will be able to speak controls and content queries, rather than having to control them through a controller or Xbox Kinect’s gesture control.

Another feature that Microsoft boasted about were beacons. Beacons are a way for people to broadcast what games they are interested in playing to friends and family allowed users to connect and organize games together for a more enjoyable experience. Microsoft boasts that it will make it easier for users to share and discover games and multiplayer opportunities with friends on Xbox Live.

Some of the games that current Xbox 360 users have to look forward to include the new Star Wars Kinect game, Halo 4 which was announced and previewed, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Forza 4, Mass Effect 3, Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports Season 2, Street Fighter x Tekken, BioShock Infinite, and a slew of Xbox Live arcade games coming up this summer which include the following:

Summer of Arcade Kicks off July 20th

Starting July 20, enjoy five consecutive weeks of the season’s most highly anticipated downloadable games, including:

• “Toy Soldiers: Cold War” (Signal Studios/Microsoft Studios). Jump into the fray with playful ’80s combat action in “Toy Soldiers: Cold War.” Bring your favorite action toys to life and wage war against the red menace. Need backup? Call in a friend for co-op campaign action on the couch or over Xbox LIVE. Take a break from the main battle with Survival mode and playful minigames. When you beat your LIVE friends’ scores, they’ll be gunning to reclaim the top spot!
• “Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet” (Fuelcell/Microsoft Studios). This side-scrolling, 2-D, action-adventure game takes players on a journey through the curious Shadow Planet worlds, unique environments filled with twisted life, surreal ecologies, hostile creatures and environmental hazards. Players explore the depths of several interconnected themed areas, fighting swarms of enemies, battling bosses, solving mind-bending puzzles and acquiring power-ups to unlock new parts of the map.
• “Fruit Ninja Kinect” (Halfbrick/Microsoft Studios). The worldwide gaming phenomenon “Fruit Ninja” is now coming to Kinect for Xbox 360 in its juiciest form yet — YOU are the ninja! Your arms are now blades, and the battle against the world’s most delicious produce is just beginning. “Fruit Ninja Kinect” is an amazing evolution of the slice-em-up genre created by Halfbrick, utilizing next-generation precision power for the juiciest combat ever!
• “Bastion” (Supergiant Games/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment). “Bastion” is an action role-playing experience that redefines storytelling in games, with a reactive narrator who marks your every move. Explore more than 40 lush hand-painted environments as you discover the secrets of the Calamity, a surreal catastrophe that shattered the world to pieces. Wield a huge arsenal of upgradeable weapons and battle savage beasts adapted to their new habitat. Finish the main story to unlock New Game Plus mode and continue your journey!
• “From Dust” (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft). Discover a unique Modern God game in which nature is the star. “From Dust” is the latest original concept by Eric Chahi, visionary creator of “Another World.” Behold the beauty of a primitive world pulsing with life and face the might of nature. Beware the danger of a world that is constantly changing under your command. Control the destiny of a tribe struggling to survive and help it recover its ancestors’ lost powers. Immerse yourself in a world as exotically beautiful as it is dangerous. A universe where nature reclaims what is hers and you are your people’s only chance of survival.

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Since Apple now has everyone’s attention ahead of tomorrow’s start of the World Wide Developer Conference 2011, it appears that Microsoft is plotting to steal some of Apple’s thunder this week, specifically when it comes to iCloud. If the rumors prove to be accurate, Microsoft is going to unveil a new Xbox LIVE subscription TV service at the E3 conference. There seems to be a lot of hype surrounding E3 this year. Major press conferences by Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Ubisoft are just a matter of time away. Many believe that Microsoft is going to steal the show with multiple announcements, possibly even the unveiling of a next-generation console. The main talk is buzzing around Microsoft trying to undercut iCloud with a new service.

Microsoft’s Vice President if Corporte Communications, Frank Shaw, sparked the speculation in a company blog post, saying that Microsoft’s immediate home-entertainment strategy focuses on expanding the offerings of the Xbox. “Xbox is the gateway to games, music, movies and TV shows – in short, it is central to entertainment,” Shaw wrote. “Next Monday at E3 in Los Angeles, the Xbox home entertainment pot will be boiling over during a 90-minute event,” adding that the “company is turning up the heat on a whole new era of home entertainment.” According to the folks over at WinRumors, E3 will all be about the Xbox LIVE Subscription TV service for Microsoft. “The company is on lockdown for its big announcement and some demos and details might be held back if agreements are not in place in time.” If their information is correct, the new service will be given the name Xbox LIVE Diamond and it will fuse Microsoft’s “mediaroom IPTV services” with Xbox LIVE. “Microsoft is likely to demo deeper integration of its Avatar Kinect service and the company’s new music and video services” the report indicated.

Do you think Microsoft’s service will trump the competition? Let us know in the comments below!

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Microsoft is giving students a reason to turn their backs on the Mac’s by announcing a new offer to help promote PC’s running Windows 7 operating system. Starting May 22, Microsoft is offering a free XBox 360 (with 4GB of storage) to folks who pay $699 or more for a Windows 7 PC – note they do not say “laptop,” which suggests that makers like HP and Dell are trying to boost their waning, post-PC sales.

This is a great deal students but it definitely points to a bit of a fire sale when it comes to the smaller, less memory equipped XBox console along with the PCs that are currently mouldering on shelves thanks to the relative success of tablets.

Apart from the obvious ‘PC manufacturers are struggling’ angle, it’s worth looking at whether the move is also a way to shift current Xbox 360 inventory in readiness for a new console. With E3 around the corner there could be new hardware coming from Microsoft in at least the next few years.

Students who buy select Windows 7-based PCs will get a free Xbox 360 console with purchase.

Microsoft Corp. today announced a new offer for students who purchase a new Windows 7-based PC. Starting May 22, students buying a new Windows 7-based PC priced at $699 (U.S.) or more will also get a free Xbox 360 4GB console. Students will be able to choose from the wide range of stylish, powerful and innovative Windows 7-based PCs to find the one that’s right for them based on the features, color, size and price they want. The offer is available at participating retailers for current students in the U.S. while supplies last. Similar student-focused offers will be coming soon in Canada and France.

“A hot new Windows 7-based PC with a free Xbox 360 is the ultimate productivity, social and entertainment package for students,” said Kathleen Hall, general manager of Windows Marketing at Microsoft. “In one shot, with this great offer, Microsoft is giving students everything they need for a successful new school year.”
Today’s Windows 7-based PCs come in a wide variety of styles, sizes and colors, and many new PCs boast built-in Blu-ray drives, 3G connections and leading-edge technologies, such as 3-D displays and multitouch-capable screens. With more than 1 million devices and apps that work with a Windows 7-based PC, students’ smartphones, printers, digital music players and cameras will work with their PCs with ease right out of the box. With the addition of Microsoft Office 2010 for Home and Student with OneNote, students can create presentations for class, take and organize digital notes, manage group projects and assignments, and easily stay on top of class schedules. And with an Xbox 360, students can not only have fun gaming but also can enjoy a range of entertainment options, including streaming videos, sports, music and more.

To take advantage of this offer, students or parents must provide valid student identification as defined by the participating retailer. More information about this offer can be found here.

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For many Xbox users it seems like the weekend is going to start a bit early. Hulu’s subscription-based Hulu Plus service is set to launch today, Friday April 29th, for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 platform. The best part of the launch is that it is going to be free for Xbox Live (Gold and Silver) users until May 6th. After that, everyone will have to drop their $7.99 per month to watch their favorite shows from networks such as ABC, Comedy Central, FOX, NBC, MTV, and others. Hulu’s service is even adding Kinect support, which means you’ll be able to play, pause, fast forward, or rewind whatever you are watching wit your voice or with a gesture.

If you are interested in learning more about the service and its features, you can read the full press release below. As usual, stay tuned for more tech news and info by following us  Facebook, Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feed.

Official Press Release:

Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE Delivers Controller-free TV Shows and Movies; Jack Link’s Sponsors Free Access for all Xbox 360 Owners

With an ever-growing entertainment experience at the center of the home, Xbox 360 will soon offer thousands more HD TV shows and movies via Hulu Plus. The Hulu Plus subscription service will launch on Xbox 360 this Friday, April 29, instantly delivering current season hit TV shows from ABC, Comedy Central, FOX, NBC, MTV, and more, plus classic movies anytime to U.S. Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also Hulu Plus subscribers.

“We’re proud deliver the best in entertainment content like no other device in the living room,” said Pete Thompson, General Manager, Xbox LIVE. “Hulu Plus is an important addition to support our continued effort to expand entertainment on Xbox LIVE. And by adding the magic of Kinect, we’re truly transforming the way people enjoy their favorite entertainment.”

A Hulu Plus subscription currently offers hit TV shows and classic movies anytime in HD, including current season episodes of top shows like “Modern Family,” “30 Rock,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and many others. Catch up on complete back seasons of series including “Lost,” or explore hundreds of acclaimed movies from The Criterion Collection. All for just $7.99 a month with limited advertising.

With Kinect for Xbox 360, you can easily control your Hulu Plus entertainment from your couch using your voice as the remote control. Play, pause, fast forward and rewind any video content you are watching using gesture or voice commands, as well as select movies and TV shows recommended for you by Hulu through the Kinect Hub.

Jack Link’s and Xbox “Unlock” Hulu Plus to All Xbox LIVE Members

Launch is just the beginning, too. To celebrate the debut of Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE, Jack Link’s Beef Jerky is unlocking Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE from April 29 – May 6. Through this sponsorship, all Xbox LIVE members (Free or Gold) will be able to enjoy Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE, no Hulu Plus subscription or Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for an entire week. Jack Link’s and Xbox LIVE are also partnering to host an accompanying sweepstakes where users who download the Hulu Plus application can win everything from a vacation for two to a Beaches® Resort to an Xbox 360 GB Console with Kinect. For full details, click www.xbox.com/HuluPlusLaunch

With Xbox LIVE, take your Xbox 360 online and enjoy an expanding catalogue of entertainment from a range of partners, networks and studios around the world, and interact with a growing community of 30 million active members. With the community spending more than one billion hours a month online enjoying entertainment, Xbox 360 is the only place to experience controller-free entertainment with tens of thousands of movies and TV shows in HD streaming, thousands of live and on-demand sports, and millions of songs – all on the biggest screen in your home shared with the people you care about most wherever they are.

With the Kinect being so successful in getting controller-less gaming to the masses, it isn’t a surprise that Microsoft wants to implement a similar technology and functionality to Windows 8. According to the folks over at Windows8Italia, the current version of Windows 8 sports a new “Sensor Control Panel” which makes reference to a “Detect Human Presence” option. Coupling this with already leaked slide shows of software recognizing people ala Xbox Kinect and all of the pieces start to fall into place.

In slides previously leaked in June of 2010, Microsoft showed off plans for a PC to recognize a user’s face upon them sitting down and then further taking action based on the user. The ability to log in based on your appearance was new at the time, but we’re all pretty much doing it now with our Kinects. Bringing this functionality to Windows would make sense, especially considering so many PCs now equipped with webcams. The trick would be making the software to work with all hardware and not just the sophisticated Kinect, with its twin-camera setup.

News of Microsoft looking to push boundaries of personal computing is something that is very welcomed to us and probably many of you as well. In an era where so much innovation comes out of Apple’s Cupertino headqarters we are pleased to see Microsoft contributing towards a more futuristic era. Let’s hope such features don’t get stripped for the final release.

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You may also like to read:

• Microsoft Releases Update To Add Netflix Support To Xbox 360 Kinect
• Microsoft Announces Kinect For Windows SDK; Beta Sign-Up Available Now
• Microsoft Rumored To Bring Kinect Drivers And SDK To Windows
• Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer To Show Off Windows 8 At CES 2011 Keynote
• Kinect Hacked With FAAST Allows Player More Immersed Gameplay

Microsoft on Thursday rolled out an Xbox 360 update that brings Kinect support to Netflix.

Microsoft’s Larry Hyrb, also known as Major Nelson, announced on his blog that Microsoft has added Netflix support to the Xbox 360 Kinect. Using Kinect, you’ll be able to browse your Netflix queue by waving your hands or speaking out loud, which means you won’t have to go searching for your Xbox 360 controller just to watch a movie. Controls include the ability browse, play, pause, fast forward and rewind, and you can perform any of those actions using your voice or gestures.

“That means controller-free navigation of thousands of movies and TV shows, allowing you to use just the sound of your voice or wave of your hand to control your favorite Netflix content,” Microsoft announced on its Major Nelson blog. “You’ll be able to select movies and TV shows recommended for you by Netflix, as well as play, pause, fast forward, and rewind using gesture or voice.”

Hyrb said, the update is available now and that Kinect users should expect to be prompted to apply the patch the next time they launch Netflix. So, the next time you turn on your Xbox 360 console, you’ll be prompted to accept an update that adds even more razzle dazzle to your Kinect, if you have one.

Adding Netflix is an interesting evolution of the Kinect controller, which holds plenty of potential outside of gaming. Some would argue that all the potential is with non-gaming tasks, which is why modders were so anxious to get their hands on the SDK for PC-related tasks.

Microsoft first announced plans for a Kinect-Netflix linkup during its CES keynote. At the time, Microsoft described the move as “all part of our vision to bring partner content plus the magic of Kinect straight into your living room.”

At CES, Microsoft also announced that Kinect support for Hulu Plus will be available this spring. And, a non-commercial Kinect for Windows software development kit (SDK) is expected later this spring.

We will provide updates as they are made available, stay tuned by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or by subscribing to our RSS Feed.

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You may also like to read:

• Microsoft Announces Kinect For Windows SDK; Beta Sign-Up Available Now
• Gmail Motion Turned To Reality Thanks To Kinect
• Microsoft Rumored To Bring Kinect Drivers And SDK To Windows
• Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer To Show Off Windows 8 At CES 2011 Keynote
• Microsoft CEO Expected To Announce Windows TV At CES 2011 Keynote
• Kinect Hacked With FAAST Allows Player More Immersed Gameplay

Microsoft has announced a new Software Development Kit for its Kinect hardware allowing developers, enthusiasts, and researchers to make use of Microsoft Kinect motion-sensing controllers on computers running Microsoft Windows 7.

The new SDK will be available in Spring, with interested developers able to sign up now via the MS Research page.

“The Kinect for Windows Beta SDK will be released later this spring, as we have said previously and in today’s MIX keynote, but it will not be released May 16.”

Kinect’s Windows SDK features:

• The latest advances in audio processing, which include a four-element microphone array with sophisticated acoustic noise and echo cancellation for crystal clear audio.
• Sound source localization for beam forming, which enables the determination of a sound’s spatial location, enhancing reliability when integrated with the Microsoft speech recognition API.
• Depth data, which provides the distance of an object from the Kinect camera, as well as the raw audio and image data, which together open up opportunities for creating richer natural user interface experiences.
• Highly performant and robust skeletal tracking capabilities for determining the body positions of one or two persons moving within the Kinect field of view.
• Documentation for the APIs and a description of the SDK architecture.
• Sample code that demonstrates how to use the functionality in the SDK.

Microsoft’s Kinect accessory for the Xbox 360 has already been a huge success for the company, with the hardware breaking sales records. Now Microsoft is looking to bring the power of controller-less gaming to Windows, with motion-controlled apps. While there’s no guarantee this new SDK will bring forth a new era in computing.

We will provide updates as they are made available, stay tuned by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or by subscribing to our RSS Feed.

Read more

You may also like to read:

• Microsoft Rumored To Bring Kinect Drivers And SDK To Windows
• Microsoft Unveils Upgrade Plans For Windows Phone 7
• Xbox 360 Surpasses 2.5 Million Kinect Units Sold
• Kinect Hack Lets You Control Windows 7 and Web Browser
• Kinect Hacked To Run On Mac OS X
• Kinect Hacked To Run With Windows 7 PC
• Xbox.com Get’s Overhaul To Accommodate Windows Phone 7
• Microsoft To Spend A Billion Dollars On Advertising Kinect And Windows Phone 7

It’s actually a bit surprising it took someone this long, but just 24 hours after Google’s brilliant Gmail Motion April fools joke appeared, it was turned into a reality. The folks over at Engadget bring news that some clever people with presumably more free time than they have talent have managed to create a real working implementation of Gmail Motion – the April fool’s joke from Google that would presumably allow users to use their email without the need for a keyboard or mouse. You can check out the original video below:

As with all things gesture-based these days, the hardware of choice for making this work was Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect. The video below shows the system acting just as Google demonstrated complete with actions for opening and sending emails:

It is impressive indeed but don’t let this actually become the way we interact with computers just yet. Would you be interested in using such features? Share your thoughts and opinions of the whole ordeal in the comments section below!

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