The other day, I had so much fun with Xbox 360 with Kinect in a gaming shop! But I never had thought that Microsoft would give away the SDK for non commercial applications. Many things can be done with Kinect SDK, all we need is a Kinect device , Window 7 OS and Visual Studio 2010. To kick start , we can take refer Programming Guide and the SDK can be downloaded from here . Also there are some demos along with code available at MSDN channel9 .

Gesture based human computer  interaction methods can be easily implemented with the help of kinect. However, many such applications are possible with a simple web camera. Applications like Umouse an example for interacting through hand movements, AR toy from SourceBits which is an example for augmented reality using webcam. But Kinect make everything even more simpler with its infrared lazer projection and a camera together helps to convert the video data into 3D form, also it captures the Z – index of the object , i mean the distance between the device and the controller/object/user . Continue Reading »

Dell has announced on its blog that it will evaluate the Chrome OS and the Moblin for future use in its products. These OS are more cost effective and resource intensive as compared to Windows. Dell is most likely to integrate the Linux-based Moblin OS in its ultra portable computing devices. The Moblin OS is more suitable as it very cost effective and suitable for devices with small screen size. Chrome OS is less resource intensive as compared to Windows as it uses more Internet based apps. These OS will allow Dell products to boot quickly and include network connectivity manager features. Moblin may come to Dell products before Chrome OS as it is set to release in 2010 and Dell is already in talks with Intel to integrate Moblin in its products.

[Source:  http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/dell_plans_to_evaluate_chrome_os_and_moblin_to_use_in_its_products.php]

It wasn’t too hard to see this one coming, but Microsoft has now officially rolled out the beta version of Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 which, among other things, brings with it a slew of new features that tie into Windows 7. That includes support for full image backup of Windows 7 PCs, Windows 7 libraries support for shared media folders, built-in Windows Search 4, and a number of Windows Media Center enhancements, as well as “better support for netbook computers,” although Microsoft doesn’t seem to have elaborated too much on that. No word on a release date for the non-beta version just yet, but Microsoft is apparently hoping to get it out in advance of Windows 7 — and, yes, it will be a free update for current Windows Home Server users.

[Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/17/windows-home-server-power-pack-3-beta-adds-windows-7-convenience/]

Microsoft has released many OS versions over the past and it turns out its latest Windows 7 is the least expensive of them all. Most of the Microsoft OS were in the price range of up to $200 with the exception of Vista Home Premium, which touched the $260 mark. Even the pro versions of Windows, starting NT reached a mark of $320 while the Windows 7 versions are still available at $50 for the Home Edition, $100 for the Professional version and $220 for the Ultimate version. Check out the images to check the sticker prices and the adjusted inflation prices for the different OS released by Microsoft and Windows 7 emerges as the undisputed winner with the lowest price.

[Source:http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/windows_7_is_the_least_expensive_os_by_microsoft.php ]

Here are some of the best and free audio/video softwares.

Media Players

VLC media player

VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player and multimedia framework capable of reading most audio and video formats (MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, DivX, MPEG-1, mp3, ogg, aac …) as well as DVDs, Audio CDs VCDs, and various streaming protocols.

Link: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

GOM player

GOM Player is a video/audio player with additional multimedia functions. This is a player of the new generation, which allows you to quickly and conveniently use the advantages of digital technologies. GOM uses low CPU utilization while giving you the best possible image and subtitle quality and plays incomplete files without buffering.

Link: http://www.gomlab.com/eng/

Video Converter:

Any Video Converter

It can convert almost all video formats including DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to MPEG-4 movie format for iPod/PSP or other portable video device, MP4 player or smart phone with Any Video Converter, which also supports user-defined video file formats as the output. Batch process multiple files that AVC saves to a pre-selected directory folder, leaving the original files untouched.

Link: http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

Audio editing:

Audacity

Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It allows you to record live audio, converts tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs, edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files. You also can cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together with Audacity. Built-in effects are given to remove static, hiss, hum or other constant background noises.

Link: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Power Sound Editor:

Power Sound Editor is a free software to record your own music, voice, or other audio files, edit it, mix it with other audio or musical parts, add effects like Reverb, Chorus, and Echo, and burn it on a CD, post it on the World Wide Web or e-mail it.

Link: http://www.free-sound-editor.com/

[For more audio editing tools visit this page

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/25-free-digital-audio-editors/ ]

In my next post I will be posting few more best free softwares which will be really an alternatives for expensive Softwares.