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 »

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 long offered the option to downgrade a Windows license and replace newer versions of its operating system with an older edition. This, however, gained notoriety with Windows Vista following numerous complaints from disgruntled users and computer makers actually advertising machines that were pre-downgraded to XP. Microsoft hopes to change this with Windows 7 – if early reviews are anything to go by it probably will – but it does plan to keep offering users a downgrade option.

In fact, Microsoft and its PC partners are going to allow Windows 7 users to downgrade not just to Vista but also to Windows XP. The company claims this is not the first time it has offered downgrade rights to a version other than its immediate predecessor, and clarified that selling XP to OEMs doesn’t necessarily mean it will continue to be supported. Microsoft is still expected to end mainstream support for the OS on April 14 and provide only security updates beyond that date. Downgrades will still cost interested consumers, presumably, as the software giant hasn’t detailed exactly how downgrade rights will work with Windows 7.

[SOURCE: http://www.itproportal.com/portal/news/article/2009/

4/8/microsoft-offers-downgrade-options-windows-7-xp/]

At the recent Wharton Business Technology Conference, Steven Elop, president of Microsoft’s business division, unveiled the latest future montage video from Microsoft Office Labs. The video, known simply as 2019, provides a sneak peek at the future according to Microsoft. The widespread use of surface and touchscreen devices coupled with ubiquitous wireless connectivity provides a future worthy of any science fiction novel. It is an interesting watch and will be even more interesting as the future unfolds and we see which of these technologies come to fruition. Hit the jump for the video.

Source: http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/03/01/microsoft-unveils-its-vision-for-the-future/