http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/ Engadget Comments for Video: Hands flailing wildly with Toshiba Spatial Motion Interface http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/If its an expensive mega-super feature, then Toshiba can sink together with HD-DVD and ignore the existence of Blu-Ray.]]>Jan 11th 2009 5:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 6:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 6:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 8:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 6:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 7:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 10:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 7:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 10:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/
One must also remember that we don't just speak with our voices. Hand gestures and facial movements are also involved in communication. Think of the differences in talking to someone in front of you versus a phone conversation. The former allows you to pick up the subtle cues that communicates what one really wants or is saying; the latter requires one to ask more questions in order to get the full sense of what one is trying to communicate.

One has to remember that when we talk about "natural" communication, we must include all its elements. Human vocal communication is imperfect when not combined with sight or touch; it would be even more imperfect for computers, which don't have the full range of processing ability.

Motion interface, however, is easier to develop. After all, what one does with a mouse (point and click) already works well and is very tactile. Touchscreens, though imperfect for those of us who are heavy typers (or heavy-handed, as my laptop keys can attest), also work well. So it makes sense for Toshiba (and Microsoft, with Surface) to develop motion interfaces. ]]>Jan 11th 2009 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/
The voice recognition program in my new cellphones (Samsung Omnia &HTC HD) also do a poor job, but that's because they are bad programs: before these new phones I had a Nokia N95 and its voice recognition prog was truly impressive: it did'nt even require you to record voice tags: somehow it would connect your spoken command to the written name.
Dictating softwares nowadays are also working remarkably well, of course to avoid the cacophony of voices in an average house (as you point out) a dedicated microphone is going to be necessary , but so what?
Also as you point out, you don't talk to a person on the phone as you talk to a person in front of you, but it would be more than sufficient to be able to talk to a computer (or to other electronic gadgedtry) the way you talk to a person on the phone, just like people adapted to talk to a phone we will adapt to talk in the microphone that will interface to our PCs.
I have modded a digiframe (which has become a linux touch screen PC really) to change functions(e-mails, internet, landline speakerphone, VOIP phone , digiframe, calendar, etc. etc.) using a voice recognition software patented by a cell phone firm, and it works perfectly, so much so that the touch screen is nearly redundant.
Anyway if your telephone uses win mobile try to install windows voice commander on it, it isn't perfect , but will probably do a better job than cyberon's Voice Dialler, that is probably the program installed on your phone.]]>Jan 11th 2009 12:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/
Of course, your drunk guests can mess up with gesture control, as well as voice recognition, so old infrared remote would prove handy as an option.

BTW, funny things happen with voice recognition. My Garmin GPS sometimes picks up the pieces of conversation and starts routing home or to other weird places. :))) I can turn the feature off, but it is fun to witness.

]]>Jan 11th 2009 1:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/
I wish that you would read the post you answer to.
I spoke about a microphone to control the interface just because QUITE OBVIOUSLY , otherways the OS would get confused by the cacophony of voices present in any house or even any other human environment.
Just like you tap on the BT headset to activate voice recognition on a cellphone the user needs to tap on a mic to activate the voice UI.
That's the way my modded digiframe works and it works perfectly.
I can give orders to it throug the mic (which is just a modified LG Bluetooth headset) to check morning Gmail, news, etc, even with the TV on in the same room (a kitchen) and with my daughter screaming, that's because the sistem is not active unless you tap on the mic , and even then for no more than 6 seconds.
Obviously you need to tap the mic for every order , but so what? Wanna compare that with k-board and mouse?]]>Jan 11th 2009 6:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 10:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 11:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 12:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/
Well, then we have to work on the cars that go vertical to scale all of the futuristic skyscrapers, too. And the futuristic drugs that Ethan Hawk--er, Tom Cruise takes.

Mmmmm, futuristic drugs.... *Homer Simpson drool sound*]]>Jan 11th 2009 12:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 4:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 11th 2009 6:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://fluidtunes.com/]]>Jan 11th 2009 8:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 12th 2009 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/11/video-hands-flailing-wildly-with-toshiba-spatial-motion-interfa/Jan 12th 2009 12:15PM