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You can build Microsoft's Kinect-powered holodeck at home
Got a Kinect, a projector and a knack for code? If so, you can create a Star Trek-like holodeck in your living room. Microsoft has released the RoomAlive Toolkit, a software framework that lets you string together Kinect motion trackers to create interactive projection maps. You can use it to build anything from extra-immersive games through to art displays. This isn't exactly a trivial undertaking (Microsoft is promising lots of tutorials), but it means that you won't have to wait for someone else to bring your augmented reality dreams to life.
Microsoft: Media Center Edition won't make it into Windows 10
Rumors Microsoft would dump its Media Center feature have plagued the project for years -- in 2007 we worried if it still had a future, after it was largely pushed aside in Windows Vista -- and the company confirmed to ZDNet this week that with the launch of Windows 10, it's actually happening. While Media Center came to Windows 8 as an add-on and unchanged from previous versions, apparently "infinitesimal" usage statistics are the reason Microsoft is finally pulling the plug. Nearly ten years ago, the launch of the Xbox 360 suggested Media Center Edition had a bright future and a place in the living room. While the console went on to sell millions, HTPCs became an ignored and restricted niche for Microsoft, a missed opportunity after its hyped 2004 launch with Bill Gates and Queen Latifah.
Build 2015: With Windows 10, Microsoft is no longer a follower
Referencing former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's infamous "developers!" chant is practically a cliché nowadays, but it felt like the silent refrain throughout the company's entire Build conference this week. In the run-up to Windows 10, Microsoft wants developers. It needs developers. And it will do whatever it takes to get them -- even going so far as to allow devs to recompile their Android and iOS apps without much fuss. None of this seemed possible from Microsoft years ago, when simply owning the dominant desktop platform was enough. But now with mobile devices and the cloud in play, Microsoft needs to evolve. And by doing so, it's also making Windows 10 a far more exciting upgrade than Windows 8 ever hoped to be.
Microsoft helped me build a HoloLens app, and it was pretty easy
If you had told me years ago that Microsoft would come out with a futuristic augmented reality headset, I'd have said you were nuts. And yet, a few months ago, it did exactly that. The headset is called HoloLens, which, when worn, allows you to interact with holographic objects set in the real world. It's pretty crazy, sci-fi-level stuff -- as we saw earlier this week at Build, you could have Windows apps floating around you as you sit in your living room or walk around a projected image of a human skeleton. Yesterday, in a 90-minute presentation, I not only had the chance to get my hands on a much more polished version of the hardware, but also tried my hand at creating my very own holographic app.
A tearful tech demo from the studio behind 'Final Fantasy'
Square Enix, the studio responsible for the famously pretty Final Fantasy series, routinely creates tech demos for the latest and greatest gaming systems, and this week it added one more to that repertoire. During Microsoft's BUILD dev conference, Square Enix showed off a real-time DirectX 12 tech demo called WITCH: Chapter 0 [cry]. True to its name, this demo includes a crying woman -- Agni from previous Square Enix tech demos -- and all of the wonky facial animations that come with such an activity. WITCH features 63 million polygons per scene, "six to 12 times more" than what was possible with DirectX 11, Microsoft says. Check out the real-time demo below and note that while the animations certainly are pretty, there isn't much going on in these scenes in terms of AI or NPC population.
Xbox One to Windows 10 streaming feels just like console gaming
With the release of Windows 10, Sony won't be the only company to offer game streaming from its consoles. Today we finally got our hands on Windows 10's Xbox One game streaming feature, which lets you bring your entire Xbox gaming experience to any PC running the new OS. And even in its early state, it looks like it will satisfy even the most demanding gamers. Microsoft made a risky bet by demoing the feature with Sunset Overdrive, a fast-paced game where you'd notice the slightest hint of slowdown. And as you can see in the video below, it's virtually indistinguishable from the native Xbox One experience while running on a Surface Pro 3.
Our first close look at Microsoft's HoloLens
It's only been a few months since Microsoft introduced the augmented reality HoloLens headset, and now we've finally got a close look at the unit to show you. We don't have much to show other than these pictures at the moment -- we couldn't take pictures of the early dev unit we tried on back in January -- but check back for more details shortly. Nicole Lee contributed to this report
Microsoft thinks it can guess your age using facial recognition
Since we're right smack in the middle of Microsoft's BUILD dev conference, the company's showing off one of it's Azure APIs with a site you can put to the test. How-Old.net allows you to upload a picture before the site recognizes faces and analyzes them to determine their age. No, I'm not 41... I'm 31, and that picture is from over two years ago. Other folks here at Engadget received results closer to their real age, but it made us wonder: why not use a web cam to snap a picture under current conditions. You know, after I've had a chance to apply my daily dose of wrinkle remover. Perhaps that option on the way.
Windows 10 design lead explains what's changed (and what hasn't)
Albert Shum, the design team lead for Microsoft's OS team, has outlined through some of the decisions made in its new OS. He reiterates that - especially now Windows 10 is out in the open - the work here isn't yet done, with the blog post focusing on where the team's received the most.. "feedback", including the new menu options found on mobile iterations.
Get your Windows 10 preview for Raspberry Pi 2 while it's hot
Day one of Microsoft's Build 2015 conference is in the books, but that doesn't mean the news has stopped. The Windows 10 IoT Core Insider developer preview (phew!) has launched for small devices including the Raspberry Pi 2. Redmond admits that it's still pretty rough around the edges, but it's hoping that the maker community can provide feedback for how the platform's turning out along the road to a full release. What's more, the software giant is partnering with Arduino for a series of "Arduino Certified" products to bring the ubiquitous DIY boards into the Windows family and take advantage of all that the software has to offer. For example, cloud computing, a familiar user interface, image processing and a ton more. It follows the theme of bringing everything under one roof that Nadella and Co. have been so vocal about lately, and should hopefully help tinkerers develop some pretty powerful stuff in their garage.
HoloLens promo video gives a glimpse of early prototypes
During Microsoft's Build 2015 event earlier today it displayed a "Closer look at the hardware" promo video for its HoloLens AR headset. It's the normal fluff and info we're expecting about augmented reality, but as RoadtoVR points out, there are a few brief glimpses at earlier versions of the headset in there too, plus a look at the current unit blown apart so you can see what's inside. They're similar to the Google Glass prototypes we saw during its run up to the Explorer model, and give us an idea of how hard it is to shove all that hardware into something that might fit on a human face. Of course, it doesn't bring us immediately closer to Windows Holographic experiences in real life, but until we get our hands on one just appreciating the headset's history and technology will have to do.
Your Windows 10 phone is a tiny desktop computer with Continuum
Microsoft just demoed its 2-in-1 Continuum feature on a Windows 10 phone giving the mobile device the ability to become a really tiny desktop computer. Continuum adjusts the UI of Windows 10 on a device from desktop to tablet mode based on what's plugged into it. If you plug a keyboard and mouse into a tablet or phone, it goes into desktop mode. When those are unplugged, a pop-up asks if you want to enter tablet mode with touch input. Desktop mode includes the Start Menu and Taskbar you usually associate with a full-size computer. For anyone that travels who would like to pare down the devices they pack, this is great. Corporate Vice President of the Operating Systems Group Joe Belfiore did note that phones would need a hardware upgrade to fully implement the feature.
Microsoft shows off Windows Holographic running Windows 10 apps
When Microsoft debuted its Windows Holographic software and HoloLens headset a few months back, Windows 10 apps were mentioned as a possibility. Well, at Build 2015 today, the folks in Redmond offered a look at Windows 10 Universal apps in holographic action. During the onstage demo, apps could be placed on walls or set to float in space, and resized based on the user's needs -- something we'd only seen in videos up to this point. Of course, this means that users in different locations can collaborate on 3D models without having to be in the same room. Any Windows 10 app can be used as a hologram with the headset, so getting work done at a place other than your desk will soon be a possibility.
Windows 10's web browser is called Microsoft Edge
After months of waiting, Microsoft finally has a proper name for Windows 10's brand-new web browser: Forget Project Spartan, and meet Microsoft Edge. It still has the same flat, minimalist look you saw at the start of the year, as well as clever features like Cortana voice commands and annotation for websites. You'll also get a new tab page that shows both other websites as well as handy info like weather, and Microsoft is now making it easier for developers to port extensions from other browsers (such as Chrome). Yes, the folks in Redmond are largely using the Edge name to distance their latest browser from Internet Explorer's less-than-stellar reputation, but you have to admit that the new branding is decidedly catchier.
Any site can be a Windows app
At today's Microsoft Build conference, Vice President of Operating Systems Terry Myerson announced that websites can now be placed inside a Windows 10 universal framework. In other words, developers can make a Windows 10 app out of their site. The site-based apps can be listed inside the Windows Store and support Cortana notifications and in-app purchases. Building these apps is pretty simple according to Myerson. Couple this with news that the company is helping iOS and Android developers port their apps to Windows 10 and the inclusion of .NET and Win32 apps in the marketplace and it's pretty clear Microsoft really, really wants you to start using the Windows Store.
Desktop apps are coming to the Windows Store
One of the reasons some people didn't like Windows 8 was that it seemed to include two versions of Windows: Live Tiles and the desktop, with touch-friendly apps kept far away from traditional x86 programs. With Windows 10, Microsoft seems to be trying hard to make the user experience feel less jarring, and now, it's taking things a step further with the Windows Store. Once home exclusively to touch-friendly, "Metro-style" apps, it will now house a mix of Win32 and .NET apps as well, along with server-hosted web applications. The result is that users will now have a one-stop shop for all manner of Windows downloads. From a developer standpoint, meanwhile, all of these apps will be able to take advantage of the same Windows Store platform -- that means updates are delivered the same way, and developers can also enable in-app purchases, as they would in any other Windows Store download.
Microsoft invites Android and iOS apps to join Windows 10
Microsoft's Terry Myerson confirmed onstage at Build what many of us suspected in the hours leading up to the event -- the company's going to make it easier for developers to bring Android apps into the Windows Store. To make this possible, Myers said, Windows phones "will include an Android subsystem" meant to play nice with the Java and C++ code developers have already crafted to run on a rival's operating system. Turns out, that's not the only dev-friendly coup we're seeing today: iOS developers can compile their Objective C code right from Microsoft's Visual Studio, and turn it into a full-fledged Windows 10 app. This, frankly, is huge. With one announcement, drawn out of the course of a few minutes, Microsoft may have just changed its mobile trajectory completely.
Carrier billing is coming to all Windows devices
Wish you could put that Windows app purchase on your phone bill rather than rack up a separate charge? Microsoft just made your day. It's bringing carrier billing to all Windows devices, so you only have to make one payment to cover everything. There are 90 providers involved, too, so there's a very good chance that your network of choice is eligible. The move is welcome, if not totally surprising. When Windows 10 focuses heavily on universal apps that run on both phones and PCs, it only makes sense to pay through your carrier on whichever hardware you use.
Microsoft expands Office integration with third-party apps
So far, Microsoft's Build 2015 keynote has mostly been focused on the tools available for developers. But the company just made an announcement that's beneficial to its core consumer base. Rob Lefferts, GM of the Office Extensibility, took the stage to reveal that the Office productivity suite will be further integrated with third-party applications and services. With Uber in Outlook, for example, you can click on a button and quickly catch a ride to your next appointment, all without having to manually enter a destination address -- it does this automatically by grabbing data from your email accounts.
We're live at Microsoft's Build 2015 keynote
We're ready and waiting in San Francisco for Microsoft to kick off its next Build developer conference. There will likely be some surprises, especially around HoloLens, but mostly we're expecting Microsoft to delve deeper into Windows 10 and what it means for developers. Word on the street is that Windows 10 might hit this summer, so don't be surprised if we see a firm release date today. Not surprisingly, this conference will likely be used to court as many developers as possible to the Windows 10 app ecosystem. Expect plenty of announcements around Microsoft's universal app platform, which lets devs write apps once and run them across multiple devices. We may even see Microsoft open up Windows to Android apps, according to journalist Paul Thurrott. That's been rumored for a while now, and this conference is the perfect chance for Microsoft to prove to developers that it's a lot more flexible. Join us here at 11:30 AM ET/8:30 AM PT when the festivities are scheduled to begin.
