UserProfile
Latest
Microsoft patent application shows custom Kinect gestures, roaming user profiles
Since Kinect entered the world, modders have been hacking it for everything from playing Tetris to controlling a web browser. And really, Microsoft never seemed to mind. In case it wasn't obvious how much the company wants you to help find new uses for the technology, the folks in Redmond have filed a patent application for custom profiles. We can see that having implications for gaming and even Windows shortcuts, but for now Microsoft expects it to improve Kinect's accuracy by learning how you move -- after all, no one jumps or points or apes Lady Gaga's dance moves in exactly the same fashion, right? In other cases, the system might note that you prefer to make an "X" sign instead of a checkmark when selecting an object onscreen. And those personalized settings can roam over a network, shadowing you as you switch devices. Personally, we're stoked about the idea of making our best Julian Assange dance a bona fide gesture, but we'll be happy enough if Kinect can make up for our natural ungainliness.
Apple granted patent for handheld that recognizes your hands
You could probably fill a book with Apple patent applications that never amounted to anything, but here's one that's at least been granted -- a "handheld device" that uses capacitive sensors to recognize your identity just by the way you hold it, and subsequently personalize the device's buttons and settings to your hand based on your user profile. That's all that's actually been patented here, but the general idea is a little more grand -- you could theoretically grip a handheld with either hand, and it would automatically generate "button zones" under each finger using sensors (or disappearing buttons, perhaps) baked right into the chassis, making cries of "you're holding it wrong" hopefully fade into obscurity. Still, it's not the first time we've seen Cupertino reaching for digit recognition and we're sure it won't be the last, so we'll just file away our enthusiasm until or unless Jobs announces it on stage.
