Hasta La Gadget!

Not too long ago, the invisible iPhone was nothing more than satirical fodder for the Onion. Now, Patrick Baudisch and his team of researchers at the Hasso-Plattner Institute have moved closer to making it a reality, with a new interface that can essentially transfer an iPhone touchscreen to the palm of your hand. The device involves an Xbox-like depth camera, mounted on a tripod, that can register the movements of a person’s finger across his or her palm. Special software then determines the actions these gestures would execute on a user’s iPhone, before transmitting the commands to a physical phone, via WiFi radio. Unlike MIT’s motion-based “sixth sense” interface, Baudisch’s imaginary phone doesn’t require users to learn a new dictionary of gestures, but relies solely on the muscle memory that so many smartphone users have developed. During their research, Baudisch and his colleagues found that iPhone owners could accurately determine the position of two-thirds of their apps on their palms, without even looking at their device. At the moment, the prototype still involves plenty of bulky equipment, but Baudisch hopes to eventually incorporate a smaller camera that users could wear more comfortably — allowing them to answer their imaginary phones while doing the dishes and to spend hours chatting with their imaginary friends. Head past the break to see the prototype in action.

Continue reading Invisible iPhone prototype puts the ‘hand’ back in ‘handset’ (video)

Invisible iPhone prototype puts the ‘hand’ back in ‘handset’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With only the best interests of its younger customers at heart, Microsoft has a new back-to-school promotion: starting May 22, college students buying a new Windows 7 PC can also get a free Xbox 360 4GB console. That’s right, free — as long as your new computer cost at least $699 and came from Redmond or one of its partners, including HP and Dell. Online ordering will require a .edu email address, which even attendees of the School of Life know how to procure; if you’d rather shop at Best Buy or a Microsoft Store, you’ll need an actual student ID. This isn’t about convincing students they need more than a tablet computer, of course. It’s about about giving them the opportunity to be popular. “Get ready to be the coolest kid on your dorm floor with a killer new Windows 7 PC and an Xbox 360 — all you really need for college,” the company says. Yes, being the coolest kid on your dorm floor: pretty much the definition of Higher Education.

Microsoft offers free Xbox 360 with back-to-school PC, professors shake their gray, uncool heads originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 May 2011 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coverage of Eedoo’s eBox has thus far largely focused on the China-only game console’s similarity to Microsoft’s Kinect. Perhaps seeking to shift in perception, the system this week was reintroduced to the world as the Apple-esque iSec — that’s short for “Sports Entertainment Center,” highlighting its exercise-centric approach to gaming, with martial arts, skateboarding, and good old-fashioned monster fighting titles having already been demoed. The console will also support wireless controllers of some sort, for those sick of all of that pesky exercise. After an initial delay, the iSec is set to hit China at some point in the second half of this year, though the company has no international sales plan — at least until they move one million units domestically. At the moment, the iSec doesn’t have much official competition, since the Wii, Xbox, and PS3 aren’t legally available in China, though we’re told that they’re also not too hard to get your hands on — for those who are still using their hands for stuff.

Lenovo-funded eBox gaming console renamed iSec, still can’t shake Kinect comparisons originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When the Kinect first launched last November, gamers were (to put it charitably) a bit skeptical. Here was a device with incredible technological potential, and the most impressive game that came out with it was a dance simulator. More »

It’s true, per Major Nelson Hulu Plus will launch on Xbox 360 tomorrow amid a slew of promotions, the first of which will provide free access to the service for all US-based Xbox Live members (free or paid) through May 6th courtesy of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. We should be able to get some hands on time with the app in a few. Until then you can imagine what it will be like to watch 24 The Confession in HD or every episode of Spaced through your console in between rounds of messin’ with Sasquatch (explanation after the break).

Update: Now with screens plus details on the giveaways and a demo of Hulu Plus w/ Kinect after the break!

Continue reading Hulu Plus on Xbox 360 launches tomorrow, all members get a free week thanks to beef jerky

Hulu Plus on Xbox 360 launches tomorrow, all members get a free week thanks to beef jerky originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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