Tag: microsoft

The company will be taking its first steps into the wearable technology category within upcoming weeks.

Microsoft is now preparing for an important new product launch as it will make its way into the wearable technology device category through its upcoming smartwatch device, according to a recent report from Forbes.

This wearable device will provide a range of features such as tracking the heart rate of the wearer.

One aspect that is quite interesting about the upcoming Microsoft smartwatch is that it is meant to be compatible with a range of different mobile platforms. Moreover, it will also have a considerable battery life that will last over two days when the device is used regularly, said the Forbes report.

This will place Microsoft in direct competition with the smartwatch rivals from Samsung, Motorola, and others.

Galaxy Gear wearable technology from Samsung has already been released in several versions and generations. Equally, the Moto 360 has represented the first option in the category from Motorola. This also brings Microsoft into the wearables arena just as the lucrative holiday season will be getting going. That will bring it onto the store shelves ahead of the competition from Apple, which is not set to be released until sometime in early 2015.

The first reports of wearables from Microsoft began appearing earlier this year in May, when it was working on a gadget that would employ the Kinect division’s optical engineering tech and that would be able to sync not only with Windows Phones but also smartphones that are based on Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS.

At the time that this article was written, the company had not released any details with regards to what it intends to actually name its smartwatch. It also has not given any indication as to the type of price tag that should be expected on the device. This is not only a major step into a new product category for Microsoft, but it is also a large step being taken by the CEO of the company, Satya Nadella, as this territory is considered to be primarily an uncharted one.

RoomAlive creates virtual objects that people can interact with in the physical world.

The augmented reality gaming system can turn a full living room into a virtual play area, which was recently demonstrated in a proof-of-concept video that was released by Microsoft Research.

RoomAlive utilizes a projector and a collection of depth cameras.

This is how the AR system maps the room, as well as the furniture and the people inside it. The pixels that are mapped can be used for input or output, which enables people to touch, dodge or shoot virtual content.

In the recent video about RoomAlive, it demonstrates how the system is set up and shows diverse simple game concepts in action. The people demoing the system are shown playing a whack-a mole like game that uses a gun and another game with traps that pop out of walls. Furthermore, according to the video, the system is linked to Unity, which gives developers the opportunity to design games around Microsoft’s augmented reality technology.

The narrator in the video says that “The system automatically creates a unified model of the room by combining the depth maps from each pro cam unit. In addition to the 3D model, our system automatically extracts the surfaces in the room, identifying vertical and horizontal surfaces in the floor plan.”

Microsoft’s augmented reality gaming system adapts content to any room.

The information provided in the video states that users of RoomAlive can touch, stomp, dodge, shoot and steer content that is projected seamlessly into the room, as if it were a natural part of the physical environment.

Furthermore, a unified model of the room is created by the system that does not require the intervention of the user. This is made possible because the projector-depth camera units are self-localizing and individually auto-calibrating.

The RoomAlive augmented reality system is still in the research stages and there has been no word yet on when this unique gaming experience will be available for consumers to obtain and enjoy. Furthermore, while there is no question that this is indeed a fascinating device, it is likely to be a costly product since it requires more than one high-end projector to work.