IDC Research's Lewis Ward has, amid a fair bit of speculation regarding Xbox and Kinect, really thrown the cat amongst the pigeons with some pretty bold statements regarding Microsoft's next moves.
Microsoft's Kinect peripheral was the fastest-selling gadget of all time, and has propelled the Redmond company's Xbox 360 console to the summit of the console wars. Sony's PlayStation Move offers similar features, but simply hasn't managed to yield the popularity of Kinect, and for those of you who've yet to get involved in the interaction-fest, you can now grab your very own Kinect sensor for the reduced price of $109.99.
Microsoft's Kinect peripheral, which allowed the kind of interactivity with its Xbox 360 console only previously seen in the Nintendo Wii, went down a storm with consumers, becoming the fastest-selling gadget of all time when it launched back in 2010. Like all good new tech releases, it's hard to believe the Kinect motion sensor hasn't even reached the two year mark yet, and talk of its successor has been fairly prevalent for the past couple of months now.
When it comes to bootleg products, no nation does them better - or should we say worse than China. The world's most populous country is responsible for the good, mainly bad, and usually ugly of the knock-off market, and the most recent is the i-move, which takes Xbox popular Kinect and morphs it into a new console.
Microsoft's Kinect peripheral has been a revelation since arriving to market just over 18 months ago. The perfect addition to the Xbox 360, it has driven sales of the console up dramatically, allowing consumers to interact with their entertainment box in a manner previously only supported by the Nintendo Wii.
Being big fans of technology, we were somewhat hoping for a big announcement of some juicy new hardware at E3, but just because Microsoft didn't unveil anything gadgety, that doesn't mean to say there wasn't anything on show of significance.
If there are two pieces of technology that have come about in the last five years that have the power to change the way we work and play, the Apple iPad and Microsoft Kinect top the list. Both promised to add a new dimension to both the mundane and the enjoyable things in life, and whether they have managed just that is very much up for debate.
Anyone who is familiar with the comings and goings of the consumer technology industry will be more than au fait with Microsoft's Kinect sensor and its associated attachments. What started out as a motion sensing accessory for Xbox 360 gamers has grown to be so much more, with people adapting the technology to be used in a number of different innovative and exciting situations.
Ever since the Kinect was released, people immediately began to see that the technology's potential extended far beyond gaming. A pretty extensive homebrew community surrounding the Kinect developed, eventually gaining support even from Microsoft. That's not surprising, however, given the plethora of cool stuff developed. And, speaking of cool stuff developed to bring the Kinect to new heights, a research team at the Human Media Lab of Canada's Queen's University led by professor Roel Vertegaal developed an insane 360-degree display called the Telepod. Basically, the primary function of the Telepod is to create a 3D hologram that slightly livens up videoconferencing.
3D technology is currently all the rage amongst most of the tech companies pushing to find a new and innovative feature that will help them stand out from the crowd. With so many players in the smartphone, TV and computer industry all vying for our dollars, they all need to find a way to differentiate themselves from the competition. 3D, it seems, is one of those ways.
