minority report

The 404 1,071: Where we say goodbye to Hollywood (podcast)

We'll wait until tomorrow to go over all the Apple announcements from WWDC, so today's show is all about Jeff's return to the East Coast and his E3 wrap-up. Jeff and Scott Stein agree that the show lacked the hardware announcements everyone expected, with Nintendo playing serious catch-up with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Jeff and I then envision a potential future without E3 or maybe even a move to New York, where my co-host wouldn't be forced to play next-gen hockey games as the LA Kings.

Moving on, we'll talk about Microsoft registering … Read more

The 404 973: Where no hoots given here (podcast)

It's our first day back from CES so we'll give you quick recap of last week's shows, but you should really go back and hear them for yourself!

We'll also give you a backstage pass today for some of the events that happened when the microphones turned off, and tell you why the CES acronym should be changed to stand for the Chinese Exports Show.… Read more

Friday Poll: Most compelling use for natural user interfaces?

Set in 2054, "Minority Report" revealed a future in which natural user interfaces play a major role. A memorable scene features Tom Cruise controlling a large interactive screen with illuminated gloves, gesturing back and forth to navigate through an NUI.

Less than a decade after the movie hit theaters, we now have Microsoft's $150 Kinect accessory for Xbox 360, which provides a similar experience to the one seen in the movie--without requiring special gloves or a multimillion dollar computer setup.

People have primarily used a mouse and keyboard to interact with computers for decades; this seems silly considering that nearly every other computer component has evolved significantly in the same time frame. Now that the Kinect SDK is available for Windows 7, natural user interfaces have more opportunity than ever to change how we interact with computers.

Supportive technology such as speech recognition (which has already matured greatly, as this week's launch of Google Voice Search for desktop computers highlighted), Microsoft Surface, and 3D Immersive Touch are all stepping stones to something far greater in the evolution of computer interaction. It's inevitable that years from now, aspects of these technologies will work together to free us from pressing keys and clicking buttons.

So, what do you think the most exciting possibilities for natural user interfaces are? Vote in our weekly poll. And please be sure to elaborate in the comments section.… Read more

The 404 689: Where it's a work in progress (podcast)

Apologies to all the live listeners, this morning's broadcast had to start later than usual to give Wilson some time to tweak our new studio set-up we mentioned last week.

We have an all new tricaster, new mic stands, HD video, and more, so definitely be sure to check out the video feed to see all the improvements, because we're all really excited and have Wilson plus the rest of the CNET crew to thank for helping with the installation!

As hard as it already is to stay away from Starbucks' seasonal coffee flavors, here's another reason to avoid the overpriced chain of cafes: shoppers will soon see the arrival of "ping marketing," a tactic that bombards shoppers' smartphones with electronic discount coupons as they pass by participating stores.

The vouchers are delivered in the form of a text message, and the technology relies on GPS satellites to keep track of your location in relation to the partnered storefronts. Britain's O2 network is the first to test out the opt-in service, where customers can sign up for a six-month trial that releases information about their age, gender, and interests to relevant retailers. We're all in agreement that this crosses the privacy line, but is anyone else worried that tech companies are just poaching ideas straight from "Minority Report?"

While other fathers teach their sons how to throw a baseball or catch a fish, Luke Geissbuhler went the NASA route and helped his son send an iPhone into space. They fitted a small weather balloon with an HD camera, an Apple iPhone (to track GPS location), and several handwarmers before launching the contraption into space.

Sixty minutes and 90,000 feet later, the balloon actually broke the thermal wind barrier and burst after 10 more minutes, but not before it recorded 100 minutes of footage from take-off to landing. In their self-shot video, the father/son team reported that the contraption had to survive "100 mph winds, temperatures of 60 degrees below zero, speeds of over a 150 mph, and the high risk of a water landing." Somebody needs to give Papa Geissbuhler the official "Best Father of All Time" award, right now.

Check out the rest of the full show below for more stories, including Sprint adding 4G access in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and don't forget to add @BlakeStevenson and RT this message for a chance to win Blake's awesome 404 Halloween poster!

Episode 689 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

MIT gestural gloves bring back the '80s

Somewhere in your closet there's a pair of gloves straight out of "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo." Well, if you dust them off and fire up your Webcam, you'll have the beginnings of a nifty gestural interface system, thanks to research at MIT.

Robert Wang of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory designed a gestural system that tracks a pair of rainbow-colored Lycra gloves to be used with a standard Webcam. The gloves, which cost only a dollar to manufacture, can be used to manipulate virtual objects such as blocks or even complex machinery models (… Read more

G-Speak could bring 'Minority Report' tech soon

With gesture control the next big thing in the interface race, sneeze and you might just reboot the entire server system. That scenario may not be too far off, since Oblong Industries, the guys behind the technological whizbang "Minority Report," is behind this. Company co-founder John Underkoffler has unveiled what's been coined G-Speak.

It all sounds rather similar to MIT's Sixth Sense device, though G-Speak takes on a more spatial operating environment (SOE) that lets users manipulate the space around to move 3D objects or zoom in and out. Think Tom Cruise's character using the interactive wall in the sci-fi flick.

To crunch down the technobabble, the gesture technology tracks hand movements using special displays and surfaces that can work with videos and images. Like Cruise in "MR," you'll need to don a pair of special gloves to act as "conductors" to do your thang.

With augmented reality, multitouch, and motion control already in the picture, it won't be too long before gesture-based interfaces take us to a whole new mouse-less realm. If Underkoffler is to be believed, G-Speak should be ready for consumer use in the next five years. Check in on the two following videos for a glimpse at the future. … Read more

Rumored Xbox 360 dashboard update to use motion control

With Sony releasing version 2.40 of the PlayStation 3 firmware today, it's no surprise that talk about a new Xbox 360 dashboard update has surfaced.

Aside from the normal list of technical updates, this rumored dashboard update will supposedly incorporate an entire new graphical user interface as well. Right now, reports point toward a sort of 3D experience, deviating from the current "blade" system. There's also talk that this alternative GUI will take advantage of some sort of motion-control device yet-to-be-announced by Microsoft.

Kotaku describes the new interface as a nod to the control scheme … Read more

The 404 133: Where we stay together for the kids

Sixteen of Wilson's illegitimate children ventured into the preshow, but don't worry--we kept it G-rated for the little Tangers. Check out the video courtesy of UltimateBuster for evidence of the wackiness. Once they leave, though, we revert back to our old selves and bring you another show filled with skally stories from around the Internets, including the upcoming Xbox 360 dashboard update, Laser Speedos (no affiliation with Laser Cats), the overweight American workforce, and this country's obsession with nonfat half-caff triple-grande quarter-sweet sugar-free nonfat lactaid extra-hot extra-foamy caramel macchiatos. Episode 133 Download today's podcast

Forget 'Iron Man's' fighting prowess, check out his computers

I saw Iron Man (cool Web site) on Sunday, joining the hordes who contributed to the $100 million dollar plus opening of the film. The movie was a blast so to speak, and Robert Downey Jr. was outstanding in the lead role. It has plenty of digital special effects and great production design, especially the futuristic computer usage scenarios.

Minority Report has some interesting computer usage scenarios, but Iron Man is far more sophisticated. It's difficult to describe the digital systems, but they are artificially intelligent (pass the Turing Test), and allow Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, to design, … Read more