#95 Gesture controls grow up

Touch pads got a big boost from the launch of Windows 8.

(Credit: CNET)

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There's a school of thought that says consumers have been secretly trained in the ways of gesture control for years, starting with laptop touch pads, then smartphone screens, and even the motion-controlled Nintendo Wii. Gesture controls, whether hands-on, via a screen or input pad, or hands-off, via camera control, are now everywhere, including televisions, game consoles, and PCs.

Hands-on gesture control has moved far beyond iOS and Android devices, with an entire new operating system, Windows 8, practically built around multifinger swiping, either on a touch screen, or via one of the increasing number of oversize touch pads these systems are starting to ship with.

Motion control isn't as widespread, but support is growing. Microsoft's Kinect camera accessory for Xbox 360 still has some game support, but works best for navigating through multimedia menus with a wave of the hand. Samsung took a bold step in adding gesture (and voice) control to some of its 2102 TVs, although the implementation right now is, to be charitable, best described as "first-generation."

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