Tag Archives: tech demo

Microsoft demonstrates virtual collaboration with VR/AR unifier Windows Holographic

Technology, Video, , , , , , , , ,

Microsoft’s making a point with its latest glimpse into the future. Instead of choosing a side in the race to develop virtual and augmented reality technologies, the Windows maker is embracing a mixed reality, and it’s a vision that aims to break down the barriers between our physical world and the endless potential of a virtual space. Powering the company’s mixed reality is Windows Holographic, a platform embedded inside Windows 10 that enables end-users to transform the physical world around them with interactive holograms. In the video demonstration above, Microsoft promotes a collaborative experience where multiple users can virtually meet up, plan, and execute ideas in real time.

Collaboration is the key here. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the gamer featured in this clip is not wearing Microsoft’s HoloLens hardware. In fact, he’s sporting a VR headset designed by HTC called Vive. It’s one of the more popular VR devices out today, a direct competitor of Oculus’s Rift. So what is it doing here, featured in Microsoft’s mixed reality demonstration? Well, MSFT aims to bridge the gap (see a trend here?) between competing VR and AR offerings by opening up the Windows Holographic platform to partners including HTC, ASUS, Intel, Dell, HP, Lenovo and other pioneers in the PC market. Whether or not Microsoft succeeds in becoming the definitive holographic interface is a question for another day, but you must commend its forward-thinking initiative for inclusivity.

The first step in creating this future was taken in March when Microsoft began shipping out the first HoloLens units to developers. The company says that there are already hundreds of Windows Holographic-infused apps in the Windows Store today as developers continue to mine the headset and its underlying, universal platform for its potential across a multitude of industries including entertainment and education.

With the Rift and Vive out in the wild, and Sony’s PS4-powered PSVR device just around the corner, VR is about to blow up and it sure will be interesting to watch Microsoft respond with a decidedly different approach to our VR AR MR future.

[Via Microsoft] Continue reading Microsoft demonstrates virtual collaboration with VR/AR unifier Windows Holographic →

Apple Watch preorders going live: here’s what you need to know

News, Technology, Video, , , , , ,

The Apple Watch is coming. Are you ready?

Today, one day before pre-orders go live on Friday, April 10, Apple outed a press release detailing how the big launch is going to work. If you want a Watch anytime soon, be ready to preorder online tonight at midnight–specifically, Friday morning at 12:01am PDT. All three styles including the Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, and Apple Watch Edition are bound to sell out faster than you can say Steve Jobs, so you’ll want your finger on the checkout button precisely at that time. After securing a preorder, customers can expect product delivery beginning Friday, April 24.

Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail and Online Stores, also mentions in the press release that the company “will be taking orders for Apple Watch exclusively online during the initial launch period.” I added the emphasis there because it’s important to note. At least at launch, you will not be able to walk into a store to buy the Watch; Apple is making it available for purchase solely at its online store for now.

However, that does not mean Apple Stores and select boutiques around the world won’t be showing off the newly minted timepieces. Visit a brick-and-mortar Apple Store “for a personalized session with a Specialist to try on, fit and size their band, and explore the amazing features of Apple Watch.” Though you won’t be walking out of the store with it, such a session will surely help you decide on which style and size are best, and then you make an informed buy online. Happy shopping, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Need something to do while you’re waiting for pre-ordering to go live tonight? Hop after the break to watch four recently uploaded official Guided Tours to learn your way around the Watch and its snazzy UI. A general overview, as well as focused looks at Messages, watch faces, and Digital Touch, will get you acclimated with Apple’s “most personal device.”

Is that not enough? There’s more. It’s not Watch-related, but it’s still something you should know. HBO NOW, the premium cable network’s standalone streaming service, has gone live across Apple devices including Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Get the app and get started with a free 30-day trial. Ready to dive in? Sign up for the $14.99 monthly subscription and you’re good to go. HBO releases its new streaming service just in time for the season premieres of Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, and Veep.

[Via Apple] Continue reading Apple Watch preorders going live: here’s what you need to know →

Google Demo Slam contest gives ordinary people the chance to creatively shine

Design, Technology, Video, , , , , ,

The G-Men started to think how can we make tech demos fun so people would actually watch and learn from them? Demo Slam is their answer.  Google is relying on everyday people (ahem, you don’t need to be a fancy developer) to submit personalized demos that feature Google tech.  Using Android phones or Google on the computer, people can show off their creative side by coming up with ways to demonstrate Google tech like search by voice, updates in real-time, and universal search.  I’ve included my top five favorite Demo Slam videos in this post.  The one embedded above is called “Extra Spicy” and it features two girls using Google Translate to call a real Indian restaurant and order in Hindi.  Never thought of giving that a try, now did you?

Look after the break for the others; a group of friends recreates Mt. Rushmore and uses Google Googles to identify the them as the real deal, three brothers see how many marshmallows they can shove into their mouths until Google Search by voice cannot recognize the query “chubby bunny”, Maria Sharapova uses Google Search to answer questions in English and Russian, and then there’s the epic Google Docs animation.

Want to see more tech demos?  They are so much fun to watch right?  Head over to the official Demo Slam website where you can view all the submissions and vote for your favorites.  The contest is still happening, so unleash your creative side and show the world what you’ve got!

[Via GoogleBlog] Continue reading Google Demo Slam contest gives ordinary people the chance to creatively shine →

Peter Molyneux demos Milo again!

Technology, Video, , , , , , ,

Lionhead Studios’ Peter Molyneux (creator of Fable) took the stage at TED last month to demo his artifically intelligent phenom Milo.  His presentation has finally been uploaded to the Internetz and is ready for our enjoyment.  The game utilizes Kinect for Xbox 360 to enable the player to interact with Milo and his virtual world with body movements, hand gestures, and speech.  The first tech demo was featured at E3 2009, and since then Milo has grown into a more full-fledged game.  This new 11-minute presentation explains Milo’s backstory (he has recently moved into a new home), his problem (he is having trouble acclimating to his new surroundings), and how the player factors into the game (you are there to befreind Milo and help him find his way in this new chapter of his life).  Molyneux explains that Microsoft’s TellMe database brings Milo out of the depths of standard yes/no responses and into a new era of speech commands in gaming.  The Kinect mic picks up your voice and the Milo software recognizes the intonation of your speech patterns.  It’s pretty wild.  Watch it unfold in the video above.

[Via TED]

id’s Carmack to bring graphics-heavy 60fps game to the iPhone

News, Technology, Video, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

At this year’s QuakeCon in Dallas, Texas id Software co-founder John Carmack revealed that he’s bringing Rage (a first-person shooter that wowed critics at E3) to the iPhone.  With the announcement came a very brief tech demo for those in attendence.  Get this: the game will run at 60 frames-per-second!  All of the lighting, texture, and detail look phenomenal.  This game is basically gonna blow away the App Store games competition.  What started as an experiment on the Nintendo Wii quickly became an app for the iOS platform, according to Carmack.  About two years ago Carmack stated that the iPhone is “more powerful than a Nintendo DS and PSP combined” and today he is backing that up with this impressive tech demo (it’s embedded above).  He says that the demo was running off an iPhone 4 and that the game will run fine on the iPhone 3G and feel best on the iPad (thanks to the larger display).  He promises that Rage for iOS will be released this year, before the game drops on major consoles sometime in 2011.  It’s about time these games-on-the-go got beefier, more graphically intense, and exciting, wouldn’t you say?

[Via Joystiq]