Items tagged with gestures
Google released the first developer preview for Android Pback in early March, but at the time, we didn't know what Google would call the mobile operating system. Well, today at Google I/O, the tech giant spilled the beans on some of the new features that will be included in the operating system, but we still don't have an official name yet... bummer. Google isn't attempting to reinvent the wheel with Android P, but it is making a big push for artificial intelligence (AI) on the platform. By allowing more processing to take place on-device, you don't have to rely so much on the cloud,...
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There's still a lot we don't know about Google's upcoming Android P release, but thanks to an inadvertent leak on Google's own blog, speculation about certain minor details has now exploded. It looks like the Home button icon has turned into a pill, the back button into an outline, and the dialog boxes now have curved edges. In a blog post talking about network security improvements in Android P, a screenshot left in tact revealed all of the things mentioned above, as well as a couple of other aesthetic changes. Since publishing, Google cropped out some of the screenshot, which could either mean...
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It's crazy to think what kind of technologies will be commonplace in vehicles within the next 10 or 20 years. Whereas power windows, cruise control, and more recently satellite radio were all once cutting features, today's generation of car buyers may wonder how we ever got by without such amenities. Likewise, the next generation might be accustomed to new technologies BMW is putting in place, like touchscreen displays with gesture controls and key FOBs that take the stress out of parking in tight spaces. Let's start with the touch display. In the next generation of the BMW 7 Series, the iDrive...
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Google is apparently getting really serious about gesture control. In addition to acquiring Flutter, a San Francisco-based startup that develops gesture recognition technology, the sultan of search filed a patent application for using gestures in vehicles to perform a number of functions, such as changing the volume of music, raising or lowering the cabin temperature, and more. The patent describes using different gestures in different parts of the vehicle. Waving your hand in front of the radio, for example, would allow you to control the audio system. The obvious upshot is that once you learn...
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The future of computing may very well lie in gesture control, hence the popularity of platforms like Microsoft's Kinect sensor and growing interest in devices like the Leap Motion controller. Not to be left behind, search giant Google has gone and scooped up Flutter, a San Francisco-based startup that develops hand gesture recognition technology. According to a statement on Flutter's website by company CEO Naveet Dalal, the firm will continue its gesture recognition research at Google, though it's not clear if the entire staff will be retained or not. Dalal likened Google's acquisition to adding...
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At the risk of reviving a tired comparison, we can't help but bring up the fact that we keep inching closer to Minority Report-like computing. Swiping and using gestures on physical touchscreens served as a primer, and the next step is to be able to do those things in thin air. Well, guess what? You'll soon be able to, provided you own a Kinect for Windows. Microsoft is reportedly close to releasing an updated SDK (Software Development Kit) for the Kinect that will allow developers to integrate gestures such as pinch-to-zoom into their apps. With the new functionality in place, the Kinect is able...
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