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Google Works On Kinect-Like Interface For Android
bizwriter writes "A patent filing made public last week suggests that Google may be trying to implement a motion-detection interface, like Microsoft Kinect, for portable electronic gadgets. The patent application is for technology that turns a mobile device's camera into a motion-input system. In other words, it could be goodbye to fingerprints and streaks on the front of your tablet or smartphone. Google could incorporate such a feature into Android in general or keep it as a differentiating advantage for its acquisition of Motorola."
I get it. They're following the Wii model:
Rapid gesticulation to control device
Accidentally throw device across room
Have to buy new device to replace broken one
Profit!
So... what do you do? Set your phone on the table while you danec in front of it to send a text message? It's cool on the kinect, but seems weird on android. Also, shouldn't they be putting more energy into changing the name of google play store back to android market?
Hold phone close to read. ...repeat x times
Move phone back and gesture at it.
Hold phone close to read that the gesture didn't work.
Move phone back and gesture at it
Throw phone, gesture is recognized.
Don't panic like your kernel
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
This is something I can't get my head around.
People, me included, spend hundreds of pounds on a phone and then worry about it getting damaged, forgetting the fact that it'll be replaced for free when they renew their contract two years down the line. People, not me, spend money on ugly cases that turn their phone into something that no longer looks like an expensive phone. Hundreds of pounds for engineered hard plastic, metal and gorilla glass, for what?
Me? I keep my S2 in my jeans pocket, without coins and keys. I have no case for it and yet it looks as good as the day I bought it, four months ago.
Fingerprints are wiped off over the course of the day through jiggling in my pocket and my phone still looks classy and thin with no case.
I ponder.
This post contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
seems like all this extra processing would really do in a mobile device.
Great- so now I have to memorise the riverdance choreography to unlock my phone for use?
I am predicting strange looks from my coworkers.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Excellent. Smart phones will be one step closer to becoming omni-tools from Mass Effect. Now we just need to figure out how to do holographic projections, to have 3D images and interfaces that we can synchronize to the motion-input of these kinect-like controls.
The Internet King? I wonder if he could provide faster nudity.
From Claim 1 of the patent filing:
Claim 2 then says:
Then there is a lot of refinement, talking about edge detection, direction of movement, the usual definition of a computing device with memory, and finally kicking off predetermined actions based on recognized motions.
But look at Claim 2: "... comprises single tapping, double tapping, hovering, holding and swiping." To me, this patent seems to be a simple extrapolation of the gestures Apple made popular with their mobile UI, with the addition of "hovering" (assuming I understand the definition of that word, here). Same gestures, different input control.
Is there a significant difference between, say, swiping across a phone's screen and making the same gesture a few inches away? (I'm thinking that if the device interpreted motions from a larger distance then the only thing that will reliably happen is a serious of hilarious DoS attacks via interpretive dance.)
I mean, I knew they were working on Gmail Motion, but I though they left that idea when it stopped being April 1st.
"None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
Wasn't this an April Fools prank of theirs a while back?
I see it now.
I, Phone.
The first rule of Phone-botics. Never ask for any gestures from a human to unlock the phone that could hurt a human.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
So basically they patent a decent motion detection algorithm, and they can do so just because it's used for controlling a portable electronic device including an image capturing device. How innovative. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against Google on this, such a feature could be great. But now everyone who was thinking on doing anything on android that would use visual motion information (which, surprise, comes from images through the camera) can go find something else to do. Well, businness as usual.
I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I can think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.
A sartorial, restrained lateral hand motion, accompanied with "These are not the Droids you're looking for."
It would be awesome if they implemented "International Sign" as the method used to communicate with the device. Imaging everyone in the world would have a common communication language which even deaf people could use. When you didn't have your device you would still be able to communicate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Sign
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_language
This is not the first such UI, there's already an existing gesture UI for Nokia's N9 phone. Relatively simple and experimental, but still.
http://store.ovi.com/content/214364
I have not tried it myself.
Full disclosure: I work for Nokia, even though I've not had anything to do with this particular software.
Yet another mediocre google me too product. Gee I hope it is as awesome as Google+
As with voice, giving casual input to the detector that could be interpreted and acted on, even if not meant for the phone, is a potential danger.
Because otherwise, Smartphones and Tablets really are getting out of control.
I thought -- and still do -- think its stupid to have a speech interface for a phone. I mean you look stupid talking to a robot woman on your phone. The last thing I want to do is start dancing in front of my phone.
"Give me a sec, I have to do the shuffle to unlock my phone, and then the achy-breaky to open my email."
I'm actually pretty happy with smart phone interfaces these days, just the way things are..
"Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
Poor cellphones.
At first, they were held like normal phones, up to your ears.
Then came text messaging, and everyone was typing on a keypad.
Then came little keyboards, so were weren't using the number pads.
Then we got rid of the keyboards and used the screen for typing.
Now they want us to hold the phone in front of us with 1 hand,while waving our hand (like a magician or something) in front of the phone.
Wtf happened to using a phone like a fucking phone?
Though I have to give props to google here, chasing a patent before everyone else, since this is the next step.
but what happened to voice control? It's a phone, we talk into it, why not actually control it with our voice? Shit, i better get that idea patented...
Be seeing you...
I think I've already seen things like this demonstated on informercial channels. Like having a laptop where you play tennis with your hands using the webcam. Am I missing something here?