Apps for Apple Watch Have the Potential to Break New Ground

With the Apple Watch expected to debut as early as March, anticipation has been building in regards to the many exciting apps that will undoubtedly be designed to work with the new device. The tech behind the watch allows users to access information — photos, emails, text messages and Web-based content — with a simple glance, similar to our interaction with phones, only much more efficient. Apple released its SDK in November, and hundreds of companies are working to have apps ready for the product’s launch. Continue reading Apps for Apple Watch Have the Potential to Break New Ground

Nielsen to Include Mobile Viewing in Its Television Ratings

Nielsen confirmed this week that starting in 2014, television ratings and viewership consumed on digital devices will be measurable. The company is currently working on the software developer kit for its clients to make that possible. The move marks a significant change considering that more people are now consuming media on digital devices than they are on traditional TV, and that segment of viewers has been sorely missing in rating calculations. Continue reading Nielsen to Include Mobile Viewing in Its Television Ratings

Microsoft Announces Free Software Developer Kit for Kinect

  • Microsoft is helping developers looking to utilize the full potential of Kinect technology by releasing a software developer kit. While Microsoft wants to keep the focus on gaming, the company recognizes the potential for Kinect-based applications beyond video games.
  • Soon after Microsoft released the Kinect add-on for its Xbox (which has reportedly sold 10 million units), developers and hackers have been creating new and interesting ways of using Kinect and its motion-sensing camera system – from compelling interactive window displays to steering remote-controlled toy helicopters. There is even a Kinect Hacks site dedicated to such efforts.
  • Recognizing the strong interest in the technology, Microsoft officially announced the introduction of a free software developer kit for the Kinect.
  • According to the Microsoft blog: “This is only the beginning in our commitment to deliver an SDK to the community. Microsoft’s vision of the natural user interface is that interactions between people and computers will ultimately become invisible – computers will understand peoples’ gestures, listen for their voice commands, even interpret and respond to their expressions and inflections in voice.”