Topic: Laptops

Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

Summary: Microsoft is finally delivering on its promise to bring Kinect to the PC with official support, but most people would probably assume it would be most useful with a desktop.

By Sean Portnoy for Laptops & Desktops | January 28, 2012 -- 10:48 GMT (02:48 PST)

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Microsoft is finally delivering on its promise to bring Kinect to the PC with official support, but most people would probably assume it would be most useful with a desktop. Nonetheless, it appears that the motion-control technology could also show up on portable systems, according to a report in The Daily.

The Redmond giant recently showed off a couple of notebook prototypes from Asus that included Kinect sensors and ran Windows 8. The Daily speculates that use of the motion sensors makes sense for gaming as well as switching between apps or as a replacement for media controls.

While Kinect seems like a natural on, say a 27-inch all-in-one PC, it might be more a stretch on a smaller screen, especially the type of group gaming scenarios that work well with the Kinect and Xbox today. Then again, motion control may make more sense on a laptop than a multi-touch on-screen interface, which works better on a tablet that you can hold a foot away from your face.

Do you think Kinect makes sense on a laptop? If so, how would you envision using it? Let us know in the Talkback section.

Topics: Laptops, Hardware, Microsoft, Mobility

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Talkback

22 comments

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RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

I think it is useless unless you are disable might give people more ability to use the computer. I don't see a need for it myself other then that.

Randalllind
28 January, 2012 11:05

Reply Vote
- RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it
  
  @Randalllind
  I think tonymcs@... said it best below,
  This is going to open a whole lot of new Idea's for laptops and Tablets. It will be Great for people with disabilities.
  You can just flick your finger to move back and forth, Up and Down, etc.
  They could make the mouse for most common task's a thing of the past.
  Login into you device with you face and a gesture.
  Maybe even do away with on screen keyboards for tablet's.
  The possibilities will only be limited by the hate some people have for Microsoft.
  
  bates40
  29 January, 2012 15:51
  
  Reply Vote
Kinect makes as much sense as a multi-touch screen on a laptop.

That would be...........none.

Userama
28 January, 2012 11:53

Reply Vote
- RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it
  
  @Userama
  I guess "...........none" is the amount of imagination you have. I think allot of it will have to do with how easy they make it to integrate the Kinect APIs with WinRT.
  
  sharkboyjohn
  2 February, 2012 08:27
  
  Reply Vote
RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

I do think it will help in the disability space

PriMinister
28 January, 2012 14:34

Reply Vote
RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

Short comment:
I think it will be useful to other areas than the disability space only. Some versions away but; what if you could multi task with hand, eye and face?! And when doing presentations - no presentation device/mouse or keyboard push necessary? Also remember that a lot of people are having problems with hands, elbows and shoulders without qualifying in to the disability space. Sure I can think about a lot of more activities and areas.

On tablets? Naeee...not really, for the moment...

@maxbuchler

maxbuchler
28 January, 2012 15:08

Reply Vote
It probably does make sense for presentations.

Since Kinect was first revealed, one potential use outlines has always been to direct presentations through voice and gesture, which could certainly be made to work using a Kinect enabled laptop. Hmm, actually just about any usage where the laptop was connected to a projector or large screen TV could be dramatically impacted by kinect sensors as a control mechanism.
In general, I don't see it adding much to what's currently normal use for a Laptop, except perhaps enhanced Voice recognition and more options for using facial recognition software. The key question of weather or not Kinect on a laptop takes off is what sort of software can be made to take advantage of the extra features it offers.

brendan@...
28 January, 2012 15:53

Reply Vote
better they fix Windows for a change

instead that adding & changing stuff just to pretend they are improving the product.
Whats happens when you press lock caps? you get an icon of an open lock. And when you unlock caps? then you get a closed lock. Brilliant. Is called reverse psycology, where locked is unlocked, and evil is good (like in Ed Bott fantasy world). And if they want to improve the product, why they try to make the damn thing to keep the keyboard language you choose, instead of randomly changing to French, or Spanish?

theo_durcan
28 January, 2012 19:45

Reply Vote
- RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it
  
  @theo_durcan This has to be de pettiest comment I have ever read. Congrats, just when I thought I had heard every type of fallacy there is, you come up with a new one: the petty side step smoke screen fallacy with a dash of ad hominem.
  
  willfordcr
  29 January, 2012 02:02
  
  Reply Vote
- I see you are attempting some psycology of your own.
  
  @theo_durcan
  
  By fabricating a scenerio in which the software does not function.
  
  Tim Cook
  29 January, 2012 07:42
  
  Reply Vote
  - It does not function
    
    @Mister Spock
    I though it was the machine at work, that for a mysterious reason randomly switch keyboard languages, but went to a client were he was experiencing the same behavior; that makes 2 on 2, of the last W7 computers I faced. So I'm pretty confident many other people experience the same behavior. It must be the same dynamics that happens with the disappearing keyboard in WP7. Most fanboys were in denial, until MS acknowledged the problem exists.
    
    theo_durcan
    29 January, 2012 12:54
    
    Reply Vote
  - 2 people who have a problem?!
    
    @Mister Spock
    
    Yeah, 2 people who report a problem mean everyone is having it...
    
    Michael Alan Goff
    30 January, 2012 11:45
    
    Reply Vote
Where would it be useful on a laptop?

On a laptop with a decent GPU built for playing Mass Effect 3. Not that I'm entirely convinced that I'd like to PLAY Mass Effect 3 with a Kinect sensor, but in theory it could work well for some.

Joey

voyager529
28 January, 2012 21:27

Reply Vote
RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

IBM Kinect: They sold it off to a little known company that nobody heard of. HP Kinect: After performing an action, it changes its mind. Apple iKinect: It just works, but has only half the features at twice the price. Linux Knct: You have to manually install the drivers, because the hardware manufacturer doesn't use open source. Acer Kinect: It records video at 5 fps, but it's solid. Alienware Kinect: It's double the price, big and heavy, but is great for gaming. Your office workers remark that it reminds them of Darth Vader. Nintendo Kinect: You wave the Kinect around instead of placing it on the laptop. ------------------------------------ On a more serious note, IMO the voice recognition part of Kinect would be a lot more useful than the camera part of kinect.

CobraA1
29 January, 2012 06:20

Reply Vote
RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

While you may not be able to imagine waving, smiling and talking at your laptop (it helps if you've already used Kinect) you're really seeing the beginning of the end of touchscreens. Once again we'll have some precision and our pointer back and blocking half the screen with our hands and fingerprint oil will be a thing of the past.

Time to move on from fingerpainting and as a WoW mage, I'm used to mysterious gestures ;-)

tonymcs@...
29 January, 2012 14:41

Reply Vote
RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

As the pc manufacturers who aren't Apple are looking for a way they can sell pcs with premium specs, prices, and compelling experiences in order to boost margins, they will be marketing the technology if it sells pcs with significantly higher prices.

So the Kinect-included pcs will not be the budget lines.

Gamers I can see paying more, if there are pc games that use the Kinect brilliantly. (Does that undermine the XBox market for Microsoft?) As for general purpose users, where's the sweet spot? 300 and over won't work. 100 and under will, but will that materially improve the margins or significantly increase volumes?

Whatever gets rolled out, it has to increase OEM profits or it will be a footnote in pc history.

DannyO_0x98
29 January, 2012 16:03

Reply Vote
RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

I think it would be cool to one day have a Windows Phone with a built in Kinect motion sensor and a holographic projector.

Well I can dream...

dtdono0
30 January, 2012 07:12

Reply Vote
Microsoft needs to fix what they already have.....

and not stuff this turkey with anything else. If Microsoft concentrated on fixing all the issues with their current software, then may have something. Adding more stuffing to this turkey will only make the OS worse, not better.

linux for me
30 January, 2012 07:26

Reply Vote
RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

Great, so now instead of accidentally deleting a paragraph of text with my over-sensitive touch pad, I'll mysteriously switch to a different program by scratching my nose, brushing my hair out of my eyes, or some other normal gesture. I see this as a decent solution for presentations and those with disabilities as others have mentioned, but not really for a laptop or tablet.

kraabeasa
30 January, 2012 11:25

Reply Vote
RE: Your next laptop could have Microsoft's Kinect built into it

I think that it will become a great thing for navigating more deeply into datasets. Three dimensional tunnelling through tables and cubes. I am seeing the shuttle controller for Earth:Final Conflict in my head, but there are loads of ways to use the Kinect with this app. For that matter, searching the Web might never be the same....

always-a-geek
30 January, 2012 11:48

Reply Vote