Microsoft has opened up access to some of the code for its Kinect for Windowsmotion-sensing device.

The device, first built for the Xbox, lets people play games by moving their body instead of using a controller.

Before now anyone wanting to use the Kinect had to work via an official software toolkit that hid the underlying code.

Microsoft said it had opened the code up to make the Kinect easier to use and get feedback about how to improve it.

Soon after the Kinect’s 2010 release, hardware hackers wrote code that let them control the device so they could use it for their own projects.

Later on, Microsoft aided these “home-brew” efforts with the release of a software development kit and a program that allowed the Kinect to be controlled via Windows.

However, both these programs hid the core code of the device, limiting what developers and others could do with the gadget.

Now, Microsoft has released 22 code samples for the Kinect for Windows that expose the computer code that helps it track faces, interpret gestures and determine colours, among other things.

The code has been put on the CodePlex website so developers can freely download and share the software.

Microsoft made the announcement about the code sharing on a blog and said it had taken the step to help those that wanted to use Kinect for their own ends and to help improve the control software.

As the core Kinect code is updated and changed, new samples could be posted to CodePlex, said Microsoft spokesman Ben Lower.
BBC News – Technology

There’s so much deja vu here it’s almost bewildering, but Microsoft has managed to get itself fined by the European Commission once again for failing to comply with its 2009 commitment to make it easy for customers to choose default browsers other than Internet Explorer. The penalty of 561 million euros ($ 730 million) isn’t the biggest Redmond has faced in its turbulent history with European regulators, but it’s still gotta hurt — especially considering that Microsoft said its latest anti-trust blunder, in which the browser choice screen disappeared for some Windows 7 users, was merely a “technical error“.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Via: Reuters

Source: Europa.eu

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The best tablets on the market are also the worst to drop.

Here at Maximum PC we love to strip machines down and rebuild them just to see what makes it tick, but with modern gadgets that isn’t always easy. Screws have been replaced by glue, and the simple pleasures of popping the cover off to perform upgrades seems to be a lost art. iFixit has emerged as the Internet’s ultimate authority on gadget reparability, and its newly updated list of tablets puts both Microsoft and Apple fighting for the distinction as worlds least fixable tablet.

Microsoft edges out a victory as the worst of the worst, but only by a very narrow margin. The Surface Pro’s 1 out of 10 score in particular is a huge let down for many of our readers. Microsoft is hoping customers will choose a Surface over a conventional laptop, but then take away from us the ability to replace the battery, upgrade the Ram and SSD, or even clean out the fans. With a starting price of $899 it’s also a very expensive mistake should you accidentally drop it.

If reparability is important to you check out the Dell XP 10 for Windows 8, or the Amazon Kindle Fire. If you’re still keen on the Surface or an iPad, we would highly recommend taking out the extended warranty coverage offered by both companies. This covers accidental damage (minus a small deductible), but is really your only option if you don’t plan to jam it in a case made of thick bouncy rubber.

Best Tablets

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(Image Credit = iFixit.com)

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A new job listing over at Microsoft has revealed when the outfit is planning to serve up the next iteration of its smartphone OS. According to the post, work on the current version is being finished up and they’re “getting ready for our next release targeting the holiday of this year.” Presumably, the update will be part of the wider Blue umbrella of tweaks for Windows. Though a vague “next release” doesn’t offer any details in terms of features, it’s likely the OS will carry a significant set of changes as the team in need of a developer is responsible for the Start screen experience, the shell, first party apps and more.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

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Via: WMPoweruser

Source: Microsoft

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It’s no secret that copies of Office 2013 bind themselves to a single computer, but Microsoft has now confirmed to Computerworld that the software’s license can’t be reassigned to another PC, as is possible with Office 2010. When asked whether a license could be transferred to another machine if the original rig was destroyed, lost or stolen, Microsoft replied with a frosty, “No comment.” However, Redmond did mention that the productivity suite could be reinstalled on the same PC after a crash. Just how Ballmer and Co. will enforce the policy remains a bit murky, but it’s pretty clear they hope folks who have a penchant for switching up computing environments will be enticed by an Office 365 subscription.

Filed under: Microsoft

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Source: Computerworld

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Microsoft has been having troubles keeping the 128GB model Surface Pro tablet on virtual and actual store shelves, but it looks like the drought, as promised, is ending. The tablet’s now up for pre-order on the Microsoft Store website with an estimated March 1st ship date. Best Buy will also be receiving shipments of the slate soon and is also willing to take your money now to reserve one. Alas, our friends north of the border in Canada are still without a 128GB Surface purchase option, but at least the folks at the Surface Blog have promised to provide more info on the matter sometime soon. Don’t believe us? Head on down to the source and see for yourself.

[Thanks, Jon]

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

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Source: Surface Blog , Microsoft Store

Engadget

It turns out that Microsoft’s planned March 15th transition from Messenger to Skype is more of a soft target than a hard cutoff. Microsoft will switch off desktop Messenger that day only for a “test group,” the company tells ZDNet; if all goes smoothly, the transition will start in earnest with English-speaking countries on April 8th. Every desktop user should be off the boat by April 30th. Messenger will still work on mobile devices, as well as in multi-network clients like Adium or Trillian, but that’s not expected to last long — and it might get quite lonely. Most of us ultimately get a slight reprieve, but the writing is most definitely on the wall.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft

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Source: Skype (Twitter) , ZDNet

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This is likely not the biggest change SkyDrive will ever see, but Microsoft’s still confident that Windows 8 and RT users of its cloud service are going to benefit from the latest tweak. And why wouldn’t they, right? Earlier today, the Redmond-based company announced it’s brought support for Live Tiles to the SkyDrive application on both Windows 8 and RT, with its main purpose being to show notifications rather than only being useful for launching the app. Naturally, this means folks will now be able to see relevant messages within the tiles when they make certain account modifications, including things like adding new files and quick previews of recently uploaded pictures. According to Microsoft, the novel feature will be available today, but it is rolling out gradually, so fret not if you’re not seeing it pop up just yet.

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Source: Windows Blog

Engadget

The rumor mill’s been running at full bore for about a week now, with unnamed sources explaining that Dell wants to become a private company, perhaps because of its recent lackluster financial performance. Today, the volume of those rumors has gotten louder. Both CNBC and the Wall Street Journal report that Microsoft is looking to help buy out the PC maker, paying a grand chunk — between $ 1 and $ 3 billion — of the price to buy out Dell’s publicly-owned shares. According to Reuters’ sources, Michael Dell and friends have formed a committee to evaluate any such deals or offers, but naturally, any other details about Microsoft’s (or anyone else’s) involvement are few and far between. We’ve reached out to both Dell and Microsoft for comment, and we’ll update our post here as we learn more.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Microsoft, Dell

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Source: Reuters

Engadget

Microsoft is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Xbox Live gaming network, which has involved in recent years beyond its console-centric origins to become the software giant’s “premier entertainment service for the TV, phone, PC and tablet.”

Xbox Live was launched on Nov. 15, 2002 as “the first comprehensive, online game arena fully dedicated to fast-action broadband gaming experiences,” Microsoft said in a blog postcommemorating a decade of supporting the service.

Initially available only in the United States and Canada, Xbox Live is now enjoyed in 41 countries and territories around the world, the blog noted. The service kicked off as an online network connecting users of the first-generation Xbox but really hit its stride with the growth of Microsoft’s current, wildly successful Xbox 360 platform.

Xbox Live is regarded as one of the prime drivers in the growth of gaming’s Achievement culture, with users encouraged to “rack up Gamerscores” on the network, Microsoft noted. Other milestones in the development of Xbox Live included the 2004 introduction of the Xbox Live Arcade, the emergence of customizable Avatars and the Avatar Marketplace in 2008 and 2009, and major Xbox Live dashboard overhauls in recent years.

Microsoft appeared most proud of the mushrooming of available features and services on Xbox Live, as well as the expansion of the network’s reach across multiple platforms beyond just its own Xbox console.

“Fast forward to 2012—now Xbox owners have entirely new entertainment experiences available at their fingertips, with great new apps like Xbox Music and Xbox Video, and Bing voice search now available in 15 markets. Xbox has become the entertainment hub in the living room with its more than 40 million members, and 2012 marked the year Xbox went beyond the console to create a new experience with Xbox SmartGlass,” the company gushed in its blog.

“The new app brings amazing multi-screen entertainment experiences to the devices you already own and love—your Windows 8 tablet or PC, Windows 8 phone, iOS or Android device—and enables them to talk to your TV through the Xbox console.”

During its stewardship of Xbox Live over the past decade, Microsoft has also managed to avoid a major security breach like the one suffered by rival Sony, whose PlayStation Network was crippled in the first half of 2011 by a hacking operation believed to have been carried out by the Anonymous collective.

Meanwhile, the U.K. magazine Xbox World recently offered a roundup of news and rumors about Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox console, known on the Redmond campus by its code name Durango but often referred to by the media as the “Xbox 720.”

Xbox World is ending publication after its Dec. 12 issue and apparently wanted to go out with a bang.

The successor to the Xbox 360 is expected to arrive in time for the holidays next year. The next-gen console likely won’t be dubbed the Xbox 760, the magazine contends, but instead may simply be called the “Xbox” a la Apple’s naming conventions for its iPad tablets for the past two product cycles.

“Xbox World has been at the cutting edge of Durango coverage for over 12 months. Unless something really dramatic changes, everything we reveal in our penultimate issue will be revealed long before E3 in June,” said editor-in-chief Dan Dawkins in an interview with CVG.

Among other details, Xbox World claims the new Xbox will finally be able to support Blu-ray playback, a rumor that’s been making the rounds for the better part of a year now, and will support a brand-new version of Microsoft’s Kinect motion-tracking accessory that, according to earlier rumors, might even include a dedicated CPU for enhanced detection capabilities.

The next-gen console is also rumored to feature both TV output and input, as well as directional audio, an “innovative controller,” and support for augmented reality glasses at some point in the future. Durango sports a 16-core processor and 8GB of RAM, extrapolating from the developer SDK that Microsoft has already released.

With additional reporting by David Murphy.

For more from Damon, follow him on Twitter @dpoeter.

Author: By Damon Poeter

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2412269,00.asp

Website: PCMAG