Some Windows 8 Laptops May Come With Built-In Kinect Sensors

An anonymous reader writes to point out reports that Asus is "working on a new laptop that will include Kinect gestures and will be compatible with Windows 8," and adds, "What does this mean for the consumer? Portable gestures in Windows 8!" Wired has an article based on the same report, which mentions also the prospect of devices incorporating alternative gesture-tracking software from SoftKinectic and others.

Re:This could be amazing for the disabled

[Gumbercules!!]

It is a different sensor, which was discussed on Slashdot recently. Microsoft announced it as CES 2012 - basically it's a special version for Desktop / PC use and it's useful range is from 30cm or there abouts. They've also released some APIs and so on, which will still work with the Xbox 360 1.8m version, but only while in beta. It's actually pretty cool and I am looking forward to it. I think it's the best way to get touchscreen like interface options, without the bad idea that having a touch screen laptop or desktop would be. It's one of the few IT announcements I am actually excited about, of late. (And please, because I know it is the fad on /. these days to accuse anyone who is positive on any MS product of being a paid shill, feel free to check my years long commenting history, much of which is -ve of MS. I am not a paid shill for MS. It just happens that I really like what I've seen of this product - albeit none of which has been in person; I've only seen product demos on youtube, etc, so perhaps the real thing actually sucks).

I remember seeing the Samsung touch screen see through Window on youtube, from CES and think Kinect, coupled with Windows like that, would make for a pretty awesome house! :-)

Re:Kinect Sensors?

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly -- it's not just a camera. Besides which, if "stereoscopic camera" gets a special name instead of just being called "camera", why doesn't this other camera?

The Kinect sensor works similarly to a stereoscopic camera, except:

1. It works in the IR spectrum instead of the visible.
2. Instead of making two recordings and correlating after the fact, one of them is actually fixed and projected (and this is the part that isn't a camera).

For that reason I would expect the approach to fundamentally be more accurate than stereoscopic cameras, not less, under most circumstances, and particularly in low-light conditions. I tried to find comparisons online but mostly got qualitative university student reports on how the Kinect works without quantitative data before I got bored. Best one I found is:

http://www.cs.illinois.edu/class/fa11/cs498dh/lectures/Lecture%2025%20-%20How%20the%20Kinect%20Works%20-%20CP%20Fall%202011.pdf [illinois.edu]

A little over halfway down it compares pros and cons with natural light stereoscopic cameras.