Will the Leap Motion Controller change how we use computers?
When John Underkoffler was designing the interface for the film Minority Report,
Steven Spielberg told him it should look like the characters were
"conducting an orchestra". Now that's a beautiful vision. The gestural
control of the future should not be tiring or bothersome, but elegant
and accurate.
As of this week Minority Report has arrived. Or you can pretend to be Iron Man's alter-ego Tony Stark (but sadly without the ability to control multimillion-dollar robots and body armour). Pre-orders of the Leap Motion Controller – which was privately funded and allows you to control your computer using gestures in the air, within a volume of eight cubic feet – are slowly being delivered in the US, and as of Monday it is available in Britain on Amazon.
If you've used a device with a screen in the last few years you'll have noticed that almost everything you click or tap seems to have a conspicuous reaction, something I'm fairly sure we're getting more than a little tired of. Blame the movies – everything has a licence to beep and jiggle in Tony Stark's garage. With the advent of Leap, designers and developers have been forced to return to a simpler time; where that mandatory jiggle and bounce has been toned down in order for users to grapple with a new "interaction paradigm".
The first step with all new technologies is usually the shonkiest; the tech is still very much prototypical. Good enough to spin a sphere, but perhaps not yet to control your diary.
The era of gesture control that will be enabled by Leap tech, and what comes after it, will yield more useful interactions. Siriand, more recently, the successful integration of Voice Search in Google products, are preparing us for the next step in interaction development. As with voice recognition, we should prime ourselves for the inevitable growing pains. Further configurations of these technologies will gradually embed themselves in our lives. But at what price?
• This article was amended on 29 July 2013. The original version said that Leap was funded by Kickstarter investors. This has now been corrected.
As of this week Minority Report has arrived. Or you can pretend to be Iron Man's alter-ego Tony Stark (but sadly without the ability to control multimillion-dollar robots and body armour). Pre-orders of the Leap Motion Controller – which was privately funded and allows you to control your computer using gestures in the air, within a volume of eight cubic feet – are slowly being delivered in the US, and as of Monday it is available in Britain on Amazon.
If you've used a device with a screen in the last few years you'll have noticed that almost everything you click or tap seems to have a conspicuous reaction, something I'm fairly sure we're getting more than a little tired of. Blame the movies – everything has a licence to beep and jiggle in Tony Stark's garage. With the advent of Leap, designers and developers have been forced to return to a simpler time; where that mandatory jiggle and bounce has been toned down in order for users to grapple with a new "interaction paradigm".
The first step with all new technologies is usually the shonkiest; the tech is still very much prototypical. Good enough to spin a sphere, but perhaps not yet to control your diary.
The era of gesture control that will be enabled by Leap tech, and what comes after it, will yield more useful interactions. Siriand, more recently, the successful integration of Voice Search in Google products, are preparing us for the next step in interaction development. As with voice recognition, we should prime ourselves for the inevitable growing pains. Further configurations of these technologies will gradually embed themselves in our lives. But at what price?
• This article was amended on 29 July 2013. The original version said that Leap was funded by Kickstarter investors. This has now been corrected.
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On the heels of rumors that Windows 8.1 is scheduled for an October arrival, the company confirmed on Wednesday the date: Oct. 17.
The free update — for both Windows 8 and Windows RT — will be available via the Windows Start Screen through the Windows store on existing devices. It will be available at retail stores and on new devices starting on that date by market.
"Windows 8.1 brings many improvements in areas like personalization, Internet Explorer 11, search which is powered by Bing, built-in apps including a few new ones, an improved Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity with SkyDrive (and much more) that people will enjoy," Brandon LeBlanc, senior marketing communications manager at Microsoft, wrote on the company's official blog.
Windows 8.1 made its public preview on June 26 at the BUILD developer conference in San Francisco and can still be accessed now by clicking here.
A company spokesperson told Mashable at the time that the update would give Windows 8 the push it needs to better compete against rivals.
Are you looking forward to the update? Let us know in the comments below.
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Forget Romeo, Juliet and all those Disney princesses. Our favorite
love story was between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. Or Han and
Leia. Or Indiana Jones and ... whichever woman he's currently wooing.
Because we love it when the geek gets the girl. Or when the girl geek gets the guy. Or when they’re both geeks and they share a geeky love together. So when we saw these adorkable wedding rings, we knew it was true love. From Star Wars to Spiderman to Lego, there’s an option for every fandom.
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Windows 8.1 Update Ready for Download on Oct. 17
The free update — for both Windows 8 and Windows RT — will be available via the Windows Start Screen through the Windows store on existing devices. It will be available at retail stores and on new devices starting on that date by market.
"Windows 8.1 brings many improvements in areas like personalization, Internet Explorer 11, search which is powered by Bing, built-in apps including a few new ones, an improved Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity with SkyDrive (and much more) that people will enjoy," Brandon LeBlanc, senior marketing communications manager at Microsoft, wrote on the company's official blog.
Windows 8.1 made its public preview on June 26 at the BUILD developer conference in San Francisco and can still be accessed now by clicking here.
A company spokesperson told Mashable at the time that the update would give Windows 8 the push it needs to better compete against rivals.
Are you looking forward to the update? Let us know in the comments below.
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23 Adorkable Wedding Rings for Geeks in Love
Because we love it when the geek gets the girl. Or when the girl geek gets the guy. Or when they’re both geeks and they share a geeky love together. So when we saw these adorkable wedding rings, we knew it was true love. From Star Wars to Spiderman to Lego, there’s an option for every fandom.
See also: 20 Perfect GIFs To Express Your Love
So feel free to geek out over these wedding and engagement rings, and let us know which is your favorite in the comments below.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why Indian Couples are Also Choosing Not to Have Kids
The formula for happiness post-marriage is not to have
kids. Yes! Do not look stunned. This revelation was made by Daniel
Gilbert, a Psychology professor at Harvard University, in his book, Stumbling on Happiness.
He stated, “The happiest folks are married, make between USD
50,000-75,000 per year and have approximately zero offspring”. Well,
staying childless is a trend that is quite popular overseas. However, in
India, the thought is still in its nascent stage. Either for a
liability-free life or owing to a troubled childhood, there are several
reasons behind why couples are opting not to have kids. Let’s delve
deeper to know more about the psychology behind this trend.
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