Certain Kia car owners will soon be able to play music and make phone calls, all by just the sound of their voice.
Kia Motors' new infotainment system "Uvo powered by Microsoft" will let car owners access its key features by voice as well as by touch. With an assist from Microsoft speech technology and an embedded version of Windows, Uvo will help drivers and passengers make and answer phone calls, respond to text messages, and play music from different sources, said Kia.
Using Microsoft's voice recognition, car owners will be able to direct the system by issuing short voice commands rather searching through complex menus, said Kia. Drivers and passengers can scroll through their music lists and phone books by voice or via the touch screen.
For greater accuracy, speech recognition profiles can be created and trained for two different voices from among a variety of languages. The system can even respond to questions, such as "What's playing?" so that drivers don't have to fumble or take their eyes off the road.
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blogI'm surprised it's taken this long, to be honest. Microsoft's posted a job offer, seeking a principle program manager, who can "bring Xbox Live-enabled games to Windows Mobile."
Based at their Redmond headquarters, the right person for the job will "focus specifically on what makes gaming experiences 'Live enabled' through aspects such as avatar integration, social interactions, and multiscreen experiences."
I imagine to do all that, they'll be needing some top-notch Windows Mobile handsets, and really the Snapdragon-powered HTC HD2 is the only device on the market so far capable of doing it. Not that it at all resembles a device targeted at Xbox gamers. Give me a Zune phone any day of the week.
(Microsoft via Engadget and Kotaku)
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.
(Credit:
Nippon Institute of Technology)
Classrooms in Japan may soon welcome a new 4-foot-tall educational humanoid robot unveiled by Nippon Institute of Technology and other groups.
It will be used to teach software programming and hardware engineering to students, but will also be demonstrated in elementary schools and nursing homes. It will act as a "teacher" in class along with a human teacher.
As explained in Japanese in the video below, the kid-size bot doesn't have a name yet. With its boyish voice, the robot can be heard asking people to give it a "cool name." It then does some dancing and balancing on one leg.
But some details are available. It tips the scales at 33 pounds and has 21 degrees of mechanical freedom. It's equipped with sensing devices including a camera, accelerometers, and gyroscopes, and has a small projector in its head. It can be programmed with Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio.
The price tag is about $132,000, according to Robot Watch.
Its body was engineered by Tokyo robot firm ZMP, known for its small but stylish Nuvo bot. The underlying e-nuvo Humanoid platform is intended for education and research, and is priced around $77,000. The exterior was designed by Znug Design studio.
More photos at the Robot Watch page (in Japanese).
No word yet on how the robot will punish bad students.
Sorry Vin, but Wheelman stunk.
(Credit: Gamespot)We've already shared our picks for the best games of 2009, so now it's time to check out the other end of the spectrum: the worst games of the year.
Before you jump over to the slideshow, we want to preface our list with a few important details. Our worst-of compilation doesn't include just games; it highlights some of the most disappointing hardware and trends that surfaced in 2009 as well.
So with that knowledge absorbed, we invite you to check out our picks for the worst that 2009 had to offer in the world of video games.
Don't see your most-despised game of 2009 on our list? Make sure to tell us in the comments section.
(Credit:
Gamespot)
Another year, another laundry list of video games. This year saw thousands of titles released, but only an elite few are worthy enough to be labeled as "year's best." It was undoubtedly another year of sequels, though a few new franchises do appear on our list.
We already know what to look forward to in 2010, but as we conclude another year of gaming, let's look back at the best video games of 2009.
Don't see your favorite video game of the year on our list? Let us know in the comments section.
So you've finally purchased a gaming console and you've already loaded up on some of the best games. In order to get the most out of your hardware, we recommend checking out some of our top-rated must-have accessories.
It's a safe bet that you'll need at least one extra controller, but there are also plenty of first- and third-party items that will complement the system of your choice. Whether it's rechargeable battery packs, controller attachments, or HDMI cables, you're definitely going to want to take a look at what we recommend for each video game console.
Click on your gaming console below for our top picks:
Project Natal
(Credit: Microsoft)While last year's CES didn't blow us away in terms of gaming, we've got high hopes for 2010. Both Sony and Microsoft have new technologies right around the corner and we're hoping to get to see a taste of each at the big show.
Microsoft announced Project Natal at E3 2009, and it would make sense for the company to showcase some of the technology's applications at CES. Could we get an official release date and price for Natal?
Sony has a new motion controller that is almost ready for release so we're anxious to see if it'll be on display. The company has been mostly tight-lipped up until now, so what better venue to unveil it?
Another big theme at CES will undoubtedly be 3D gaming. We got to see a sneak peek last year with the Nvidia Geforce 3D Vision, but now we look to the home consoles to start offering a similar experience. Sony has teased the notion before, so don'
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blogAs Jasmine France battles yet another cold, she defaults to Donald Bell for most of the talking, though her monotone voice intervenes at a few soothing intervals. On deck for this week: an unpopular story about popular gadgets, talks about Apple acquiring music cloud site LaLa, tips on how to ditch the iPod for the Zune (without hurting anyone's feelings), and a brief look at a new video service. Also: a listener looks for a mom-worthy MP3 player.
Listen now:
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On this week's Digital City, we tackle one of the most contentious issues of our time -- Mac vs. PC -- as Dan offers an enlightened path to peace for both camps. We also hear about some free municipal Wi-Fi for the new Times Square pedestrian mall; a sweet TV/PS3 combo deal at Best Buy; and discuss the fate of the vaporware-like CrunchPad.
Later, Scott laments the lack of Microsoft synergy in the Zune gaming business model; we check out some new game releases, including Zelda: Spirit Tracks and The Saboteur; and debate the ethics of adding adults-only DLC to games.
Quick note: tune in next week for a chance to win a Zune HD!
Related links:
>>A modest proposal: Detente between Mac and PC laptop fans
>>Can Zune gaming compete?
>>Times Square gets free WiFi
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The economy may seem bleak, but the game lineup in 2010 looks promising.
Say what you will about the gaming industry in 2009. Yeah, it was a little rough, with consumers tightening their belts and only a few megahits. However, we did see price drops for all the major consoles, a gazillion new iPhone games, and a smattering of amazing titles, some of which we're still playing.
But forget about the past, it's time to look ahead and search out the most anticipated games of next year. Our list nearly doubles 2009's, so there is a lot to get excited about.
While most of the titles on our list are scheduled for a 2010 release (and yes, several were supposed to come out in 2009), needless to say some release dates are more iffy than others. Check out our slideshow to see if your picks match up with ours.
Click on an image to start the slideshow. (Titles are listed in order of release date.)
Don't see the game you're looking forward to in 2010? Make sure you let yourself be heard by mentioning it in the comments section.
