motions

RIM CEO says licensing of BlackBerry 10 'conceivable'

Research In Motion will launch devices running BlackBerry 10 at the end of the month, but the handset maker is still playing with the idea of licensing its new operating system to other manufacturers.

When asked whether RIM might license the new platform as Microsoft did with Windows Phone, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins told German newspaper Die Welt that it's not out of the realm of possibility.

"Before you licensed the software, you must show that the platform has a large potential," he said, "First we have to fulfill our promises. If such proof, a licensing … Read more

After a year in the grave, can SOPA and Protect IP return?

It was one year ago today that an unprecedented outcry against the Stop Online Piracy Act proved to Washington officialdom that sufficiently irritated Internet users are a potent political force. After Wikipedia, Google, Craigslist and other major sites asked their users to contact their representatives, the deluge of traffic knocked some Senate Web sites offline, and votes on both bills were indefinitely postponed.

The massive public outcry that, by some counts, involved more than 10 million Internet users concerned about the proposals' impact on free expression has turned the protests into a cautionary tale on Capitol Hill. Aides now worry … Read more

What to expect in the next BlackBerry

Wednesday's CNET Update gets a glimpse of the future:

Today's tech roundup looks at the leaked specs of the BlackBerry 10 L-Series all-touchscreen smartphone. TechRadar reports it got the specs from official training documents at Research In Motion. It's expected that all will be unveiled by RIM at an event later this month.

There are also rumors out about Nintendo and Sony. Reports say Nintendo is changing its corporate structure to combine its handheld and console teams into one. And Sony's vice president of home entertainment hinted that we may see a PlayStation 4 by the … Read more

BlackBerry 10 L-Series specs allegedly leak

The first BlackBerry 10 smartphone will feature specifications that are comparable to the competition's.

Tech news site Techradar apparently got the details through official training documents from Research In Motion.

The first BlackBerry 10 L-Series all-touch-screen phone will feature a 4.2-inch display with a high-definition resolution of 1280x768, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and an 1,800 mAh battery, according to the report. The phone will also have a front-facing 2 megapixel camera with 2X digital zoom and 720p video recording, the report said, while the back will have an 8 megapixel shooter with LED flash, … Read more

Leap Motion strikes exclusive launch deal with Best Buy

Leap Motion, the makers of the innovative Leap hands-free motion control system, said today that it has struck its first retail partnership, an exclusive launch deal to sell the device at Best Buy.

According to Leap Motion, Best Buy stores and BestBuy.com will begin taking pre-orders in February and selling the Leap sometime this spring. The deal comes on the heels of the company's recent agreement to bundle the device with Asus PCs once it launches, as well as a $30 million B round of funding.

The San Francisco startup's technology is capable of measuring motion with … Read more

CNET explores tech that is an extension of you

Reading your smartphone without needing to look at it. Playing video games with your eyes. Pouring beer using your mind.

These were some of the technologies showcased during CNET's "The Next Interface: You" panel today. CNET editors Lindsey Turrentine and Brian Cooley led a discussion about how humans will interact with devices that use people's bodies instead of traditional input devices.

The discussion included the people behind some of the superstars of this new area of technology -- Fitbit CEO James Park, Nest founder and VP of engineering Matt Rogers, and Leap Motion Founder and CEO … Read more

Startup to bring touchless gesture control tech to iOS

LAS VEGAS--Touchless gesture control may soon be possible on Apple's iOS devices, thanks to a startup that will be releasing a software development kit enabling the technology.

For some time, Israeli company PointGrab has been making its technology -- which allows users to control activity onscreen with little more than a wave of the hand -- available on a series of platforms, namely Windows 8, Android, and Linux. And next month, Apple's iOS will join the party.

In a demo at CES here today, Assaf Gad, PointGrab vice president of marketing and product, showed CNET how the technology … Read more

Elliptic Labs uses ultrasound for touchless gesture control

LAS VEGAS--Touch screens are so last year.

These days, touchless gesture control is the hot thing. Just last week, San Francisco startup Leap Motion, which developed a motion-control technology with sub-millimeter accuracy, announced a $30 million B round of funding. And at CES here, there are multiple companies showing off technology that lets users control their computers with little or no physical contact with a screen or a mouse.

One of them is Palo Alto, Calif.-based Elliptic Labs, which has pioneered an ultrasound-based touchless gesture control system. In a demo for CNET, Elliptic showed off its Windows 8 Gesture … Read more

Extreme Reality makes your camera a 3D gaming system

LAS VEGAS--I avoid buying new hardware whenever possible, so if I can add functionality to my existing gear with a simple software solution, I'm interested.

Extreme Reality (XTR3D) does just that. It turns your run-of-the-mill 2D camera into a full-body motion control system for fully interactive gaming.

The idea is you can forget Microsoft's Kinect. … Read more

The Next Interface: You

LAS VEGAS--TVs you control by waving your hands, smartphones you talk to instead of touch, and glasses that track your eyes to move a cursor: these technologies used to be relegated to either very high-end industrial/military applications or very low-end junk that didn't really work. Now, body-controlled technology is showing up all over the broad middle of consumer electronics at CES 2013.

CNET will probe several of the sharpest minds developing these new ways of controlling our tech during "The Next Interface: You" panel on Wednesday at 3 p.m. PT on the CNET stage at … Read more