Comments on: Image navigation, with a sci-fi touch

Microsoft has a way for people to navigate computer images using their hands to change their point of view.
Video: Hands-on 3D

[Nick Blakey]

A fight with Apple in the making?

This video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPwaUp4gepU

has been linked with Apple patents which, in turn, have been linked
to the 6th Gen iPod. Looks similar to what you're describing.

[Shakingmy head]

Indeed Microsoft technology

See the link below for Microsoft Intellectual Property licensing site featuring Touchlight as well as many other technologies available for 3rd party licensing.
http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/intellectualproperty/search/details.mspx?ip_id=IDAEIWKE&techType=Any&ipCat=Any&feeStructure=Any&keywords=touch&ipVenture=false

The link provides more details on Touchlight including a video.
To address your question on why Microsoft would license a technology rather than commercialize it. This a a very common practice by large tech companies with large R&D orgs. Many technologies developed out of the lab are made available through licensing to 3rd party companies including startups who may be able to quickly commercialize/productize the technology with Microsoft getting a license fee in exchange. IBM started this practice and turned it into a $1B/year licensing business, HP and other big techs have been doing this for years. See the CNet article dated April 11, 2005 outlining Microsoft's Research strategy to license to 3rd parties.
Have a nice day.

[lesfilip]

Not Microsoft Technology

This was not developed by Microsoft, or for that matter, Apple. It
was developed in university labs.

What is interesting here is that Microsoft seems to be staking a
claim to the development of the technology but not keeping the
commercialization of it in house. Doesn't that seem backward?

Apple saw the university technology and will probably be the
company that brings it mainstream. They already have their
"gestures" patent, very similar to the Multi-Touch display in the
first poster's video. They have another patent where an LCD
display has built-in image sensors, unlike the Multi-Touch
which I believe is rear projection with sensors behind the screen.
Thus they have been quietly putting into place the bits and
pieces of their own implementation. They will license the parts
that have already been patented, but not from Microsoft.

Have a nice day!

[flyerj24]

This has been around for a few years now...

As usual, Microsoft joins the fray late, and tries to take credit where none is due. See this link and you will understand:
http://www.io2technology.com/