Microsoft has confirmed that it is purchasing Canesta, a small 3D chip making company that specializes in gesture-recognition tech.
Canesta is best known for chips that, when coupled with digital cameras, give many devices a 3D effect, and a sense of depth perception (as pictured).
The Redmond giant did not disclose how much it paid for the chip maker.
Notably, the 3D tech used in the newly-launched Kinect motion control system was created by Canesta’s rival PrimeSense.
“I’m excited to be way out in front and want to push the pedal on that,” added CEO Steve Ballmer, when he was asked about company plans to advance gesture technology outside of just Kinect.
Analysts speculate Microsoft will use the Canesta tech to begin equipping PCs, HDTVs and Windows Phone 7 devices with gesture-recognition tech.
Result for: digital cameras
Small cap company Microvision has seen their stock price jump today after anonymous sources claimed that the upcoming Apple iPod Touch will include a Pico projector from the company.
The Pico projector, used in some phones and digital cameras, allows for owners to display their pictures on walls and other surfaces right from the device.
Sources claim the the addition of Pico projectors to the next-generation devices has been confirmed by channel checks in Taiwan.
Please be reminded this all speculation for the time being, but Microvision’s stock has jumped 19 percent so far on the rumor.
Apple is holding their annual September Media Event tomorrow.
Result for: digital cameras
PCMag is reporting today that members of their staff have followed the tech-heavy CES event by heading to the AVN Adult Entertainment event and noticed that the porn industry seems to have unanimously selected MicroUSB for their, um, charging needs.
In the past, the porn industry has helped push standards (see VHS vs. Beta, and more recently Blu-ray vs. HD DVD), and this latest trend could help give MicroUSB the push it needs to be the standard across most tech appliances. Currently MicroUSB is used by HTC and other phone manufacturers, and is the standard for most digital cameras.
Quoting PCMag: “It looks like many in the porn industry are getting on board as well, with a new crop of vibrators that can be charged from the comfort of your PC. From now on, you’ll only have to pack one cable for those long business trips.”
