CES 2013: Intel Demos “Perceptual Computing”: Gestures, Voice, Facial-Rec Coming To Your PC Soon

One of the most fascinating bits of future tech on the radar is mid-air gesture control. (Think Kinect. Or Minority Report‘s computing gestures.) Leap Motion made a splash in 2012 by introducing an extremely accurate accessory that can read users’ motions within an interactive 3D space of 8 cubic feet. And unbelievably, the price is only $70 per preorder/unit. Most recently, the company has partnered with Asus, which will bundle its PCs with the wee little Leap Motion technology.

Not to be outdone, Intel has several partnerships going for its “Perceptual Computing” initiative. Intel’s director of Perceptual Computing, Achin Bhowmik, unveiled a whole host of new features today at CES (top, main) — including logging in via facial recognition, using gesture controls to execute computer commands, and even successfully playing Where’s Waldo, with a computer tracking his eyes as it found the correct spot on the screen.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo - Click here to read the full story]

Parallels 8 updated with USB 3.0 support, Windows 8 tablet gestures, more

Parallels introduced a big update today for Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac. It includes new features for Windows 8 users, full USB 3.0 support, and improved Retina display settings. On top of support for Windows 8 tablet gestures, Parallels is including a Windows 8 tile that allows users to access shared Mac apps. According to Parallels, the update also includes faster USB 3.0 performance, an increased limit for virtual machines running large apps, and “Smooth transitions when entering and exiting Coherence mode”:

Now Mac users can enjoy new features including Windows 8 tablet gestures and use a Windows 8 interface tile to access shared Mac apps.  These updates, plus the already deep Parallels Desktop 8 integration of Mac OS X and Windows 8, enable people to also use Mountain Lion’s Dictation feature in Windows applications, add Windows apps to Launchpad and the Mac Dock, enjoy brilliant Retina display resolution for Windows apps and more – making Parallels Desktop 8 an ideal way to run Windows 8 on a Mac without rebooting. 

Last month, Parallels warned Mac users not to upgrade to Windows 8 until the company finished testing the upgrade process (new installs of Win 8 not included). Parallels said it would notify users through an in-app notification when the upgrade process was ready.

[Source: 9to5Mac]