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]

Skype updates terms of service to make mention of 'Video Messaging' feature

Skype hardly has a history of keeping its forthcoming features secret, but then again, surprises aren't all they're chalked up to be. This go 'round, an updated terms of service page has outed a heretofore unannounced update: Video Messaging. While it's not possible to indulge just yet, we're left to assume that an impending update will enable Skype Premium users (who pay $8.99 per month for certain privileges) to "send and receive an unlimited number of Video Messages." For those taking advantage of Skype's free offerings, you'll be able to send a "limited" amount, though you'll be able to receive an unlimited quantity of 'em. We're also told that non-premium members will see their video messages expire within 90 days -- unless it was sent by a premium member or you upgrade your account in time, of course -- but the TOS makes no mention of when any of this will find itself under public scrutiny. Hopefully it'll be before those year-end fireworks go up, you know?

[Source: Engadget]

Google's Voice Search on Android adds support for 13 additional languages

Even though it's also on iOS now, Android is still the first love for Google's Voice Search and the company announced today it's adding support for an additional 13 languages on the platform, bringing the total to 42 languages and accents understood in 46 countries. The list includes Basque, Bulgarian. Catalan, European Portuguese, Finnish, Galician, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak and Swedish. Just like it has since at least 2010 when Voice Actions were introduced it will require Android 2.2 or higher, and is easily accessible either from the search box on your home screen or in the Voice Search app. We should note that it still only understands one language at a time and you may need to change some settings, also the new languages weren't showing up yet on every device we tried -- just some of them. Hit the source link for a few more details on how machine learning was used to extrapolate the pronunciation of all Swedish words based on thousands of samples from native speakers, or just grab a nearby phone or tablet and have Pau Gasol speak some Catalan to it -- although obviously Salvador Dali would be preferred, were he available.

[Source: Engadget]

Google's revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf

Google has been offering the ability to search the web with your voice using its iOS app for some time. But, it always just spit out a pile of links. While the next version wont be getting quite as creepy as Google Now, it'll be bringing with it the vocalized responses that debuted as part of Jelly Bean's revamped search offerings. The UI is also getting an overhaul to bring it inline with Now and Mountain View's recent aesthetic tendencies towards sharp lines and limited color schemes. Obviously, the new app also taps the Knowledge Graph, allowing you to make natural language queries like, "what's the weather like in San Francisco," and get a detailed vocalized response. According to Google the update should be hitting the App Store in "the next few days," but don't expect it to keep tabs on your favorite sports team for you.

[Source: Engadget]