The Geek Church

As the E3 2010 conference in Los Angeles gets underway this week, Microsoft is already grabbing people’s attention with the recent demonstration of their new motion control system, Kinect (previously named project Natal). There were several games for children, groups and adults shown at the event and you can expect game developers such as Konami, Lucas Arts and Turn 10 Studios to be involved with the launch of Kinect as well. Popular titles like Star Wars and Metal Gear Solid are scheduled to arrive on the new controller system in the near future.

The Kinect device itself consists of a RGB camera, 3D depth sensors, and a multi-array mic and it also has a motorized tilt function. Microsoft intended for it to be a new kind of dashboard interface controller for the X-Box 360. In order to use it, you first log-in by waving your hand. Then your hand movements will control a cursor on the screen, allowing you to make selections on the displayed menu and browse through featured content. This new motion control system is designed to respond to your voice as well. According to Crunch Gear, Kinect might be the closest thing resembling the technology seen in the film, Minority Report so far.

With Kinect, Microsoft is taking a more direct approach to the concept of motion control than Nintendo or Sony. On the Wii and the PS3, motion control relies on the use of an actual hand-held controller. While the absence of a more conventional controller could lead to some problems in gameplay, there is definite potential with the user interface for Kinect. Thus, Microsoft’s new game control system may spark the beginning of a new age where hand-held controllers for PC and console gaming would be obsolete.

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With the iPad and iPhone O S 4.0 recently announced by Apple, Microsoft is now poised to present their latest developments to stay competitive in the ever-changing market of mobile technology for communication and internet access. These products by Microsoft come in the form of two handsets called the Kin One and the Kin Two and they are being marketed as Windows phones. Here’s a rundown of these brand new handsets.

The Kin One and Kin Two are based on the Windows Phone 7 but they have some unique differences. The Kin series has its own custom-made user interface which is very focused on social media and also has a custom browser. The screen displays are multi-touch capable and you can even pinch and zoom with the browser. However, there is no support for third party applications, in-browser Flash or Silverlight.

The Kin One is also known as the “Turtle”. It’s a curved square sliding phone equipped with a QVGA display, 4GB of internal storage, a five megapixel camera with LED and a full QWERTY keyboard. Meanwhile, Kin Two is nicknamed “Pure”. It’s a more conventional QWERTY sliding phone with a HVGA display, an eight megapixel camera and 8GB of internal storage. Beyond that, it’s the same as the Kin One.

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I remember reading an article about a Microsoft meeting a few months ago. An employee’s iPhone rang, and when he answered it, Steve Ballmer saw it. Steve then took the opportunity to pretend like he was stepping on this man’s iPhone. I’ve been hearing similar stories that Steve Jobs will have fits about his competitors like Adobe or Google.

Is it just me, or do I think that it is silly to live in a world where all the tech companies of the world can live together and make whatever products they want, and distribute them to whoever they want? Are Ballmer and Jobs jealous that their companies didn’t make what their competitors obviously did? Or do they just want to get to the point where they are weeping, because there are no more worlds left to conquer?

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A while ago, Microsoft announced that it would be sponsoring a Family Guy episode that would air commercial-free, but would contain some obvious Windows 7 plugs.

This announcement appeared the day after I wrote my article about shows Christian people probably shouldn’t watch based on general principle. The one where I named Family Guy as a show that should be avoided.

It would appear that Microsoft mirrors my opinion. After discovering that the show contains “riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene, and incest”, they have pulled out as the advertiser for this episode.

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The USB Windows Icebox is a device that looks like a flash drive, but it can do a lot more. It has a unique ability to plug into your computer, and it will immediately “freeze” any changes on the hard disk. So another user can jump on to your laptop or PC, but after you turn it off, your computer will return to the state it was in before you stuck in the Icebox.

This is good for parents who have kids who love to play on their mommy or daddy’s computer. The little tykes can do anything they want on purpose or accident, and the parent can simply turn it off at bedtime to eradicate any non-parent approved changes. All of this for just $18.99.

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I think that I’ve pretty much done 09-09-09 to death, and I don’t think that anyone is going to top Apple today.

However, there is much to talk about.

Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 is one ultra thin beauty. Check it out here.

Like YouTube? So do I. In fact, some of you have seen my amateur vids. Like Blu-ray? I’ve only had some experience with it. You would be interested in Samsung is adding YouTube streaming to their Blu-ray players.

Check out Sony’s Bravia ZX5, a very slim LED-backlit HDTV.

You might want to check out Gunnar Optiks new eyewear, specifically designed for those who hang on computer screens all day.

If you are the one who needs a holster for all your gadgets, you should consider the Grab It Pack.

Although many blogs have tagged the KDDI iida Polaris as a cellphone robot, what it does is really not as impressive.