Microsoft

The future of TV viewing

The TV viewing experience has not changed so drastically over the years. But with the development of sophisticated headsets like Microsoft HoloLens that is all set to change.

In a recently released video, Microsoft and NFL have successfully re-imagined how a Super Bowl game could be watched with multiple friends and family members…

While the video shows how immersive TV watching could get, Microsoft is not fast-tracking HoloLens for consumer consumption. For now, only developers can order HoloLens, which will ship this year. No one knows when consumers will get access to HoloLens or when scenarios like this will become a reality.

Big Data to predict traffic jams

Big Data is increasingly being used to find solutions to problems around the world. In this latest example, Microsoft has partnered with the Federal University of Minas Gerais, one of Brazil’s largest universities, to undertake research that helps predict traffic jams up to an hour in advance.

With access to traffic data (including historical numbers where available), road cameras, Bing traffic maps, and drivers’ social networks, Microsoft and team are set to establish patterns that help foresee traffic jams 15 to 60 minutes before they happen.

Microsoft has tested this model in London, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, and claims to have achieved a prediction accuracy of 80 percent.

Microsoft HoloLens

Last week at Microsoft’s Windows 10 event, the company unveiled a new augmented reality experience for the platform, called HoloLens. Using a special holographic headseat, Windows 10 users will now be able to make holograms appear in real life. 😎

The device is said to use see-through lenses, spatial sound, advanced sensors and a holographic processing unit to provide a state of the art untethered augmented reality experience.

Here is a short demo video of the next step of computing…

The Live Tile Experiment

Microsoft has been heavily advertising the new Windows 8, Surface RT and Windows Phone 8 along with their respective features. In Norway, Microsoft partnered with Norwegian electro rock band ‘Datarock’ to bring the experience of its Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 Live Tile functionality to the unsuspecting residents of downtown Oslo. The result was an evening to remember…

Interactive iPad Ads

New research from the IAB has shown that when it comes to advertising on tablets, interactivity is the key. So here are some of the trendy interactive ads that have appeared on the iPad…

White Collar

In a simple use of touch screen technology, users were asked to solve a puzzle by dragging an icon across the screen to locate answers to questions displayed in the banner…

Volkswagen Park Assist

To experience the Volkswagen Tiguan’s Park Assist, users were made to touch two targets on the screen. The car on the screen then reversed and parked itself between the targets…

Visa Signature

Built in HTML5, the ad presents users with a virtual wallet that allows them to look through and plan a holiday, buy theatre / cinema tickets, or reserve a hotel…

Toyota

Using the slogan ‘Filled with People’, the ad allowed users to drag the slider across the screen and see how an unfinished Toyota car moved through the factory floor while being assembled by various mechanics…

Microsoft wanted to let developers know that Windows Azure was designed to allow code to be created in the cloud. So they came up with an iAd that allowed readers to alter its code, which in turn changed its layout…

Magnum Pleasure Hunt

Last year to launch the all new Magnum Temptation Hazelnut ice-cream, Swedish agencies Lowe Brindfors and B-Reel created an advergame called “Magnum Pleasure Hunt Across The Internet“. In the game players were taken across 20 well known websites as they collected Bon Bons, the special ingredient of the Magnum Temptation Hazelnut ice-cream.

An extended video demo can be seen here.

Since the game did exceedingly well, Magnum and team have come up with round 2 which has been enhanced with 3D graphics. Also this time players are taken on a run in New York, made to fly over Paris and surf the waves in Rio De Janeiro.

An extended video demo can be seen here.

I think its a great follow up to the first version. Don’t you think? Experience Magnum Pleasure Hunt 2 at www.pleasurehunt2.mymagnum.com.

IllumiShare “Share Any Physical or Digital Object”

Microsoft has recently unveilved IllumiShare a real-time, low-cost, peripheral device that looks like a desk lamp. The device uses a camera-projector pair to capture video of the local workspace and transmit it to the remote space while the video of the remote workspace is projected back onto the local space.

Will be interesting to see how this impacts all the video conferencing services out there. 😎

The future of Augmented Reality

The Augmented Reality technology has come a long way over the last couple of years. Brands from around the world have been actively using it in their campaigns to engage their target audience. Still we are yet to see it play an everyday role in our life’s.

A recent video released by Hidden Creative shows how cellphones or a digital devices can be used to scan ones surrounding and get live information on the spot. The video also demonstrates how augmented reality can overlay objects in a real-life space to help users with renovations by virtually rearranging furniture or configuring the colors virtually…

But before we even get to a future like this, companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft/Nokia, along with their developers, will need to standardize the Augmented Reality experience on their respective platforms. One master app that runs across all the platforms could be the start as right now the app stores are cluttered with a large number of Augmented Reality apps.

‘Java 4-ever’: A romance about Web development

JavaZone is a conference held in Scandinavia for developers to meet up, listen to presentations, and interact with the development community. But the group behind JavaZone have also proved themselves to be pretty good filmmakers, or at least trailer makers. 😎

The trailer you see below is for the imaginary film Java 4-ever…

Augment Your Reality with RockstAR

Razorfish has recently created an experience named RockstAR which features augmented reality and multi-touch technology.

It is the classic photo booth experience taken to the next level with interactive technology, social integration (currently the experience posts to twitter, twitpic and flickr) and good ole fashioned Rock n Roll.