Personal Computing

Amid the growing community of Kinect hackers that have turned Microsoft's controller-free gaming device to everything from the obvious Minority Report-style user interfaces to a set of eyes for the visually impaired, Microsoft has announced it will release an official Kinect SDK for Windows 7. At MIX11, the company revealed the non-commercial beta SDK would arrive in the northern spring to give enthusiasts the tools to more easily explore the potential of the device for both gaming and non-gaming applications. Read More

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has unveiled a rugged external drive and some new high capacity storage solutions aimed at audio/video professionals at this year's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas. The new additions to the G-Technology range support Standard Definition, High Definition, 2K, or 4K post production workflows for Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 and a host of other post production software solutions. Interface options include FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and eSATA, with 3TB 7200 RPM Hitachi enterprise and desktop class hard drives playing a central role and various RAID configurations also on offer. The company has also announced that Thunderbolt I/O devices will be landing later in the year. Read More

Apple took the wraps off its upcoming update to Final Cut Pro at the SuperMeet in Las Vegas this week. Dubbed Final Cut Pro X, the software has been rebuilt from the ground up to support the Cocoa technology underlying Snow Leopard, and by extension, utilize the full potential of modern 64-bit multicore systems with powerful GPUs. There's a whole host of new features alongside some radical changes to the interface and workflow … but it's the new pricing model we think is the most interesting. Read More

Going wireless with your keyboard and mouse might unleash you from the shackles of cables, but at the price of having to constantly shell out for batteries or swap rechargeables in and out. Inductive chargers like the Powermat have provided a convenient, cable-free way to keep mobile phones, portable games consoles and PMPs powered up, and now Mobee has launched the first inductive charger developed specifically for the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. Read More

Thermal management specialist Asetek has developed a new pump technology that promises to deliver both quieter computing and optimum cooling performance. Liquid Temperature Fan Control offers users either automated fan speed adjustment for plug and play usability or hands-on tweaking, for those who like to take control of their hardware. The company has also updated and re-issued its ChillControl monitoring and control application - a one-stop-shop for checking, defining and adjusting system cooling performance parameters. Read More

For many people with motor disabilities, the task of precisely moving a mouse cursor around a screen can be incredibly frustrating. While controlling a mouse cursor with the power of thought looks likely to be possible in the not too distant future, researchers at the University of Washington's (UW) AIM Research Group have created two mouse cursors designed to make homing in on onscreen targets much easier. Neither requires additional computer hardware and all the researchers are hoping for in return for the freely downloadable software is some user feedback. Read More

It is a commonly held myth that much of the effectiveness of communication is determined by nonverbal cues, but try telling that to someone who has lost the power of speech due to brain injury or damage to their vocal cords or airway. In a move that could help restore communication for in this situation, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have successfully used regions of the brain that control speech to “talk” to a computer through the implantation of a temporary surgical implant. The patients were able to manipulate a cursor on a computer screen simply by saying or thinking of a particular sound. Read More

Sweden's eye tracking and control innovator Tobii has announced the release of a stand-alone eye control device called PCEye. Like the laptop-based prototype system demonstrated at CeBIT last month, the device tracks eye movement and translates it into mouse cursor action onscreen. Positioned in front of a PC monitor and connected via USB, the company says that the technology is compatible with a wide range of software and has been primarily designed to improve computer interactivity for users with impaired motor skills, such as stroke victims. Read More

Last week, Google announced Gmail Motion, a system which promised motion control for the company's free webmail service using a computer's built-in webcam and some nifty spatial tracking technology. Using Gmail Motion users would be able to not only control Gmail actions but also compose emails using gestures that would be translated into common phrases. It was of course an April Fool's Day joke, but Evan A. Suma, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Southern California's (USC) Institute for Creative Technologies, immediately set to work in demonstrating that the technology to run such a system already exists. Read More