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It's all about how you hold it, apparently. Intel's Labs have churned out a proposal for a new user-identifying system to be embedded into remote controls. Given a bit of time to familiarize itself with particular users, this new motion sensor-equipped channel switcher is capable of correctly recognizing its holder just by the way he operates it. Taking accelerometer readings every 100 nanoseconds, the researchers were able to build a data set of idiosyncrasies about each person, which would then be applied the next time he picked up the remote. Alas, accuracy rates are still well short of 100 percent, but there's always hope for improving things and for now it's being suggested that the system could be employed to help with targeted advertising -- which is annoying anyway, whoever it may think you are.Intel's smart TV remote will recognize you, tailor content to your wishes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 07:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Today at the Worldwide Partner Conference 2010, Microsoft announced the availability of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Beta to the public. The new SP1 includes previous updates that have been issues through Windows Update as well as other incremental updates for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 platform.
The new Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 is only available to users who are using a RTM version of either OS. The SP1 is not available for users who have the Home edition of Windows 7 or Server 2008.
There is not much information available about what is included in the SP1 for Windows 7 except that there are some Minor updates included in them. Users can download the new Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 by visiting this TechNet link.
(Source: TNW) – Image via Twitpic
According to a tip we received and confirmed, Google is asking people to conduct a short survey to verify their eligibility for a "usability study" with Google. Out tipster's study is to take place at Google's office in Dublin, Ireland. According to the survey, the duration of the study is 60 minutes, with particpants receiving 60 Euros. Of course, participants need to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement and allow Google to video record the session.
The questions focus around social networking as it relates both to real life (offline) and online. Interestingly, this line of questioning also seems to reflect Google's social strategy and analysis that was unveiled through a recent presentation from Paul Adams, Google's lead user-experience researcher. Other questions in the survey ask which search engines the participant uses and how often, which instant messaging platforms they use, and which Google products they use.
Online surveys to get feedback for current or future products isn't new to Google, so it's not particularly surprising that the search giant would conduct focus groups when evaluating the potential of a new product. While the survey doesn't confirm the existence of "Google Me," it certainly is another piece of evidence pointing in that direction. There's no doubt that Google is serious about social networking and is evaluating where the gaps are in current offerings.
Here's a list of the most interesting questions asked in the survey:
10a. In the last week, which of the following have you done (if any)? *
Please select all that apply
1. Met friends for coffee, food or drinks
2. Spent time with friends outside of the home
3. Watched or participated in sports or hobbies with others
2. None of the above11. In the past 3 days, which of the following methods have you used outside of work to communicate with your friends and family (if any)? *
Please select all that apply.
1. Phone call
2. Email
3. Instant Messaging
4. Text Message (SMS)
5. Social Networking Site e.g. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn
6. None of the above12a. In the past 3 days, which of the following social networking websites have you visited MORE THAN ONCE (if any)? *
Please select all that apply.
1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. MySpace
4. LinkedIn
5. Friendster
6. Orkut12b. In the last 2 weeks, how often have you accessed your "primary" social networking site (if any)? *
1. Less than once a week
2. About once a week
3. A few times a week
4. About once a day
5. Multiple times a day
6. I don't use any social networking sites13a. In the last week, which of the following websites have you posted content to (if any)?
Please select all that apply.
1. Photo sharing sites (e.g. Flickr, Picasa, Facebook Photos)
2. Video sharing sites (e.g. Youtube, Vimeo, DailyMotion)
3. Social Networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
4. Blogging sites (e.g. Blogger, WordPress)
5. Restaurant review sites (e.g. Yelp, CitySearch)
6. Product Review sites (e.g. Epinions, Consumer Reports)14a. In the past 3 days, which of the following search engines have you used (if any)? *
Please select all that apply.
1. Google
2. Yahoo
3. Bing
4. None of the above14c. In the past 2 months, which of the following types of things have you searched for online (if any)? *
Please check all that apply.
1. Another person
2. Yourself
3. A restaurant in the area
4. A product to purchase
5. Travel ideas
6. Health Information
7. News16. Which of the following Instant Messaging (IM) program(s) do you use (if any)? *
(e.g., Google Talk, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, Adium, Trillian, etc.)
1. Google Talk
2. AOL Instant Messenger
3. Yahoo Messenger
4. MSN Messenger / Live Messenger
5. Facebook IM18c. Which of the following do you display on at least one of your profiles (if any)? *
Please select all that apply.
1. Real name
2. Photo
3. Occupation
4. City/ town of residence
5. Hometown
6. Hobbies/ interests
None of the above
Earlier today YouTube debuted a new mobile experience, using HTML5 to offer a mobile site that sports better video quality and (soon) more content than the native YouTube iPhone application (and it works on other smart phones as well). But they're not done. Tonight, the video portal is also launching YouTube Leanback, a version of YouTube that's optimized for watching content on your TV set, or when you're sitting a few feet away from your desktop computer. In short, this is YouTube TV.
Leanback was first shown off as a preview at Google I/O, and will be integrated into Google TV when it launches this fall. The product evolved from YouTube XL, which launched in June 2009. The XL interface was cleaner than the standard YouTube site and was easier to use from a distance, but it didn't deliver an experience that felt natural to couch surfers. LeanBack changes that.
Head to Youtube.com/leanback, and the site will immediately start playing videos from a feed of suggestions, based on other videos you've liked (if you're not logged in it will start playing the videos that are currently most popular on the site). To skip to the next video in the playlist, you hit the right arrow on your keyboard. Want to navigate to a different genre of clips? Hit the down arrow, and you can scroll through other channels of content. Hitting the Up arrow will bring up a search option.
In other words, the interface is really straightforward. Hand the keyboard to someone sitting on a couch and they'll probably be able to figure out the basics in a few seconds. And once they've landed on a channel they want, they'll be able to watch an endless stream of content — Leanback will keep playing recommended videos indefinitely, just as a cable channel would.
This is all part of YouTube's goal to boost engagement — the site obviously sees a huge volume of uploads and traffic, but it gets around 15 minutes of viewing time a day per user. That contrasts with the five hours of television that people watch on average each day.
Of course, there's the matter of whether people are going to start actually using Leanback — after all, most people aren't using home theatre PC's just yet, and Google TV is still a few months off. YouTube's Julian Frumar, who led design for Leanback, says that the team wants to track how people are using the product so that it can tests its assumptions before the Google TV launch. The team also notes that Leanback isn't just for TV viewing — the site works perfectly well from your desktop or laptop, and offers a great experience for those times when you just want to watch YouTube clips without making many choices.
Rentals aren't live for Leanback yet, but the YouTube team says that this is due to a technical issue, not a licensing one, and that it hopes to offer rentals in the next few weeks. And yes, ads will eventually make their way into Leanback as well.
Earlier today YouTube debuted a new mobile experience, using HTML5 to offer a mobile site that sports better video quality and (soon) more content than the native YouTube iPhone application (and it works on other smart phones as well). But they're not done. Tonight, the video portal is also launching YouTube Leanback, a version of YouTube that's optimized for watching content on your TV set, or when you're sitting a few feet away from your desktop computer. In short, this is YouTube TV.
Leanback was first shown off as a preview at Google I/O, and will be integrated into Google TV when it launches this fall. The product evolved from YouTube XL, which launched in June 2009. The XL interface was cleaner than the standard YouTube site and was easier to use from a distance, but it didn't deliver an experience that felt natural to couch surfers. LeanBack changes that.
Head to Youtube.com/leanback, and the site will immediately start playing videos from a feed of suggestions, based on other videos you've liked (if you're not logged in it will start playing the videos that are currently most popular on the site). To skip to the next video in the playlist, you hit the right arrow on your keyboard. Want to navigate to a different genre of clips? Hit the down arrow, and you can scroll through other channels of content. Hitting the Up arrow will bring up a search option.
In other words, the interface is really straightforward. Hand the keyboard to someone sitting on a couch and they'll probably be able to figure out the basics in a few seconds. And once they've landed on a channel they want, they'll be able to watch an endless stream of content — Leanback will keep playing recommended videos indefinitely, just as a cable channel would.
This is all part of YouTube's goal to boost engagement — the site obviously sees a huge volume of uploads and traffic, but it gets around 15 minutes of viewing time a day per user. That contrasts with the five hours of television that people watch on average each day.
Of course, there's the matter of whether people are going to start actually using Leanback — after all, most people aren't using home theatre PC's just yet, and Google TV is still a few months off. YouTube's Julian Frumar, who led design for Leanback, says that the team wants to track how people are using the product so that it can tests its assumptions before the Google TV launch. The team also notes that Leanback isn't just for TV viewing — the site works perfectly well from your desktop or laptop, and offers a great experience for those times when you just want to watch YouTube clips without making many choices.
Rentals aren't live for Leanback yet, but the YouTube team says that this is due to a technical issue, not a licensing one, and that it hopes to offer rentals in the next few weeks. And yes, ads will eventually make their way into Leanback as well.
