Kinect for Windows and Microsoft’s Last Keynote from CES 2012
Steve Ballmer with Ryan Seacrest
After hearing the last keynote from Microsoft as CES 2012 I was kind of disappointed by it, they has Ryan Seacrest and he sounded like he was just reading lines and didn’t care about anything the they had to show. And Steve Ballmer was his same yelling self the only thing new that they showed was relay the Kinect for windows and it wasn’t even much more than a video of it. They mostly recapped things about products that were out or things that were known about new products such as Windows 8.
As for the Kinect for Windows it looks like it will let you do motion controls for your PC along with know where the user is. But I think this is just a gimmick like voice controls are right now, they are built in to Windows 7 and work well it is just so easy to just mouse to something and click it. Also when you want to change your thoughts to text a keyboard is so easy to use and is faster. I’m sure they will market this as a use for all kinds of things but it won’t go anywhere. Most laptops have cameras built into them and how much do they get used and if they wanted to they could see if you are waving a motion using those cameras.
Another bad thing is the price, who will pay $249 to wave at their computer, and have no real use for it. They say it will be used in medical fields and education, ya sure if they had their way, but education is having a hard enough time getting teachers to use projectors and PowerPoint let alone money to get these in schools. And how will a doctor use the system, O he doesn’t have to touch a screen that would have a image of something, most of their time would be looking at what they are working on.
It is available on Amazon.com for $249.99 and will ship February 1st 2012. And MS Press site didn’t think it was even that important to have an image of the Kinect just ol Steve and Ryan.
Amazon.com : Kinect Sensor for Windows
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 1838
While watching Live.Twit.TV as they walk around early products show at CES on January 8th 2012 they stopped and talked with Lenovo and a guy was showing a ThinkPad Tablet 1838, it’s a 10.1″ Android 3.1 tablet. It has a lot of connections and ports along with a pen tool to writ on it. Also they can be setup for business and also be managed by an IT department.
You can get these now in different sizes starting at around $500.
Amazon.com: ThinkPad Tablet 1838 Android 3.1 32GB 10.1″
Lenovo Thinkvision LT1421
Watching Live.Twit.TV and they are at CES early Sunday January 8th 2012 and they are looked the lenovo early booth and they have a second display for your laptop that is USB powered, 14″ and around 2.5LB. It looked cool and useful if you travel and need more desktop space on your laptop.
It’s already available online list $199.99 but Amazon.com had it already for 189.38.
Amazon.com: Thinkvision LT1421 Wide 1452DS6
CES 2012 Pre-Thoughts
CES is coming for 2012 and I like to see what comes from the show. Last year it was all about 3D TVs and Android Tablets. This year it looks like tablets and apps on TVs will be some of the big things. I’m sure they will have more 3D TV but some without glasses but I don’t care because I can’t see the 3D.
Android Tablets were big last year but the ones that did come out in 2011 were flops and the main reason was that they were trying to do the old computer trick of having spec wars and charging too much. The iPad dose so good because it is not that expensive and is somewhat of a good device that has a sexy or prestige factor that the Android tablets lack because of marketing by Apple.
If they can make new tablets with Android 4.0 that are good specs and don’t cost over $500-600 then they may work out but if they want to sell lots they need to have it be good spec, Android 4.0 and cost less than $350.
As for the TVs with apps, it looks like they will be running Google TV aka Android TV, but the mistake that the companies are going to make is putting skins on them, they need to look and feel the same. Also Google and the TV companies will need to make deals to get the content producers to make apps to put their content on the system.
With Microsoft also pulling out I don’t see much coming from them, probably some new looks at Windows 8 and a recap of the new video options on Xbox 360. And I’m sure Sony and Nintendo will save most of their big things for games for E3 were I’m sure Microsoft will still have a big setup to pimp there Xbox stuff.
This year I will probably keep looking over some of the blog sites, and check out Twit.tv they have the most raw unorganized look from the floor as if you were there. CNet has some good stuff but it is more organized and almost too setup only with big names.
Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS
Just found this on Google+ its an amazing time lapse from space over earth at night. Some of the coolest things are watching the lightning as they fly over the different parts of Earth. Check it out its worth going and seeing it on the HD Vimeo site because there lame and wont let you embed it.
Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.
Kind of Want a Kindle Fire
All the talk about the Kindle Fire that came out today I have been unsure if I would like one because it isn’t a full Android tablet and its only running the older 2.3 rather then 3.2 OS. But it dose look like it would be good for consuming content, I probably would want a full Android tablet, but it would work out good for something to watch videos on and to have around. So as I’m still unsure on it check out this video that Tom Merritt did an unboxing at TWiT.TV …
Wow: Redridge Mountains
So I found out about the World of Warcraft year pass that you get when you subscribe for a year and you get a mount in game and also a copy of Diablo 3. Any way I have been playing a little bit, my hunter that is 85 didn’t seem fun to play so I got on a priest that was level 5. I worked through Elywnn Forest and Westfall to come to Redridge Mountains. From the past the quests were kind of dumb and you would need a group to do some of the higher level quests so when I would get to them I would just try my hand at Duskwood, but since the update I found that the area was fun to play.
When they had the Cataclysm expansion they updated the old original content to add new quests and tweak game play. From what I saw in this area I am liking the changes to some of these area I have done 20-30 times. To start they changed the quests to work in a progression rather than just have a pile of quests that you go out and do. This is keeping in the new areas that have a story rather than just a pile of quests, I didn’t read much of the quests text, seem to have stopped doing that before I got my first guy to level 40 but it was clear that there is a story line and you play though cleaning up the area from the Blackrock orcs.
There new phasing system were as you work through the quests that things change helps with the story because it helps you see that by blowing up that tower did keep the tower blown up and the orcs around it would go away or change in some way making the world more dynamic and not so static.
I have not done any of this with any other players were they may be on a different part of the quest line, and they have made it so that you can do the quests by yourself even when there are elite attacking you by in the case of Redridge you get a elite squad from being captured and then work with them to finish off the boss in the area that is causing the problems.
As for gear and loot they do a good job now all the way from the start to my now level 23 giving out gear that is good, some of the old areas such as these were giving out gear with no stats while the new areas were giving some good stats on them or you would have to go to dungeons to get some of your gear. It helps you work through a level vary easy also, so that you never feel stuck and leveling up even a priest by myself has been fun and not too hard ether.
I plan on playing this guy mostly doing just quests, I was expecting to get him up to a level where I could get into dungeons and just tag along a bunch of them to get my levels but I am enjoying what they have done to make the old world more fun to play.
