By Patrick Avenell
Last week, in Current.com.au’s review of the new Motorola RAZR, we referenced the product placement of one the earliest models of mobile phones in the 1994 tech thriller Disclosure. A Microsoft media release today promulgating the one year anniversary of Kinect again brought this film to mind.
Microsoft is very keen to point out that it has sold millions of Kinect devices since its launch 12 months ago. It cites a Guinness World Record of 10 million units sold in 60 days, laying a marker for this gadget to be the “fastest selling consumer electronics device” in history.
Of more interest, however, is the news that Xbox 360 is developing the Kinect for Windows commercial program, which is due for launch in early 2012.
“The commercial program will give businesses the tools to develop applications that not only could improve their own operations, but potentially revolutionise entire industries,” said a very ambitious spokesperson. “To date, more than 200 businesses worldwide, including Toyota, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Razorfish, have joined a Kinect for Windows pilot program to begin exploring the possibilities of Kinect.”
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As Kinect is principally a handsfree, motion controlled gaming tool, the applications for businesses are intriguing.
A company such as Toyota could use Kinect to project the effects of a car crash onto a monitor, while publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt could use Kinect to modernise to way it communicates with existing clients. Digital marketing behemoth Razorfish could set up interactive advertising in public places to engage consumers with client brands.
Speculation is important for Kinect for Windows, as even Microsoft doesn’t know what will become of this platform.
“While no one knows what the future holds, if the past year is any indication, it’s going to be inspiring,” said a spokesperson.
One thing is for certain, 17 years on from the prescient prediction that mobile phones would dominate our world, Disclosure is set for another successful prognostication. Check out this clip of Michael Douglas using a 90s style virtual reality tool — with assurances to our younger readers that way back then, this was the height of tech cool.
Unfortunately, YouTube won't let us embed this clip, so interested readers will need to click the link and view on the main site.