sensor

From iPods to Thermostats: Nest CEO and Founder Tony Fadell Speaks! (Video)

Kara Swisher in News on November 29, 2011 at 11:02 am PT

What does the iconic music player have in common with the device you use to regulate the heat in your home? A lot more than you think.

Microsoft Loses a Top Kinect Researcher to Google

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on January 18, 2011 at 11:59 am PT

Microsoft Research’s Johnny Chung Lee, a core contributor to Microsoft’s Kinect, the highly successful gaming sensor, has joined Google to work on a special project.

Nike Digital Sport's Stefan Olander Talks About Its Digital Marathon

Kara Swisher in News on January 11, 2011 at 6:05 am PT

While BoomTown was running around the endless floors of the Consumer Electronics Show last week, I jogged right over to the folks at Nike, to see their new Nike+ SportWatch GPS. The device is yet another step in Nike’s long march to try to digitize the running experience.

Turning a Tablet Into a Board Game

Katherine Boehret in The Digital Solution on January 4, 2011 at 4:04 pm PT

In the new Digital Solution column, Katie tests a game that successfully marries digital and analog games by using the first physical device to digitally interact with the Apple iPad.

Kinect Score: 2.5 Million Down, 2.5 Million to Go

John Paczkowski in News on November 30, 2010 at 3:00 am PT

Microsoft’s Kinect videogame motion sensor passed the one-million-sold milestone after just 10 days at market. And now, 15 days later, it’s passed another: 2.5 million sold in 25 days.

Xbox Kinect: Just How Controlling Can a Body Be?

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on November 23, 2010 at 3:26 pm PT

Xbox Kinect does well with games involving more natural gestures and motions, but its games using objects, like a bowling ball, need more work, says Katie.

OmniVision to Supply Front and Rear Cameras in Next-Gen iPad

John Paczkowski in News on October 29, 2010 at 2:00 pm PT

Apple’s second-generation iPad will likely have a front-facing camera and a rear-facing camera as well, both to be supplied by digital-imaging outfit OmniVision. That’s the word from Detwiler Fenton, anyway.

Voices

Billboards That Can See You

Juro Osawa and Daisuke Wakabayashi, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal in News on September 3, 2010 at 5:02 am PT

Inside Tokyo’s bustling Shinagawa train station here, a futuristic-looking vending machine has replaced rows of drink bottles and cans with a 47-inch touch-screen monitor. When a person stands in front of the screen, a camera captures his image and a sensor determines the person’s gender and approximate age. Based on that reading, the machine “recommends” drinks that fit the customer’s profile.

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs Live at D8

John Paczkowski in D8 on June 2, 2010 at 3:25 pm PT

Qualcomm may not be a household name, but it probably should be. The company commercialized the CDMA mobile standard and its chips can be found in many of today’s smartphones. Though if things play out as Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs would like, they’ll soon be showing up in a wide variety of consumer electronics devices as well.

Voices

Sony's New 3-D TV Warns Kids If They’re Too Close

Daisuke Wakabayashi, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on March 9, 2010 at 6:27 am PT

For parents tired of nagging their kids about sitting too close to the television, Sony says its new 3-D television will do it for you. A camera sensor built into the television’s bottom bezel, just below the Sony logo, detects if a child comes within one meter, or about 40 inches. After a couple of seconds, an alarm is triggered and the screen will go dark, displaying a message telling the child to back away.