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The Kinect motion-sensing game peripheral is a lot of fun when it comes to family-friendly entertainment. But Whole Foods, in connection with a third-party developer, believes that Kinect may be the future of shopping.

The Kinect-enabled shopping cart experience begins with you scanning a loyalty card. The cart’s motorized wheels push it along and steer it to follow you based on the sound of your voice and the image of your body picked up by the Kinect’s motion sensor. As you place items inside the cart during your shopping trip, the Kinect scans each item, checking them off your shopping list. When you’re done, you can check out using the cart, too.

The cart is only in the prototype phase right now, and early tests proved that there are a lot of kinks to be ironed out. Still, it’s hoped that one day, every Whole Foods shopper will get their shopping trips finished faster and easier thanks to a fleet of these futuristic Kinect hacks on wheels.

(Source)

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft is scrambling to preserve what’s left of its kingdom.

Since the company released its Windows operating system in 1985, most of the sequels have been variations on the same theme. Not that it mattered much. Regardless of the software’s quality, Microsoft managed to remain at the center of the personal computing universe.

The stakes are much different as Microsoft Corp. puts the finishing touches on Windows 8 — perhaps the most important piece of software the Redmond, Wash. company has designed since co-founder Bill Gates won the contract to build the first operating system for IBM Corp.’s personal computer in the early 1980s.

A test, or “beta”, version of the revamped operating system will be unveiled Wednesday in Barcelona, nudging Windows 8 a step closer to its anticipated mass market release in September or October. The company will offer the most extensive look at Windows 8′s progress since it released an early version of the system to developers five months ago.

Microsoft designed Windows 8 to help it perform a difficult balancing act. The company hopes to keep milking revenue from a PC market that appears to be past its prime, while trying to gain a stronger foothold in the more fertile field of mobile devices. It’s a booming market that, so far, has been defined and dominated by Apple Inc.’s trend-setting iPhone and iPad, and Google Inc.’s ubiquitous Android software.

“Microsoft’s future path is riding on Windows 8 and its success,” said Gartner Inc. analyst David Cearley. “This is a chance for Microsoft to re-establish itself in a market where it’s becoming increasingly irrelevant.”

If Windows 8 is a hit, it could also help lift the fortunes of struggling PC makers, including Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. Besides giving businesses and consumers a reason to consider new PC purchases, Windows 8 is expected to spawn a new breed of hybrid machines that will be part computer tablet, part laptop computer.

If Windows 8 is a flop, however, it will increase the pressure on Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. His 12-year reign has been marred by the company’s troubles adapting to an Internet-driven upheaval. As Microsoft has stumbled, faster-innovating companies such as Apple and Google have elbowed their way into a position to steer the direction of computing for the next decade or two.

Ballmer, known for his zealous faith in Microsoft, hails Windows 8 as the catalyst for an exciting — and lucrative — new era at the 37-year-old software maker.

Investors seem to be believers, too. Microsoft’s stock has recently been trading its highest levels since April 2008, closing at $31.35 on Monday. The stock has gained about 21 percent so far this year. By comparison, Apple’s stock has surged 30 percent during the same period, while Google’s shares have dropped 6 percent.

Microsoft’s financial performance traditionally improves when it releases a new version of Windows. The last upgrade came in October 2009 when Windows 7 hit the market. The company has sold more than 525 million copies of Windows 7 since then. Part of Window 7′s success stemmed from pent-up demand; the previous version, Vista, was so clunky and buggy that many PC users stuck with the system they already had on their machines or switched to Apple’s technology on Mac computers.

Windows 8 is radically different from its predecessors. The system won’t even have Microsoft’s familiar “Start” menu. All applications are spread across a mosaic of tiles, as part of a design Microsoft calls “Metro.” The tiles, which resemble road signs, can be navigated with a swipe of the finger on the display screen or with a keyboard and a computer mouse. The tiles also provide a glimpse at the activity occurring in applications connected to the Web, such as email.

The system also is expected to enable users to easily back up their pictures, movies, music and other files on a Microsoft storage service called SkyDrive, which will compete against Apple’s iCloud.

The operating system’s versatility means it can be used to power computer tablets, as well as traditional PCs.

Microsoft badly wants a piece of the tablet market that has been cutting into PC sales since Apple introduced the iPad two years ago.

In the quarter that included the holiday shopping season, Apple shipped 15.4 million iPads, more than doubling the volume from the same time in the previous year. Meanwhile, worldwide personal computer sales dipped slightly, and Microsoft’s revenue in its Windows division declined 6 percent. It marked the fourth time in the past five quarters that Microsoft’s Windows revenue has fallen from the previous year.

Reversing or slowing that trend is critical for Microsoft. It still relies on the PC industry for about 55 percent of its revenue, according to Nomura Equity Research analyst Rick Sherlund. “The launch of Windows 8 should provide a few years of robust growth and opportunity for Microsoft to reposition itself to better defend its position against challengers,” Sherlund wrote in a note after Microsoft reported the latest erosion in its Windows division.

Besides spurring more sales of the new operating system, Windows 8 is likely to drive demand for the next generation of the Office suite, another major moneymaker for Microsoft.

Windows 8 could inspire more PC makers to design machines that combine the convenience of computer tablets with the utility of a notebook computer. These devices would be similar to the so-called “Ultrabook” computers that offer a Windows-based version of Apple’s lightweight MacBook “Air” machines. Once Windows 8 is available, the Ultrabook line could be expanded to include machines equipped with screen that swivels off the keyboard to take advantage of the system’s touch controls and provide a tablet-like experience.

Microsoft clearly envisions Windows 8 becoming the foundation for pure tablets, too. That’s why it’s developing a version of Windows 8 that can run on the more tablet-friendly microprocessor technology licensed by ARM Holdings. That version will complement the Windows 8 design that will run on the Intel Corp. chips that power most PCs.

HP, the world’s largest PC maker, is already counting on Windows 8 to deliver better times. The company’s division that includes desktop and laptop computers suffered a 15 percent drop in revenue during its more recent quarter ending in January. CEO Meg Whitman, last week, said HP expects to release PCs and tablets running on Windows 8 in time for the holiday shopping season. HP’s Windows 8 product line will include a tablet designed for corporate customers.

The biggest question hanging over Windows 8 is whether the long wait for the software will leave Microsoft hopelessly behind Apple and Google in mobile computing.

Whatever headlines Microsoft grabs during Wednesday’s preview are likely to be quickly overshadowed when Apple shows off the iPad 3 — a hotly anticipated event, expected to occur in early March.

Meanwhile, Google says more than 300 million smartphones and tablets are already running on its Android software, with another 850,000 devices getting activated each day. At that rate, another 155 million to 180 million devices could be running on Android by the time Windows 8 comes out in September or October. As it is, a version of Android is already running the second hottest-selling tablet, Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle Fire.

“Microsoft is late to the game and this is a different game than they have been playing,” Cearley said. “But if they hit a home run with Windows 8, it could still turn some things around.”

SOURCE: http://news.yahoo.com/microsofts-future-riding-windows-8-170706452.html

NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Trang likes to use his iPhone 4 as a GPS device, helping him get around in his job. Now and then, his younger cousins get ahold of it, and play some YouTube videos and games.

But in the past few weeks, there has been none of that, because AT&T Inc. put a virtual wheel clamp on his phone. Web pages wouldn’t load and maps wouldn’t render. Forget about YouTube videos — Trang’s data speeds were reduced to dial-up levels.

“It basically makes my phone useless,” said Trang, an Orange County, Calif. property manager.

The reason: AT&T considers Trang to be among the top 5 percent of the heaviest cellular data users in his area. Under a new policy, AT&T has started cutting their data speeds as part of an attempt to manage data usage on its network.

So last month, AT&T “throttled” Trang’s iPhone, slowing downloads by roughly 99 percent. That means a Web page that would normally take a second to load instead took almost two minutes.

AT&T has some 17 million customers with “unlimited data” plans that can be subject to throttling, representing just under half of its smartphone users. It stopped signing up new customers for those plans in 2010, and warned last year that it would start slowing speeds for people who consume the most data.

What’s surprising people like Trang is how little data use it takes to reach that level — sometimes less than AT&T gives people on its “limited” plans.

Trang’s iPhone was throttled just two weeks into his billing cycle, after he’d consumed 2.3 gigabytes of data. He pays $30 per month for “unlimited” data. Meanwhile, Dallas-based AT&T now sells a limited, or “tiered,” plan that provides 3 gigabytes of data for the same price.

Users report that if they call the company to ask or complain about the throttling, AT&T customer support representatives suggest they switch to the limited plan.

“They’re coaxing you toward the tiered plan,” said Gregory Tallman in Hopatcong, N.J. He hasn’t had his iPhone 4S throttled yet, but he’s gotten text-messages from AT&T, warning that he’s approaching the limit. This came after he had used just 1.5 gigabytes of data in that billing cycle.

John Cozen, a Web and mobile applications designer in San Diego, hasn’t been throttled yet either, but he’s been so disturbed by a warning that he’s “almost scared to use the phone,” he said. Complaining to AT&T got him nowhere, and now he’s looking to switch to another carrier.

“I don’t think two to three gigabytes is an exorbitant amount,” he said. “Really, I’m just looking at pictures and text once in a while.”

AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said that as of last summer, the top 5 percent of data users were using 2 gigabytes of data per month. But he also said the company doesn’t actually throttle all of the top 5 percent “unlimited” data users. Last month, the figure was only 0.5 percent, or about 200,000 people, he said.

That’s because AT&T only throttles users in areas where the wireless network is congested that month, Siegel said.

Siegel also pointed out that aside from moving to a tiered plan, “unlimited” plan users on the cusp of being throttled can use one of AT&T’s 30,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, where usage is unmetered.

The unlimited plan worked fine for AT&T a few years ago, when the iPhone was new. The company had ample capacity on its network, and wanted to lure customers with the peace of mind offered by unlimited plans. Now, a majority of AT&T subscribers on contract-based plans have smartphones, and the proportion is growing every month. That’s putting a big load on AT&T’s network.

The limited data plans force subscribers to keep an eye on their usage, so they don’t overwhelm AT&T’s network. Verizon Wireless has adopted similar plans. But the two companies differ in how they manage their remaining “unlimited” subscribers.

Verizon doesn’t slow down the “5 percent” unless the cell tower their phone is connected to is congested at that moment, and it slows them down by the minimum amount necessary. By contrast, once AT&T has decided to throttle your phone, it will be slow for the rest of the billing cycle, even if it’s 3 a.m. and there are no other cellphones competing for the capacity of that particular cell tower.

Verizon’s measures have drawn few complaints, and indeed, may have gone unnoticed even by the “5 percent.”

T-Mobile USA is up front about the level it starts throttling at: 5 gigabytes. AT&T subscribers have no idea if they might be among the top 5 percent until they get the warning, which is soon followed by throttled service. While Trang was throttled at 2.3 gigabytes, he knows other iPhone owners who are using 5 or 6 gigabytes per month with impunity.

“It seems very random,” Trang said.

Sprint Nextel Corp. is hanging on to unlimited data plans without throttling, alone among the “Big Four” national wireless carriers.

Tallman sees few prospects for a lawsuit against AT&T. The company is still providing unlimited data usage to throttled customers, even if the speeds are so low as to make the phone useless for anything but phone calls and text messages. The company made no promises that “unlimited” data would always be coupled with high speeds, he notes.

“They just guaranteed the highway. They didn’t guarantee the speed limit,” he said

SOURCE:  http://news.yahoo.com/t-customers-surprised-unlimited-data-limit-080906861.html

On September 4, 1957, nine African-American students arrived at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, to attend their first day of class. They were met with angry segregationist mobs and the National Guard–not to protect them, but to keep them from entering the all-white school. The students had been enrolled by the NAACP and were aware of the group’s desire to enforce the landmark Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. Board of Education, which made it illegal to keep schools segregated. Arkansas was one of two southern states that announced it would comply with the decision. The standoff, beamed to the world through television coverage, transfixed the nation, until President Dwight Eisenhower ended the confrontation three weeks later by sending in the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students to class.

Today, Little Rock Central High School is a national monument. The Little Rock Nine were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bill Clinton, and the pioneering students attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Yahoo! News spoke with Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine, who became the first African-American student to graduate from Little Rock Central — an occasion that was marked by the presence of Martin Luther King, Jr. Green went on to graduate from Michigan State University and later became an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs under President Jimmy Carter. He currently serves on the board of the African American Experience Fund at the National Park Foundation.

SOURCE:  http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/member-little-rock-nine-looks-back-191851654.html

The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it’s going after those annoying automated marketing calls that always seem to come right as you’re sitting down to dinner.

The commission unanimously adopted new rules to crack down on what are known as robocalls. That’s when a company sets up its computers to call thousands of numbers in sequence, hoping one or two of them will be answered by someone who’ll listen to a pitch for whatever they’re selling.

“Unwanted telemarketing calls and texts were consistently in the top three consumer complaint categories at the FCC in 2011,” the commission said. “Robocalls invade consumers’ privacy, and can, in the case of calls to wireless numbers, use up their minutes.”

The Direct Marketing Association, the leading trade organization for so-called multichannel marketing — which includes telephone solicitation — didn’t respond to a request by msnbc.com for comment.

But in the past, the industry has vigorously opposed government restrictions on whom it may call. The DMA and several other groups sued to stop enforcement of the National Do-Not-Call Registry when it was created in 2003, a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled against them.

SOURCE:  http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/15/10418510-us-cracking-down-on-dinner-interrupting-marketing-robocalls#.Tzwsmy7gbe8.mailto