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FOTOWHOOSH [Friday, September 28, 2007 3:04pm] Imagine this You went on vacation to a nice, tropical island with turquoise waters and clear blue skies (Cuba, maybe?) and took about a thousand pictures of you and your friends sippin' pina coladas on the beach and dancing on tabletops at local nightclubs with your digital camera. Now that you're back in cold and gloomy Montreal, you think back to those lazy, sunny days and wish you were back there. Well, you can be... sort of. Introducing... Fotowhoosh is a Web-based system that allows you to view your 2-D pictures in 3-D (kind of like pop-up books), thus making it more realistic. It's like your pictures are coming to life right in front of you, on your computer screen. The concept behind Fotowhoosh is a simple one: we live in a multi-dimensional world and so should our pictures. The people behind this fearlessly proclaim that it's "time to break out of the one or two dimensions that media and technology have locked us into for so long. Fotowoosh will forever change the way you think of your pictures!" (source) Derek Hoiem, who is a doctoral candidate at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute, has dedicated the past year and a half of his life to helping us break out of the two dimension barriers that have restricted us for so long and what he, and his colleagues, have come up with is a software that transforms ordinary pictures into extraordinary pictures (well, they're not so much pictures anymore but rather like a scene from a movie). However, it is mathematically impossible to reconstruct a 3-D scene from a single image (source). So, what Fotowhoosh's system does instead is, it uses machine-learning algorithms to identify and divide pictures into different "areas": ground, vertical surfaces and sky (source). The system then folds these surfaces into a 3-D model, kind of like what happens when you open a pop-up book/card: the flat, 2-D surface jumps out at you, transforming into 3-D. How it works To use Fotowhoosh, you would have to go to the Fotowhoosh website (here) and download the software as well as a 3-D viewer extension for your Web browsers. Once you have done that, you can upload your pictures and watch them transform into 3-D, where you can zoom in and out as well as look at the same "scene" (it's not longer just a picture) from different perspectives, not just the angle that the camera caught it at. Picture this Pros Not restricted to 2-D: Just like the innovators behind Fotowhoosh said, this software breaks the barriers of two dimensional media. With another dimension, we are introduced to a whole new side of pictures (pun intended). More specifically, users can view their pictures from all different angles and perspectives, not just from the photographer's point of view. Users can also zoom in and out of the picture as they please, and notice things that they might not have noticed before. It really does change the way you think of your pictures. Free - Not having to pay for it is a huge plus for users. If they don't like it, they don't like it - at least they didn't spend $10,000 on it (which would be the case with the Surface). All you have to do is download the software and some additional stuff and you're on your way. Freewebs - Freewebs hosts over 14 million personal websites and is ready to launch a consumer version of the software (source). Photo sharing websites are really popular right now (Flickr, MySpace, Facebook.. they're all there so people can creep each other's pictures) and this provides a great stage to introduce the software to the consumer market. Easily imported - Fotowhoosh models conform to the standard 3-D format (VRML) which therefore means that it could be easily imported into other 3-D applications and virtual systems, like Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth, just to name a few (source). Cons Still developing - The software isn't perfect (at least, not yet). The current system can't tell the difference between some of the things in a picture. For example, it isn't good at separating objects that should be in the foreground from the background. Of course, they are working on it, Derek Hoiem assures us: "In a year or possibly less, you'll be able to take a photo of an alley with all sorts of cars and people, and create a 3-D model where those are all seen as separate 3-D foreground objects." (source) Technology takes time, I suppose. Restrictions - The 3-D images can only be viewed in a special web browser that is equipped to view these types of images while the beta version utilizes the Flash format. Therefore, users don't really get a variety of options to choose how they want to view their images. Other applications - There are other applications available that do simil References Fotowhoosh Technology Review TechCrunch comment

TR10: AUGMENTED REALITY [Friday, September 28, 2007 3:01pm] Imagine this You're a new student at a new college away from the comforts of home; you don't know anybody and you don't know your way around. This sounds like a pretty awful predicament to find yourself in, if I do say so myself. How do you know where your classroom is? Or where to grab a bite to eat? After a long night at the library, what if you can't find your way back to your dorm room? It is a big campus, after all. No need to worry, because the innovators over at Nokia have your back. Introducing... The smart people over at the Nokia Research Center (all the way in Helsinki, Finland) have come up with something they like to call "Mobile Augmented Reality Applications". The folks at Technology Review sum it up for us in English: the project  is essentially a smart phone that "will help you get where you're going--and decide what to do once you're there." More precisely, it is "the idea of including location sensitive digital information on mobile units like PDA's and cell phones, in effect superimposing a digital reality on the real surroundings, enhancing a person's ability to navigate and interact effectively." (source) The research team, led by Markus Kähäri, unveiled a prototype at the International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality, which revealed that they had added a GPS sensor, a compass and accelerometers to a Nokia smart phone (source). Accelerometers are essential ingredients to the emergence of consumer augmented reality. Not only do they play an integral role in the technology behind Nokia's TR10, but others as well, such as Nintendo's Wii video game consoles and Apple's iPhones (source). Accelerometers are tiny sensors that convert movement and motion into the screen, thereby allowing the phone to gather information and data. Using this information, the phone can tell you just about anything about the object its camera is pointed at. As if that wasn't enough, David Murphy, who works on the project, added that "the system can also be used to find nearby friends who have phones with GPS and the appropriate software." (source) It sure looks like this phone can and will do anything! How it works For example, if I'm an international student at McGill University and on a fine, sunny day, I decide to go exploring. Somehow I end up in a crowded downtown street in front of a massive building; I am lost. What do I do? Panic. And then I remember my friend Markus Kähäri, so I would take out my Nokia smart phone and aim it at the large building. The phone will then tell me that I am currently standing in front of the Bell Center, the names and geographical coordinates of nearby attractions and even tell me how to get home. But it doesn't stop there -- I can also download information from the Internet about a chosen location. If I'm feeling a little hungry, I can check the Bell Center's hours of operation and how much a hot dog costs. Or I have nothing to do and some extra money lying around, I can check the schedule for any upcoming concerts or hockey games and even purchase tickets right then and there. The phone does all this by retrieving information about a particular location from an external database. Picture this "Boxes appear on the phone’s screen, highlighting known businesses and landmarks, such as the Empire State Building. The user can click one of these boxes to download information about that location from the Web. In Nokia’s mobile-augmented-reality prototype, a user can point a phone’s camera at a nearby building; the system calculates the building’s location and uses that information to identify it." (source) Pros Innovation - So many people have dedicated their time, energy and efforts into the research of augmented reality. The Nokia project has been built on over 10 years worth of research. This kind of technology used to be thought of as far fetched, but now we're in an era where technological gains and advances are huge. Salil Pradan, the chief technologist of RFID at Hewlett Packard (HP), based in Palo Alto, CA, is encouraged that Nokia is taking the steps to making mobile augmented reality a... well, reality. He says,  "We always believed that this kind of augmented reality with a cell phone is the way to move forward. I'm glad to see people like Nokia getting into that space." Encourages competition - In an ever growing world of technology, such emerging trends like augmented reality are sure to raise some eyebrows. In a capitalist society, we need companies that are innovative and willing to take risks, to push the envelop and see how far technology can take us. In doing so, Nokia is encouraging a dynamic and competitive industry. Healthy competition in any industry will undoubtedly lead to better, more creative and more innovative ideas. Publicity - The TR10 has been generating a lot of buzz in the technology circles. Many are interested and excited to see if this prototype will become a product and make it to the market: "There are so many possibilities engendered by bringing the Internet to the real world--making people linkable. It's hard to know what would be done with the technology if it were available." - David Murphy Useful - For a consumer, this kind of gadget would be really useful and efficient -- not to mention totally cool. It would be like carrying around a map, compass, Internet enabled computer with email and instant messaging, camera, camcorder, guidebook and a phone all in one small device. Oh, how I love technology. Cons Complexity - Many engineers believe that the TR10 is far too complex for consumer use and as a commercial application. Valentin Lefevre, the chief technology officer and co-founder of Total Immersion, an augmented reality company, says, "In my opinion, this is very exotic hardware to provide." (source) Accuracy and reliability - Nokia researchers are also looking into real-time image-recognition algorithms, which they hope will replace the system's location sensors and thus increase the accuracy and reliability of the device. As researcher Kari Pulli explains, "Methods that don't rely on those components can be more robust." (source) Consumer market - Currently, Nokia doesn't plan to turn TR10 into a commercial product for consumer use. This may be due to the may challenges that stand in the way, such as convincing carriers (i.e. Sprint, AT&T, Verizon) that people would pay for this type of service, maximizing battery life in a phone that uses a lot of the camera, wireless Internet and multiple sensors, addressing privacy issues and deciding the size and information of the databases the phone would need to use. (source) References Technology Review 1 Wikipedia Technology Review 2 comment

MICROSOFT SURFACE [Friday, September 28, 2007 3:01pm] Imagine this Don't you hate it when you ask for an additional glass of water at a busy restaurant and it takes the staff forever to bring it to you, or even worse yet, they forget altogether? Well, picture a world in which you don't even need to wait to for the waiters in order to order your meal or ask for a glass of wine at a restaurant. Even better, you don't even need to wait for them to bring you the bill nor do you need wait forever for them to bring back your credit card and change. You don't even need to ask the waiter to split your bill five ways. You can do all that by yourself using -- get this -- a finger (no, not five... just one). Picture a world where you can share and edit pictures and transfer them from your digital camera to your phone with the swipe of a hand. Picture a world where you can look through songs and if one happens to tickle your fancy, you can just drag it to your personal playlist in a matter of seconds. Sounds like a world far, far away, right? Wrong. Thanks to the geniuses over at Microsoft, this world is a reality. Introducing... From the same people who brought us Microsoft Windows and Xbox now comes Microsoft Surface: your new best friend. It is essentially a Windows Vista PC conveniently disguised as a coffee table (yay for multi-tasking!) -- albeit a really nice, really big (30 inches!), really sleek, and really expensive one. It has been in the works for over five years now and finally, we can see what all the fuss is about. The people over at Microsoft are heralding this new technology as the first of its kind, the "first in a new category of surface computing products from Microsoft that breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology." Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft Corp. CEO himself, sure sounds like a fan: “With Surface, we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology. We see this as a multi-billion dollar category, and we envision a time when surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the hallway mirror. Surface is the first step in realizing that vision.” (source) Basically, the whole thing looks like a tabletop until it is turned on; the surface then jumps to life in a jumble of vibrant and dynamic forms of digital content and colors that allow for "effortless" interaction through hand gestures, touch and physical objects (source). The really cool thing about the Surface is that you don't need keyboards or a mouse; that is so old school technology. No, Microsoft is too good for keyboards and mice. They bring a whole new meaning to the phrase "the world is at your fingertips" because, well, it is. Literally. It also recognizes physical objects, like cell phones and digital cameras, that have identification tags -- sort of like a bar code (source) -- so that when they are placed on the surface, the user can view  as well as change or add its contents as he or she wishes. How it works For example, I decide to go to a fancy restaurant to celebrate my 19th birthday. Everyone is seated and we're all having a grand ol' time, laughing and drinking it up. Ran out of wine? That's okay, we'll just order it by using the Surface. One swipe of the hand and moments later, the waiter brings us our wine. When it comes time to order, we don't have waiters anxiously awaiting our choices. When we're ready, we just simply order using the Surface, again using our fingers to flip through the menu and select what we want. When it comes time to paying the bill, we don't even need to go through the hassle of figuring out how to split the bill; the Surface can do all of that for us. All we need to do is place our credit cards on the Surface, and then drag items (whatever we ordered, in this case) to the credit card and voila, we've paid. With the Surface, we don't have to deal with bad waiters, miscalculated bills and not getting what we ordered. Furthermore, the whole experience is much quicker and definitely more efficient with the Surface so that my friends and I have more time to celebrate the anniversary of my birth. Technology just has a way with enhancing life's little pleasures, doesn't it? Picture this Look how happy they are to have the Microsoft Surface in their lives. This looks like hours and hours of unadulterated fun. Where would the world be without Bill Gates? I don't even want to think about it. Now picture this Pros Makes everyday tasks enjoyable - Pete Thompson, the general manager of Microsoft Surface Computing assures us that “consumers now have an entirely new way to get the information they need" and that the Surface will turn "everyday tasks into enjoyable and engaging experiences." (source) For  consumers, something as simple as sharing music files becomes a whole other experience with the Surface. Companies can provide new and unique experiences for customers - The Surface will first be available to hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and the like and will be provide these businesses with a new, cutting edge technology that enhance their customer's experiences. They can provide their customers with better service, more entertainment and memorable experiences that will surely leave a lasting impression. The Surface can provide them with a competitive advantage. Higher revenues - More satisfied customers translates to higher revenues. It's just REALLY cool - It's just like one of those things you might see out of a sci-fi movie (Minority Report, anyone??) Cons Expensive - The Surface isn't selling for chump change, that's for sure. Prices are said to range anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000 which may or may not be too expensive, depending on your budget. Businesses may be willing to spend the money on it but everyday consumers may not be able to; only those households/individuals who can afford such a piece of technology will be able to get it, and their uses for it are likely to be very minimal (sharing pictures, files, digital painting). Small target market - The Surface is more geared towards hospitality venues, such as hotels and restaurants, because they are the ones who will benefit most from using this technology. In fact, the Surface is only available for these types of businesses, not for consumer use (right now). It will likely be another few years before the Surface makes an appearance in our living rooms. First of its kind - Although many are looking into and developing similar technologies, the Microsoft Surface is the first of its kind. In a sense, it's the guinea pig; nobody knows how people will react to it, if there is anything wrong with the technology itself, or even what to expect, really. I have a friend who refuses to buy anything that is a first generation product, because there are surely going to be problems and errors; the same concept applies here. Size - As cool as this thing is, it's huge. It's a complete Windows Vista PC acting as a table with a 30 inch display screen. Portability isn't the first thing that comes to mind here. References Microsoft Microsoft 2 Wikipedia Ars Technica YouTube comment

WELL HELLO [Friday, September 28, 2007 2:57pm] Hello and welcome to my little corner of the web. This livejournal will serve as the blog for this Emerging Trends Assignment (Section 004). Here are some fun facts before you start exploring (and grading!) this page: My name is Xin Sally Bai, student number 260280873 in MGCR 331004. Each new/emerging technology I have chosen to blog about will be posted in separate entries. Each entry will be complete with pictures, reference sources and maybe even a video or two. Maybe. You may choose to leave comments on a particular entry by simply clicking the "comments" link at the end of each entry. You may or may not have a livejournal yourself, but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you do not, therefore you will have to leave the comment as an "anonymous"... not that it really changes much. More information about me can be found here, such as my name, my interests and what type of cheese I prefer. The friends and calender pages are blank because well, I have no friends and no life. It's not a mistake, I promise. (The page you are looking at is the most important one, the rest is purely for entertainment purposes) Happy reading!! comment

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