We have seen pictures of Microsoft's home of the future concept previously but this time the BBC has recorded a tour of the unit based at Microsoft's HQ in Redmond.The video demonstrates speech and object recognition software that Microsoft is currently working on in its research divisions.
Wouldn't that the be the best hack, instead of defacing a website or stealing information or what not, why not turn on a persons house against them? lol.
I hope you simply forgot your /sarcasm tag. Im an electrical engineer working for a state owned electricity company and while i admit the state has a lot to do with prices being high (inefficiency) its not nearly as significant as the simple fact that is there MORE PEOPLE using MORE ELECTRICITY and the cost of coal (which accounts for the major source of most nations electricity) is getting more expensive due to demand on it too. Governments may seem like magical all powerful and corrupt organizations behind all your personal grievances, but quite often the simplest solution is the right one
Of course it's not needed, in the sense that it's not an absolute neccessity. But would a lot of people want this technology? Well I would, yes.
yeah sure, reminding old people that they have to take their medicin is something we obviously don't need.
You don't need a car, you don't need a computer, hell you don't even need a house but they are all things that are good to have to make your life easier.
- I don't want 6 wallpaper-projectors per room in my house, and 6 digit electricity bills.
- Some piece of software telling you what to wear? Aka Microsoft sense of style replaces yours. No thanks.
- Microsoft won't get my mom to shout at the kitchen table for recipes.
The phone-table has potential though. It might greatly extend tiny mobile's functionnalities.
You know you don't have to listen to the mirror? It's not forcing you what to wear anyway. It lets you look through the different combinations, allowing you to choose more easily. Suggestions of clothing options would probably be based on your input (i.e. previous outfit combinations) or customisable simple "tags", such as colour or occasion.
In what way is the 3rd point a flaw? Is it that she would need to shout or is it because (you think) she doesn't need to look at recipes? The woman in the video was hardly shouting. I think the kitchen table application would be a very useful tool. A nice addition would be if the surface was able to tell you the weight of the items placed on it.
I think your flaws are flawed. Not that this technology has no flaws; I just don't think they're the ones you've mentioned (apart from cost, maybe). Someone "hacking into my house" would be of bigger concern to me.
Last edited by Manish on 13 May 2009 - 10:30
What? You mean on tables? You mean like Microsoft Surface?
Standalone it might seem expensive, but put it in a new house, in a major development areas like Las Vegas or Phoenix and the price doesn't seem so high anymore.
The wallpaper i wouldn't have though =/ I don't think people that are complaining on this thread understand you could just not buy the feature you don't like xD
Sod the price!
When will it be available for us mortals to buy it
Then, way back in 2005 Microsoft said that within a few years we would have technology enabling "the mirror on the bedroom wall becomes a monitor, allowing you to watch a film, browse the web - or turn up the heating and open the blinds." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4508897.stm
I wait years for all this cool technology and it never comes! I can't even get my lights to turn on and off automatically without working out how to program X10 modules...
None of this stuff will ever happen!
When I win the lottery, this is mine
It's good to see things like this in the research and development phase, this is how modern technology evolves and we should embrace it. Yes it may well be way out of most peoples price range (certainly mine!
As for the energy needed, there is no reason why such advanced technology couldn't be developed to be 'greener' than today's everyday technology, working with solar, wind, hydro equipment to ensure greater efficiency.
Innovation leads to better use of today's equipment, moving it further along it's development cycle. Today solar isn't that efficient (although it is my parents only means of power in the Spanish mountains and they're doing alright) but further down the line it may be a whole more viable option.
As for the energy concerns, yeah would be expensive to run, but tbh if a house like that existed im pretty sure it would solar panels in the very least on the roof. and within say no more than 50 years there will be (hopefully) fusion power so probably by the time these things start to come in, we wont be too energy concious about them
I could possibly see these kinda thing in 10-20 years, or at least starting to come in then
Last edited by Calum on 14 May 2009 - 00:33
/teehee
Don't mean to be rude, but what the hell is BBC doing in Redmond?
I can't really remember the last time BBC ventured outside UK.
So do you turn the news off before you see the reporters in Baghdad, reporting on the latest news from the conflict in Iraq?
On a tech-related note, they often follow-up Microsoft stories in such a way. They interviewed Bill Gates just as Windows Vista was released and they reported on the PDC etc.
Looks horrible, come on where is the style in this?
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