The Microsoft Kinect Gaming System is set to revolutionize the world of video games as we know it and concurrently change the way people interact with their entertainment choices. Kinect, a controller free console for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console, is a novel type of user interface that corporeally integrates the user with the program—the actions on the user’s screen are controlled completely by the user’s physical movements.

The Kinect system currently really still is one of a kind in the video game world because unlike the Nintendo Wii, there is no control to hold or buttons to push, but it is likely that others will soon follow the path. The Kinect user interface is operated by three camera sensors and voice recognition technology from the four microphones within the console.  The combination of the cameras and the microphones allows the console to read the user’s full range of movements and then transfers them to the avatar on the screen.  Therefore, AI plays a significant role in the operations of Kinect, as it really is a gaming system that understands the user just as much as the user understands it.  While some may find the idea of AI disturbing (probably those who have read too many disastrous dystopian novels) for the most part, players have raved about the Kinect user interface and are eager to own one of their own.  It is safe to say that Kinect will likely be a smashing success—what will they come up with next?!

The Plane Finder app is undoubtedly a remarkable display of augmented reality technology, an emerging class of apps for smartphones which attempt to interface with the environment by overlaying digital information on top of the real world.  The fact that the simple act of pointing your phone at a distant jet in the sky can disseminate all of the above-mentioned information in seconds is unarguably extraordinary but… is it necessary?  As apps continue to churn out at a record pace, it is becoming more and more apparent that some apps are just plain frivolous or outlandish to some smart phone users.  Why, for example, do we need an app to tell us so much detailed information about a plane flying above our heads?  How often do you really take note of the planes flying over your head, other than to notice the noise (if it is even close enough to be audible)? How many people are really going to use this app or will they just download it for the novelty of the first few tries and then forget about it when the charm has worn off? This seems to be the new business model that some app designers are following. It’s the novelty and fascination of the next great app, the excitement about a new interface design, or simply the child in us that drives this trend in mobile applications. It is one thing to have an eternally handy app for your city’s public transportation system, or for Facebook, Twitter etc.  But an app to identify planes flying overhead? This development may seem silly to some, but it appears to work. The creators of the Plane Finder app should be applauded for their ingenuity and achievement but one can’t help but wonder not only what app developers will come up with next, but also who will actually need it.