Microsoft Grows App Ecosystem with Kinect SDK, Evernote
Microsoft is looking to gain developers to create apps for its platforms, namely Kinect and Windows Phone 7. Kinect already has a large developer base but they didn’t have an official SDK to legitimize the support – until now. The software maker released a beta Kinect software developer kit for Windows. The SDK was announced back at the Microsoft MIX gathering earlier this year, and is intended for non-commercial use only.
“Developers will now be able to build Kinect apps using Microsoft Visual Studio. At MIX, Microsoft did some live coding, showing how straight forward it is to work with. Microsoft Director of Developer Relations Jeff Sandquist built a painting app on stage in minutes.”
Developers have been able to work with Kinect ever since a hacker name Hector Marcan released a Linux driver for it last November, but now they have an official SDK at hand. This seems like a good (and obvious) step for Microsoft to take, and the same can probably said of the launch of the new Kinect Fun Labs. This series of mini games will help the company better incorporate the technology into its home media line-up, which includes gaming as well as content streaming. One little known feature of the Kinect is voice recognition technology, something Microsoft focused on at E3 Expo.
Microsoft is looking to gain an even bigger name in home entertainment, not to mention the mobile space. Windows Phone 7 represents yet another ecosystem it’s trying to grow, and the latest addition is Evernote. The WP7 version of the note-taking app is just like its counterparts on other platforms, except that it makes use of the native panorama interface.
There are four panorama panels in the app, namely Notes, Notebooks, Tags and Recent notes. There’s a search functionality that allows users to find notes by location and all the features Evernote offers to its users.
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