Microsoft bets on Kinect-like gestures for the future of Windows Phone:
Microsoft is trying to cram Kinect-like features into its
future flagship Windows Phone handsets. At least one device, codenamed McLaren,
will debut on a range of US carriers later this year with features that let you
hover your finger over the screen to interact with games and applications
without ever touching the display. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell The
Verge that the technology, known internally as 3D Touch or Real
Motion, has been developed by Nokia over a number of years. Evleaks first
unveiled the existence of Nokia McLaren, and we understand the device will
largely be seen as a Lumia 1020 successor with a similar hump in the rear
casing for a powerful camera.
The unique aspect of McLaren will be the number of sensors
on the device to make way for the 3D Touch system. While Microsoft is reaching
out to top developers to support the new system with apps and games, 3D Touch
will be unique to its own devices and will not be available initially on
handsets from Samsung, HTC, and others. Features like answering calls by
holding the phone to your ear will be supported, alongside the ability to set
the phone down on a table to enable speakerphone, or hang up a call by placing
it in a pocket. Phones that support 3D Touch will use a number of hardware
sensors to enable devices to mute when they are covered by hand or held to a
chest, or to dismiss alerts by waving a hand in front of the screen.
Eliminating buttons is a key aspect
Microsoft is also planning to detect how a phone is held by
grip, allowing a 3D Touch-enabled phones to block an orientation switch when
you’re lying down in bed. The sides of the phone will also be used to interact
with the operating system, and a camera feature will let you zoom simply by
dragging your fingers along the side of the device. Central to Microsoft’s
thinking is ways to simplify devices and remove buttons like power, so phone
owners can simply grip their device to power it on. While Microsoft had
originally planned to debut its 3D Touch features with Windows Phone 8.1 and a
Nokia "Goldfinger" handset, we understand that the work has been
pushed to an additional update planned for later this year. Goldfinger still
exists, but it’s simply being used as an engineering device to prepare
developers for the upcoming changes and the McLaren launch.
MixView brings a new Tile layout to Windows Phone
Another key part to the 3D Touch experience is several UX
changes to Windows Phone. A new MixView, originally detailed by WP
Central, allows 3D Touch users to hover over a Live Tile and tap down in
the air, without touching the display, to reveal a number of smaller Tiles that
are relevant to that particular app. On a Facebook Tile you may see a messaging
Tile and phone Tile appear that will allow Windows Phone users to quickly call
pinned contacts. The Tiles displayed on screen look like they have simply
exploded from the original tile, and the concept comes from the Zune MixView
feature that placed a music artist at the center of the screen surrounded by
related content.
As Amazon is reportedly preparing similar 3D features for
its upcoming smartphone, the real question for Microsoft will be whether its
own system is unique enough to act as a differentiator in the high-end
smartphone market. Samsung has its own Air Gestures to change music tracks,
accept phone calls, and scroll through webpages, but they’re often gimmicky and
underused. If Microsoft’s 3D Touch system is easy to use then it could be as
natural as the screen double tapping to power on a handset that currently
exists on most Nokia Windows Phones today. If it’s not, then it’s a big gamble
on bringing Kinect-like interactions to the device that lives in your pocket.
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