Microsoft raises bet on motion-sensing tech

Microsoft has acquired Canesta, which designs microchips that it says enable computers to see images in three dimensions, according to the privately-held Sunnyvale, California-based company.

The purchase comes as Microsoft prepares to launch its Kinect motion-controller next month, hoping to spark sales of its xBox video game consoles. Buying Canesta, whose technology focuses mainly on consumer applications, suggests Microsoft is already eyeing more and better movement-recognition products down the line for its video game system as well as other applications. Kinect’s camera-based system, built into cameras, lets players control games with body and hand gestures, letting gamers ditch the hand-held controllers they have been tied to for decades.

Honda has invested $5 million in Canesta to develop 3-D technology to help drivers park their cars and avoid collisions.Hitachi is using Canesta’s technology to create a television controlled by hand gestures instead of a remote control.

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CONNECTIONS™ SUMMIT Announces Speakers for Research and Strategy Sessions at CES

Parks Associates research shows broadband penetration in U.S. is changing landscape of consumer electronics, new services, and content delivery--

International research firm Parks Associates today announced the speakers and preliminary agenda for the CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, to be held January 8-9, 2009, in Las Vegas. This information-packed, networking-rich event, hosted during the first two days of 2009 International CES, includes multiple panel discussions moderated by Parks Associates’ leading analysts.

The CONNECTIONS™ Summit will feature Parks Associates’ latest consumer and industry research, with expert analysis on future business strategies and revenue opportunities. Session topics include converging media, digital entertainment, customer support, social networking, GPS, gaming, consumer electronics purchase patterns, and digital photo frames.

SPEAKERS:

Fazal Ali, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies
Glenn Broderick, Executive Director, Gaming, AT&T
Scott Brown, Director, Marketing, Cisco
Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist, Macrovision
Chenyi Chiu, Strategic Program Manager, HD-PLC Alliance
Robert Eisses, President and CEO, Icron Technologies Corp.
David Foote, CTO, Hitachi USA
Ed Forman, EVP, Products and Services, ActiveVideo Networks
Noam Geri, Co-founder, Vice President, Marketing & Business Development, AMIMON
Jean-Marc Harion, Vice President, Business Development, North America, Orange – France Telecom NA
Ben Huang, Director of Product Management and Marketing, TV Business, Microsoft Corporation
H.P. Jin, President, CEO and Co-Founder, TeleNav
Stephen Joe, President/CEO, D-Link Systems, Inc.
Doug Jones, Chief Architect, Cable, BigBand Networks
Fred King, VP, Sales & Marketing, PlumChoice, Inc.
Aslam Khader, Chief Product Officer, Ensequence
Kazuhiro Kitagawa, Vice-Chairman, PUCC
Art Lancaster, CTO, Affinegy
Michelle Leyden Li, GM of Home Control, Zilog
Jeremy Lockhorn, Director of Emerging Media, Avenue A Razorfish
John Marshall, Chairman of WirelessHD, WirelessHD LLC
David McCall, VP, PC Strategic Business Unit, CSR
Patrick McDevitt, Vice President, Global Engineering, Tele Atlas
Andy Nix, Co-Founder & Director, ProVision Communications
Rajat Paharia, Founder & CEO, Bunchball
Susan Panico, Senior Director of PLAYSTATION Network, Sony Computer Entertainment America
John Reister, Chief IPTV Architect, BigBand Networks
Ron Richards, Director of Marketing & Product Management, Revision3
Marty Roberts, VP Marketing, thePlatform
Anthony Rodio, Chief Operating Officer, support.com
Eric Smith, Chief Technology Officer, Control4
Bill Stanley, Director, Operations Solutions, Telcordia
Mike Talley, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Customer Care, 2Wire
Steve Tranter, VP, Interactive and Broadband, NDS
Evan Tree, Chief Products Officer, Logitech
Mark Vena, Vice President, PC Business Unit, Synaptics, Inc.
Bruce Watkins, Founder, President/COO, Pulse~LINK, Inc.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit also features a networking mixer on Friday evening, January 9, at the Hilton Hotel, open to all Summit attendees, speakers, and analysts.

Event registration is available through the CES Partner Program at http://www.cesweb.org/.