Daily Bits

noemi

Microsoft “Kinect” Unveiled

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You might know it by another name – Project Natal – but Microsoft’s new hands-free motion control system has now been announced to the public. Its new name is Kinect, and is supposed to change the way we play games forever.

I seriously don’t know what to think of the names – Project Natal wasn’t great to begin with, and I just don’t think Kinect is better (although I see the kinection connection…)

Anyway, the details of Kinect have been – finally – shared with us, courtesy of BBC:

Kinect was shown off at a glitzy event alongside compatible games, which support the new hands-free interface and, in some cases, the facial and voice recognition capabilities.

These ranged from jumping and flying games to a yoga simulator and Star Wars shooter, in which players control a virtual light sabre and use hand gestures to control action on the screen.

There was also a virtual pet, which can be controlled and played with using Kinect. Microsoft says it will release the full details of its games at another media event on 14 June.

The official unveiling was supposed to be during the E3 expo, but I guess Microsoft wanted to pre-empt its competitors. After all, Sony and Nintendo are pretty much ahead of Microsoft in this arena.

So when are we going to see this new thing in the market? They say by the end of the year, but who really knows?

Tips For Building A Better Business

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online-branding

The internet has made it so much easier to build up a business, and it has made it so you can go global with ease. But you need to make sure that you are using all that the internet has to offer.

Not only do you want to get the most out of the internet, and what it has to offer, but you also want to make sure that you are doing the best for your business. From online marketing to online sales, the internet is a mecca of goodness for all size businesses.

Use The Cloud

The cloud is making it easier for business to do so much. Not only does the cloud open up more phoning abilities, and more communication abilities, but it also gives you a better place to save all of your business info, making it easily accessible from anywhere.

There are businesses running their team using the cloud services that are available. They talk over the cloud, submit work over the cloud, and even get their assignments through the cloud. The bonus? They can hire people from all over the world and still be as connected as if they were in the same room.

Hone Your Marketing Technique

Your business needs to be marketing or no one is going to know you even exist. The internet has opened up many markets for marketing even the smallest businesses. You just need to know where to be and what you should be doing there.

Market both online and off, but focus more on your online marketing if you want to reach the most people possible.Use your own website, blog often, and don’t forget to utilize social media. Social media is a great way to reach more people, and to actually let people feel like your business cares.

Don’t neglect your offline marketing tactics though. While the internet can reach more people, if you are a locally based business and want local patrons, you need to make sure you’re using things like business cards and local advertising. You should also use local SEO on your website and blog.

Be Your Business

You are an integral part of your business, so part of building a better business is being a great business owner. Put your all into your business and you’re more likely to be successful. A strong business focus builds a strong business.

While you don’t want to always be taking work home with you, you do always want to be focused on work when you are there. Be the employee you want your actual employees to be, and be an example of what hard work can do. A strong crew will build a better business.

5 Cooking Apps That Will Make Your Life Easier

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Cooking is a pleasure for me, something that takes away some of the stress – which seems to never go away – and also give me the satisfaction of enjoying its results. While I have my go-to dishes – pasta, pasta, and did I mention pasta? – I do like to try new things regularly. That adds a little flavor of adventure to things.

cookbooks

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I love recipe books, not only because they help me out in that adventure thing, but also because they are a joy to browse through when you’re just sitting down and idling. I still have several physical paper cookbooks, which are rather specialized, such as one focusing on healthy recipes Philippines style. I also have some for Indonesian and Indian food.
[Read more…] about 5 Cooking Apps That Will Make Your Life Easier

Turn Your Smartphone Into a 3D System with 3Dioo

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While not everything that show up at the TechCrunch Disrupt New York 2014 hackathon are truly of value, we do see some interesting things, such as the 3Dioo, which TechCrunch calls a DIY Oculus Rift. That label alone should be enough to catch one’s attention, yeah?

Essentially, what 3Dioo is is a 3D system that you can attach to a smartphone. There are two parts to the system:

  • the viewing attachment
  • the recording attachment.

3dioo
Does that look familiar? [Read more…] about Turn Your Smartphone Into a 3D System with 3Dioo

Malware and Viruses: How Infected Are We?

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how infected malware
The other day, I had a very confusing day, thanks to my laptop going nuts on me. I thought for sure that I got infected by a virus or some malware. No matter what search I did on Google, I always got redirected to search results for “biometrics”.

It didn’t stop there. When creating a new post, the title field and time stamp kept reverting to specific data. It.drove.me.nuts.

And I panicked. I immediately downloaded Avast for Mac and did a full system scan, but everything was clean. [Read more…] about Malware and Viruses: How Infected Are We?

6 Best Apps for Loners

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Editor’s Note: This post was written by Ilan Nass,  Chief Marketing Strategist at Fueled, an award winning mobile app design and development firm in New York City. He is also the founder of SEOWholesalers and Social Signifier, companies that provide white label services to marketing and advertising agencies looking to offer digital marketing to their clients.

apps for loners

Do you consider yourself an introvert? Have you often rationalized your decision to stay at home as nothing more than you needing some respite from your day-to-day hectic schedule? Maybe you’re just shy in certain circumstances. As such, you may see nothing wrong with needing to withdraw every now and then.

Regardless of your personal situation, there are a couple of apps that are not only ideal for you as an individual, but also useful tools to help you better understand your personality type. Because apps are Fueled’s area of expertise, you can definitely trust us. [Read more…] about 6 Best Apps for Loners