"Kinect technology really is amazing; it uses a motion sensor to track your entire body, so when you play you are not all fingers and thumbs."
Rosie Khdir
Kinect for Xbox 360 is the latest gaming innovation to reach the masses. It is an accessory to the much-loved Xbox that literally brings gaming to life by way of making you the controller.
This new accessory is the height of technology and at the same time shows a distinct lack of it – it is just you and the game.
What we like best
Kinect technology really is amazing; it uses a motion sensor to track your entire body, so when you play you are not all fingers and thumbs. Players have to be active which is the essence of the game, and by far its most appealing quality.
How it works is, the Kinect creates a digital skeleton of your avatar so that when you move, it can put those movements into the context of the game. It also sports facial recognition so that when you play next time, Kinect will recognise you and store all your results in your profile.
On top of that, it has voice recognition powered via its four microphones which can determine the profile of a room to pick up your voice perfectly. Clever isn’t it!?
The Kinect isn’t just about game play; you can also control HD DVD playback with the wave of a hand.
What we like least
This specific accessory is only available with the Xbox 360, so all you Xbox owners out there will have to upgrade to the newer model if you want a Kinect – what a shame eh?
Also for those of you who do not have huge living rooms, be aware that you will need around 1.8 meters of space between you and your television for play, although this may vary with sensor placement and other factors.
The Microsoft Kinect is a great new addition to the gaming market, one that sees people jumping around the room, and being active instead of being slouched on the sofa twiddling their thumbs. It does cost quite a bit, over £300 if you get an Xbox Kinect bundle, but it’s a lifelong investment and it’s more fun that a gym membership!
Hard Drive Storage
NA
Memory
NA
Connectivity
NA
Ports
NA
Accessories
Kinect Adventures
Hardware Included
1 x Kinect Sensor
Internet security has to be by far one of the least sexy subjects out there, even though it involves all the ingredients necessary for a good crime caper.
Corruption, Eastern European gangs and lots and lots of money -– in fact more money than Pablo Escobar and Scarface ever dreamed of – the fact is in this day and age, if you’re a criminal and you want the big bucks then cybercrime is where you go to make it.
The Microsoft Security Intelligence report, which looks at PC security highlights this fact. Despite the fact that software vulnerabilities have dropped by 8.4% to 2,500, the number of botnets out there churning out huge profits for the ‘black economy’ continues to be a massive problem.
It isn’t just a concern if you are one the unlucky people who gets their PC taken over and turned into a zombie computer either. The fact is that affects us all.
Spam generated by botnets hogs our broadband networks with millions and millions of tedious unsolicited emails being sent around the globe every second. It makes our service more expensive, it slows us all down and it fills our inboxes with junk. Just so a small group of criminals can buy designer sunglasses and drive around in sports cars.
However the findings by Microsoft that 94% of all botnet spam is generated by just five of the top botnets, should give us all cause to hope, if the will is there to do something about it, which at the moment there isn’t. It just isn’t sexy enough.
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