For those of you who weren’t able to attend Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference this year, I thought I’d share some videos that really highlight my first impressions of the event.
NASA had an amazing mock-up of the rovers that went to Mars, including a rover that will be launching in two years. The newer rover has a laser that pulverizes rock, and then it sucks up the dust and analyzes it for signs of life on Mars. Microsoft and NASA also announced their new partnership, the “Be a Martian” Web site that has all the information about Mars for the world to come together and explore.
I was very impressed with the augmented reality game at the Coding for Fun area on the show floor. Basically, the player you see in the video with the headset is engaged in a game that he sees in 3D. You can see what he is looking at on the display. It takes holograms to a whole new level!
If you’ve ever played Halo (can’t really say that I have) you may have driven a Hummer outfitted with weapons. Although it sounds entertaining in the game, it’s even more entertaining in real life. A few developers were showing off a toy Hummer decked out with a Nerf gun. Maybe this would one day be applicable for our men in the military, so they can stay out of dangerous situations.
I think my favorite application by far would be Drinktender, a touch application that can mix drinks . With just a few swipes of your finger on a touch screen PC, this neat little contraption mixes up drinks with near perfect proportions. Can you imagine a party with an automatic bartender that gets a martini exactly right every time? If I had one in my house, my Cool Factor Index (CFI) would hit the ceiling (yeah, I made the CFI thing up, but I’m always looking for ways to be cool)!
Please feel free to check out more videos on my YouTube channel. Let me know what you guys think, I look forward to reading your thoughts over in the forums.
Ann Finnie is HP’s worldwide PR manager for consumer PCs and for the Personal Systems Group VP & CTO (Phil McKinney). She also likes to dabble in social media via Twitter (@AFinnie) and YouTube.
