Microsoft points robots toward point upgrade
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Destroying human race easier than ever Microsoft today further sealed the fate of mankind, effectively hurling open the gates that so precariously protect our species from an unending flood of mechanical horrors bent on the annihilation of flesh with the announcement of version 1.5 of its Robotics Studio development kit.â¦
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Robotic Studio software enables owners to program their tribot via the PC, and then control its actions wirelessly.
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Blog: New company hopes to improve upon existing toolbars already on the market.
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The one-time World Class Product of the Year PDA gets a much-needed upgrade.
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Plans for new gutter-cleaning robot from iRobot surfaces on FCC Web site documents.
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Microsoft seems to be on track to release the next version of Windows on schedule.
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In the past couple of years, robots have started to move around and work independently. Just don't expect them to look, walk and talk like C3PO in the Star Wars movies -- rolling and beeping like R2D2 is more like it.
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Microsoft Corp. wants to deliver its Windows Server 2003 update, known as &quot;R2,&quot; in 2005. To make sure it will be able do so, the company is prioritizing its feature list and moving some R2 features into later releases.
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At a conference for users of its Project software, Microsoft demonstrated a variety of features that likely will be in the next version of the project management application.
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Navigation devices at CES have acquired new features such as speech recognition, 3D maps, and information on fuel prices at nearby gas stations.
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Microsoft has advised customers using its SharePoint collaborative working products to apply newly released software patches designed to provide performance and security improvements.
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Improved navigation control is expected with the next release.
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New technologies from Microsoft will help advertisers better target ads to content in search, video, on Web pages and public kiosks.
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Microsoft is showing off futuristic technologies this week, including a service that uses a camera phone to pinpoint your location.
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LicenseWise and Windows Vista Hardware Assessment help users navigate Microsoft offerings.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft released the commercial version of its software for robots on Wednesday, hoping to shape the market much as it did for PC software a few decades ago. Its Robotics Studio includes programming tools intended to make it easier to write robot applications, and a runtime environment that allows them to be used and reused on different types of hardware. The software is free for hobbyists and academic use; companies that want to use it commercially must buy a license, which starts at $399. The software is for programming all types of robots, according to Microsoft, from toys all the way up to industrial equipment. Microsoft sees the robot marketÂ as being in a similar state as the PC market in the late 1970s. The hardware for building robots, including processors and storage, has become relatively cheap, but the industry lacks accessible programming tools and a common software platform that allows applications to be reused. Windows helped solve this for PCs, providing a common platform and tools on which the industry could focus its efforts. Microsoft hopes to do something similar with Robotics Studio -- although it remains to be seen if its PC expertise will translate into the world of robots. Robotics Studio 1.0 includes a programming environment that supports the languages in Microsoft's Visual Studio toolset, including Visual Basic, as well as drag-and-drop tools for beginners. The software has a simulation environment so developers can visualize their robots before they build them, using a processing engine licensed from Ageia Technologies. It also includes some sample code and tutorials. The run-time environment supports applications written for robots with 8-bit, 16-bit or 32-bit processors, including multicore chips. The applications can run on the robot itself or on a PC. Microsoft lined up about 30 partners to support its efforts. Among them, Robotics Studio is compatible with Lego Group's popular Mindstorms robot kit and iRobot's Roomba interface. About a million "personal robots" will be sold worldwide this year, Microsoft said, citing figures from the International Federation of Robots. The number is small compared to the PC market, but the company expects it to grow quickly in the next few years. The Microsoft robotics developers' site contains more information, including a link to download Robotics Studio. The software runs on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2. Users also need Internet Explorer 5.01 or later.
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GENEVA - The use of robotic domestic help will surge sevenfold by 2007, a new United Nations survey suggests. The UN&#39;s annual World Robotics Survey was issued by the Economic Commission for Europe and the International Federation of Robotics.