Microsoft Israel R&D Center will hold the Microsoft annual Think Next conference on April 22, at the Tel Aviv port, a month after announcing the launch of its start up incubator - Windows Azure Accelerator.
Each year, Microsoft Israel hosts around 20 start ups, selected from scores of applicants, which are intended to serve as innovation spearheads for the company. The start ups are developing solutions for controlling televisions, smartphones, and tablets through gestures and movements of the eye, alongside social network applications for music sharing and healthy eating, and for improving the user experience by simplifying internet searches or viewing video clips.
Microsoft Israel's R&D Center VP strategy and business development Zack Weisfeld told "Globes", "It's important for us to create as many Israeli success stories as possible, because ultimately, the success of the local ecosystem raises Israel's stock and that of the Microsoft Israel R&D Center." He added, "At the upcoming 4th Think Next conference, we will focus on meeting the most creative technology people in Israel."
Microsoft Israel's R&D center supports Israeli start-ups through various programs, such as Bizpark. The Windows Azure Accelerator, Microsoft Corporation's (Nasdaq: MSFT) first such incubator in the world, will offer four-month programs for start ups developing cloud computing, internet, and mobile solutions. Top industry experts and Microsoft R&D executives will advise the start ups.
Below, "Globes" offers a brief profile of eight of the start ups that will participate in the 4th Think Next conference.
PointGrab Ltd.
Israel is becoming a powerhouse in the development of gesture recognition technology for games, smartphones, and televisions. PointGrab is developing gesture recognition software using a standard 2D video camera found in many consumer electronics, such as laptops, on the market. The company's interface can operate a television by hand gestures. In contrast to Microsoft's Kinect embedded in Windows Phone 7 and the Xbox 360, PointGrab's uses the video camera in current mobile phones without the need for special peripherals. This method also makes it possible to answer a phone call or send a song by hand gesture, without the need to takes the eyes off the road.
Umoove Ltd.
Most companies developing gesture control technology use the hands. Umoove offers a different approach for operating smartphones, computers, and televisions - real-time head and eye movements. The technology uses only software and special hardware, except for a camera. The company says that developers who decide to use its system to operate applications such as games or media programs will be able to create a more natural user experience. Moreover, since the user does not have to use his or hands when driving or operating another device, developers can offer capabilities not previously considered.
Kinvestix Ltd.
Game consoles already offer gesture movement controlled sports games, but the sense of reality is limited, because the gesture is related to the amount of strength applied by the user. For example, pulling a virtual rope cannot resemble a real game of tug of war. Kinvestix is offering a training platform that allows the user to linearly increase the resistance for each motion, using a valve worn by the user to create the real sense of the resistance. The suit has sensors and ropes that can be used for training various muscles more productively than by using currently available products in this category.
Vodio Labs Ltd
Since YouTube entered the life of internet users, video sharing has been steadily growing. Vodio is developing a product that creates personalized video streams from dozens of content services. It has developed a social video magazine for iPads, with a user-friendly designer interface for viewing of video clips ranging from sports, music through movies and TV cooking and comedy shows - all for free. It is possible to add channels to the interface and, just as importantly, personalize the content.
Fooducate Ltd.
Fooducate's application has already the approval of Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), which named it the food application of the year in 2011. Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) is also selling the application at its app store. Fooducate helps people pick their food with their mobile phones, by providing information about the nutritional aspects of the ingredients of the product scanned, and suggesting healthier alternatives in the category. This helps the user to know in real time whether the breakfast cereal he is holding at the supermarket is healthy or full of sugar.
Photoccino Ltd.
The development of the digital camera has slashed the operations of photography stores, but resulted in overloads of picture files and albums in computers and on social networks. Photoccino is trying to navigate through the flood of pictures by developing content analysis and filtering technology for digital pictures. The technology can read a picture and pick the best pictures from the scores of pictures in an album. It can also create a digital picture album, which can be printed for a fee.
Loudlee Ltd.
Loudlee has developed a music social network for easy listening of favorite singers, albums, and songs. The songs appear on a playlist that the user can personally create, or simply listen to a full album via YouTube clips. The company's main point is, while understanding that it is fun to listen to music alone, it is more fun to share it. Through Facebook or Twitter, it is possible to share favorite songs and singers, and to learn about new music styles. The interface is very visual, resembling the Pinterest hot social network; basically it is a Pinterest for music.
Metal Compass Ltd.
Metal Compass is trying to take the augmented reality gaming world to the next stage. Current games mainly involve shooting at spaceships on smartphone screen. The company wants to enable players to experience action games similar to games found in the laser gun arcades and paintball games of the 1980s. Several players with smartphones have to find the target (one of the players) on the phone screen and shoot at them in reality. The game can be taken out of the home and to the local park for a completely different user experience.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 4, 2012
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