Google may let you use computer with ‘hand gestures’

MANILA, Philippines — U.S. tech giant Google, now awash with millions of cash due to its booming income, has filed a patent application on a user interface that allows users to transmit computer commands through mere hand gestures.

In its application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last Oct. 15 innocuously titled “Hand gestures to signify what is important,” Google sought to own first dibs on a technology that enables people to execute commands on a wearable computer device, such as the much-touted Google glass.

In a drawing sheet, the company illustrated that the technology may be used to grab video stills by making hand gesture of a heart over the video.

“In accordance with example embodiments, hand gestures can be used to provide user input to a wearable computing device, and in particular to identify, signify, or otherwise indicate what may be considered or classified as important or worthy attention or notice,” the company said.

The technology may be seen to complement the further maturity of its Google glass device, which now allows users to record videos and snap pictures through voice commands.

In its patent filing, Google indicated that the hand-gesture technology will be used on a “wearable computing device, which could include a head-mounted display (HMD) and a video camera.”

“Particular hand gestures could be used for selecting portions of a field of view of the HMD, and generating images from selected portions,” Google said.

“The HMD could then transmit the generated images to one or more applications in a network server communicatively connected with the HMD, including a server of server system hosting a social networking service,” Google added.

This is not the first time, however, that Google toyed with the idea of a hand-gesture operated technology, only its first one was an April Fool’s prank. Google Motion, publicized in April 1, 2011, reportedly allows users to use gmail with body movements.

Google has not released an official statement about the hand-gesture technology and it may also be possible that the patent application may just be an attempt to ward off patent trolls

With the company’s balance sheet swimming in a sea of liquidity, due to a steady stream of ad revenues that propped up its third quarter income by 36 percent over last year to $3 billion, Google has been more and more ambitious in pursuing frontier technology, or “moonshots” as the company calls it.

The Internet search company even has a dedicated facility called Google X specifically tasked to develop and study the viability of these projects, which right now include a driverless car, a high-altitude helium balloon that will beam down broadband internet to remote areas, and the Google glass.

The company is also studying how to extend the human lifespan through its biotech company Calico.

source: interaksyon.com

Google’s Schmidt to sell roughly 42 percent of stake

SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt is selling roughly 42 percent of his stake in the Internet search company, a move that could potentially net the former chief executive a $2.51 billion windfall.

Schmidt, 57, will sell 3.2 million shares of Class A common stock through a stock trading plan, Google said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.

The plan, which Google said would give Schmidt “individual asset diversification and liquidity,” allows Schmidt to spread trades out over a period of one year to reduce the market impact.

Shares of Google were down $4.11 at $781.26 in after-hours trading on Friday.GOogle Stock

A Google spokeswoman would not comment on why Schmidt is selling the shares at this time.

Wedbush Securities analyst James Dix said Schmidt’s stock sales did not worry him or signal a loss of confidence in the company by Schmidt.

“I’d be more worried if the current CEO or CFO sold a lot of their stake,” said Dix.

Schmidt, who served as Google’s chief executive until 2011, currently owns roughly 7.6 million shares of Class A and Class B common stock. The shares represent 2.3 percent of Google’s outstanding stock and roughly 8.2 percent of the voting power of Google’s stock.

The fact that Schmidt will still own a significant amount of shares after the sales means he’ll have a good deal of “skin in the Google game,” said Needham & Co analyst Kerry Rice. But he said it could hint at Schmidt playing a less central role within the company going forward.

“My speculation is that Eric’s relationship with Google is evolving,” said Rice. “I would assume that as he decides he wants to diversify away from Google – both his career and financially – he’s got ideas of what he would like to do with some of his funds.”

Schmidt, who helped turn Google into the world’s No.1 search engine during his decade as CEO, handed the reins to Google co-founder Larry Page in April 2011.

As executive chairman, Schmidt has been particularly involved in government relations, taking a leading role in the company’s discussions with antitrust regulators in the United States and the European Union. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission ended its investigation into Google last month without any action. Google has offered to change some of its business practices to appease European competition regulators.

“As Google moves to maybe more tactical battles, as opposed to the strategic battles it’s been waging with the government, once those are concluded, maybe his role can be lessened,” said Needham & Co’s Rice.

Schmidt has also made headlines apart from Google. In January, Schmidt traveled to North Korea with former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for a “personal” trip. The trip was criticized by the U.S. State Department as ill-timed – coming weeks after North Korea conducted a rocket launch in violation of U.N. Security Council sanctions.

Shares of Google are trading at all-time highs, finishing Friday’s regular session at a record closing price of $785.37. At that price, Schmidt’s share sales would be worth $2.51 billion.

Google said that Schmidt entered into the stock trading plan in November
Schmidt was ranked 138 on the Forbes list of global billionaires with a net worth of $6.9 billion in March 2012.

Given Schmidt’s changed role at the company and the amount of his wealth tied up in Google’s stock, it was not unreasonable for him to diversify his holdings, said Wedbush Securities analyst Dix.

“As good as Google stock is, it isn’t as good as cash if you actually want to buy something,” he said.

source: interaksyon.com

At seventh birthday, YouTube marks new milestones

SAN FRANCISCO — YouTube celebrated its seventh birthday by saying it has hit fresh milestones in terms of its offerings and the amount of time spent on the video-sharing website.

“Today 72 hours of video are uploaded to the site every minute,” the Google-owned website said in a blog post Sunday.

“Like many 7-year olds around the world, we’re growing up so fast! In other words, every single minute you now upload three whole days worth of video instead of two. That’s 61 Royal Wedding Ceremonies, 841 Bad Romances, and 1,194 Nyan Cats.”

The blog added, “all 800 million of you all over the world have shown us we’re on the right track by increasing subscriptions 50 percent and watching over three billion hours a month.”

Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion.

The Mountain View, California-based Internet search and advertising giant has not yet announced a profit for the video-sharing site despite its massive global popularity.

YouTube has been gradually adding professional content such as full-length television shows and movies to its vast trove of amateur video offerings in a bid to attract advertisers.

source: japantoday.com