Introducing The MYO Armband. This Gadget Allows You to Control a PC or Mac With Gestures in a Kinect-Like Manner [Video]

Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral has only been on the market a couple of years, but its phenomenal sales in that short space of time is testament to how much we love that kind of interaction with our consoles. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, though, if that same ethos was applied to PC or Mac? The MYO, a peripheral created by Thalmic Labs, makes this a reality by allowing simple gestures to be used in controlling a computer or notebook.

It is strapped around the arm, just below the elbow, and offers a deluge of different controls. One can, for example, slip through pages on a document by swiping in the air with two fingers, pause something by making a clenching gesture, or even play a favorite FPS title by pretending to lift a gun from over one’s shoulder.

But, how does it work? Well, whenever you make any kind of movement, electrical signals pass through your arms, and the MYO’s sensors pick up on these and translate them into commands. So if, as demonstrated in the below video, you’re in the kitchen preparing a meal, and like to use your MacBook to catch up on a TV show you’ve missed but don’t want your greasy, sticky hands to touch those keys, you can – using the MYO, simply apply a gesture. It’s as if by magic:

It is claimed the MYO works out of the box for those on both Windows and OS X, while APIs for both iOS and Android are also in the works. If you want to get your hands on the MYO, it is available to pre-order right now, and each unit costs $149. Head over to: GetMyo.com/Preorder

They are in limited supply, so don’t wait around if you would like to take the gesture’s you’ve learned on the various consoles and apply them to your computer. Shipping is expected to begin later this year.

Of course, while the demo looks good, it’s hard to tell just how efficiently the sensors are at accurately picking up the signals, so it’s something you may want to consider before parting with such a significant amount of money. On the face of it, though, it looks good, and if you want a new gadget this year but cannot afford the price of Google Glass, this may just be the one. [RedmondPie]

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Hangouts Update Allows to Control Bandwidth With Slider And Audio Only

Google wants to make all of its products accessible to everyone, no matter where they’re located or what Internet conditions they’re working with. For those of you who travel or aren’t located in the U.S., you know that Internet connection speeds can be slow in third-world countries. Shoot, even when you’re in a local Starbucks, things can be slow.

Today, the companyshipped two new features that allows you to tweak a slider to improve your experience based on your bandwidth capabilities. Up until now, Hangouts have tried to cooperate with your bandwidth to give you the best quality possible, but having this extra control will do wonders.

Here’s what Tim Blasi of Google had to say about it:

Today we’re excited to launch two new features that improve the Hangouts experience in areas with low and/or unreliable connectivity:

1) Audio-only mode. Choose this mode to send and receive audio only, and thus, significantly reduce your bandwidth requirements. Other participants will only see your profile picture, but they’ll hear you loud and clear.

2) Bandwidth slider. At the top right of every hangout is a new slider that lets you adjust your bandwidth preferences in real-time — from high, all the way to audio-only. This makes it easier to keep hangouts going, even in areas with poor connectivity.

Both of these features are coming your way today but they’re rolling out separately so you may see one before you see the other. Very soon both features will be available to everyone, so give ‘em a try and let us know what you think! Thanks for your patience.

By adding audio-only mode, anyone can participate in a Hangout conversation, business or otherwise, no matter where they are. Hangouts can be tough on mobile devices if you’re not in the best of signal conditions. Audio can speed through to you quickly, though. Sadly, these features aren’t available away from the desktop as of yet, which one can hope will change soon.

For many people who haven’t dug into Google+ as of yet, Hangouts has been a feature that a lot of people have participated in whether they knew it or not. With Hangouts on Air, you can view recorded conversations that were put together in seconds. Last month, VicePresident Joe Biden participated in one such Hangout, which drew a lot of viewers after the fact.

Speaking of making its products available everywhere, Google also launchedHangouts in India yesterday, and if you think about how strong Google is with translation software, you can imagine a world where one day you’ll be able to do a Hangout with someone who doesn’t speak your language and have the conversation seamlessly translated for you on the fly. [TechCrunch]

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