phone

Microsoft Research has demoed a technology that converts a series of 2-dimensional photos of an object into a 3-dimensional model of that object. From the article:

“We also have to calculate the actual depth of objects from the stereo effect,” says Stollnitz, “comparing how they appear in different photos.” His software uses what it learns through that process to break each image apart and spread what it captures through virtual 3-D space (see video, below). The pieces from different photos are stitched together on the fly as a person navigates around the virtual space to generate his current viewpoint, creating the same view that would be seen if he were walking around the object in physical space.

I’m most interested in this sort of technology when it’s combined with my recent obsession, 3D printing. Libraries are starting to pay attention to this new technology…I had a chance to talk with Sarah Houghton-Jan, the assistant director for the San Rafael Public Library and better known online as the Librarian in Black. San Rafael is about to purchase a MakerBot for its tech area, and will be running programs on how to use it for their patrons. I can’t wait to get more information about how the patrons take to it.

When you can use your cellphone to “scan” a 3D object and then walk over to your PC and print a model of that object, what sort of things will we be able to do? How does our idea of ownership of objects change in a world like that? What can libraries do to be a part of this new, Star Trek–esque technology?

No, I’m not talking about Android phones…I’m talking about the new feature in Gmail Chat that allows you to make Domestic U.S. and Canadian phone calls for free with your Google account.

Simply hit the “Call Phone” button in gChat, and a familiar number pad pops up. Dial, hit Call, and Google will connect you, for free. How much easier could this get?

Bonus: if you have a Google Voice account, you can even receive calls via gChat! Follow the instructions on this support page to link the two, and you can have your gMail account alert you whenever anyone calls.

To my knowledge, this is the only way that you can both send and receive phone calls in the U.S. with no connection at all to a phone carrier for free. You can use a service like Skype, but Skype calls to a landline phone have a cost associated with them.

I did a quick test of the service today, and the quality of the calls is very good. Now if Google will make this service Facetime compatible, it could be a serious competitor to Skype on the video call front.

Microsoft today announced a new mobile phone platform, Kin, designed around capturing and sharing content. It integrates the Microsoft Zune experience, along with photo and video capture into two new phones, the Kin One and Kin Two. Video and more, after the break.