Yesterday’s big news was the acquisi
tion of GestureTek’s gesture recognition IP by Qualcomm- a company producing low power processors for things like smartphones. This implies that we might soon use gesture- controlled smartphones and tablets which- taking into account their usage in the digital signage space- will definitely impact our sector.
This partnership will see the technology integrated into Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors which are embedded into tablets, smartphones and other home entertainment devices allowing one to control them without pressing a button or touching the screen (rock the device to answer a phone etc). On its website, GestureTek highlights the technology’s relevance for playing games- which is meant to enhance the user experience; but also mentions the execution of simple tasks such as scrolling, zooming, turning pages and browsing the web without having to touch the screen.
The adoption of gesture- recognition technology by low powered device manufacturers could result in people interacting more with the screens just because it’s easier to do so– (just nod and you’re checked in). More interaction and more engagement constitute a brand’s dream come true – signalling brand commitment and potential business coming in- a dream they don’t even have to commit extra- resources for to making it happen. Needless to say that the entire mobile phone experience might be (positively) affected and mobile phone transactions boosted, consumers spending more over the mobile just because- leaving security considerations aside- it’s much easier to do this than before.
What makes the news even more interesting is the statement of GestureTek’s President and Co-founder Vincent John Vincent “GestureTek will continue to deploy our technology in the digital signage/public display and health markets, on which we will now focus exclusively” (ScreenMedia daily) after selling certain intellectual property assets related to gesture recognition and key engineering resources to Qualcomm (qualcomm.co.uk).
