> "Microsoft Research has a technology concept that uses the device's camera as a motion sensor, enabling motion control while using the device. This means devices will not need accelerometers and other complicated gyroscopes to get these features, and that existing Windows Mobile devices could be upgraded to full Windows Mobile 7 functionality."
Even to this day this makes no sense. How could a camera, which could be obscured by a case or finger, possibly determine the user's motion? How would this work in the dark? To say nothing of the battery this would consume.
I don't think there's any way to interpret that as anything other than Microsoft making excuses and trying to pretend that their existing mobile software efforts and hardware install base were still worth something in a post-iPhone market. It's probably what their investors and partners and some of their customers wanted to hear. It's definitely not what their engineers and product managers needed to hear.
Even to this day this makes no sense. How could a camera, which could be obscured by a case or finger, possibly determine the user's motion? How would this work in the dark? To say nothing of the battery this would consume.