Microsoft wants to make Windows wearable, and one of the co-creators of Kinect is in charge of making it happen.
Microsoft's general manager of Xbox incubation projects Alex Kipman is helping the company develop tech to compete with Samsung's Galaxy Gear, Google Glass and other wearable tech, according to sources of The Verge.
Kipman, who's referred to as a "father of Kinect," is in charge of customizing Windows to run on smaller screens, the sources noted. ZDNet reported in October that Kipman was working on wearable, but his team's focus on miniaturizing Windows is news to us.
While the project is certainly intriguing, doesn't "Father of Kinect" sound like a bad horror film spin-off? Like Bride of Frankenstein, or Seed of Chucky?
Tagline: 'He's always watching'
Microsoft's plans for wearables reportedly include a 1.5-inch Windows smart watch that could connect to Surface tablets, as well as a Google Glass rival currently referred to as "Kinect Glasses."
We mentioned the Kinect Glasses, also called "Forteleza," at the end of 2012, though haven't heard a peep about them since.
But Kipman is allegedly testing whether the Kinect Glasses can be released as an actual product.
One Windows to rule them all
In a related rumor, Microsoft is said to be working on unifying Windows into one umbrella OS, with individual teams then tailoring it for specific platforms like phones, tablets, PCs and Xbox One.
That's where Kipman's team comes in: they're in charge of making Windows work on wearables.
Other Microsoft executives, including Microsoft's Executive Vice President of Devices and Studios Julie Larson-Green, have hinted at Microsoft interest in wearables.
"You see all these fitness devices that people wear on their wrists and they do some interesting things," she said at the UBS Global Technology Conference in November. "What's the extension of that?"
What indeed? We've got a feeling we're going to find out soon.
