Heard of Windows 8? Learn all about Windows 8 and what Microsoft's plans are for the next version of Windows due in 2012. Click the Windows 8 orb above!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
(View Legal Code)
Windows Phone 7: Camera-based Gesture UI Ditched or not-yet Revealed?
One of the major rumors surrounding the user interface of Windows Phone 7 (formerly known as Windows Mobile 7) was a front-facing, camera-based gesture UI. Supposedly, the way you moved your hand in front of the camera or how/where you looked at it with your eyes would dictate how the device reacted. Naturally, none of that came to light, so I wrote it off as rumor. However, it then occurred to me that the device being used to demonstrate Windows Phone 7 on indeed has a front-facing camera. Not surprisingly, the photo of the device that can be obtained from Microsoft’s Press website does not contain a camera, but that could very well be due to it being a Photoshopped product image (as in, completely created in Photoshop — not having the camera Photoshopped out of the image). See for yourself:
With the aforementioned in mind, it looks like Microsoft may well have a LOT more to delve into and officially announce in the future, most likely at their MIX 2010 event. Then again, maybe that front-facing camera is just there for aesthetics. 
EDIT: Rafael Rivera from Within Windows made a great point below in the comments. He said, “[i]f not a camera, that maybe a light sensor to adjust various aspects of the software when indoors or outdoors.” That could very well be, too. Or, perhaps it will serve both purposes.
-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com
Good catch, Stephen. If not a camera, that may be a light sensor to adjust various aspects of the software when indoors or outdoors.
Ah, yes. That’s a good point, too.
If you look very closely, it sure looks like a front facing camera. Light sensors do not need an opening like this. And the right-hand side image is only a graphical representation of a generic device. They used it as a container for the live screen capture that was shown during the conference.
This is for sure a camera. Now, will every phone carry one? I bet that this is going to be a vendor specific decision, like for keyboards.
I call this a long-shot. It just wouldn’t fit very well with the rest of the OS, and their philosophy for this release. In any case they would have shown it today, as today’s announcements were about the user interface.
Microsoft already has a very compelling and competitive release as is. I would guess that motion gestures are probably in the OS’s future. With fierce competitors like Apple Computer and Google, you wouldn’t want Microsoft to show all its cards at once.
@bernard: I agree that motion gestures may not come soon. But it really does look like a front facing camera. And it really does make sense if you think about the social focus of their concept: Windows Live Messenger!
I’m wondering why no one is asking what that “speech bubble” icon has to do on the Bing search box? Speech recognition, anyone?
And it’s also interesting that they are following a similar concept of grouping services into “hubs” in Windows Live too if the leaked infos and screens are true.