Kinect

Microsoft introduced the Kinect device for the Xbox 360, allowing users to play games with the use of their own body as the game controller. The Microsoft Kinect device eliminates the need for a physical game controller, fully immersing the user in the game environment. The Kinect uses an optical "eye" to detect the movement of the user and translates the movement into game control.

Since the first release of Kinect on November 4, 2010, many developers have begun adapting the Kinect technology into other uses besides Xbox 360 gaming. Applications have also been developed to allow the Kinect to control some aspects of a computer system, create 3D images, provide video surveillance, and a whole bunch of other applications.

Due to the popularity of the Kinect device for Xbox 360 (over 10 million units sold by March 9, 2011), Microsoft announced they are releasing a Kinect device designed for computer use. They also released a Windows SDK package in June 2011, designed for use on Windows 7 systems. The SDK package allows developers to create applications based on the Kinect device and technology, for many different types of uses.

SDK

Short for software development kit, SDK is a collection of software utilities and tools that help a programmer develop applications for a specific platform. SDK is commonly used to describe the Sun Java software development kit.

JAVA

Originally known as oak, Java is an object-oriented programming language developed by James Gosling and others at Sun Microsystems. It was first introduced to the public in 1995 and is widely used to create Internet applications and other software programs. Today, Java is maintained and owned by Oracle.

When used on the Internet, Java allows applets to be downloaded and used through a browser, which enables the browser to perform a function or feature not normally available. Unlike JavaScript, the users must download or install the applet or program before being able to utilize the Java program.

The below Java applet example from Sun helps test if Java is installed on your computer. If Java is installed on your computer, you should see additional information about the installed Java version and your operating system. If nothing is seen, Java is either not installed on your computer or the plug-in for your browser is disabled or not installed.

Java is also used as the programming language for many different software programs, games, and add-ons. Some examples of the more widely used programs written in Java or that use Java include the Adobe Creative suite, Eclipse, Lotus Notes, Minecraft, OpenOffice, Runescape, and Vuze.