SEATTLE, USA: Microsoft Corp made available on Thursday a Windows 7-compatible test version of the software behind its hit Kinect motion-sensing game device, in the hope that developers will invent a host of "hands-free" features for standard PCs.
Also read: MS unveils Kinect new motion-sensing game system
The hugely successful device is seen by some as a blueprint for future computing, and was immediately attractive to hackers who devised ways of making it work on standard computers.
Microsoft was at first hostile to such attempts, but by releasing a beta version of the Kinect software development kit is showing that it is interested to see what developers will make of the technology.
The software kit, which Microsoft insists is for noncommercial use at this point, can be downloaded here.