Technology is developing at such a rapid rate that it is often difficult to keep up with the latest trends, let alone imagine the possibilities. The good news is that there are many leading-edge organizations (e.g., Perceptive Pixel, Oblong Industries, and MIT’s Media Lab) that are not only exploring the future of technology but also pushing boundaries of what is possible. In addition to what we are seeing from these organizations, Microsoft has even released a series of videos conceptualizing their vision of the future.

What do you think about Microsoft’s conceptualization how we may all someday live, work, and play? For more on Microsoft’s conceptualizations, visit the Microsoft Office Labs website to learn more.

At a recent Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference, MIT’s Dr. Pattie Maes unveiled project SixthSense and the Wear Ur World device. Created by Pranav Mistry, ex-Microsoft UX Researcher, the SixthSense prototype is a wearable gestural interface that enables users to interact between the real world and the world of data.

Here are five interesting features of the SixthSense prototype:

1. NewsPaper showing live video news
2. Sixthsense: Taking pictures using framing gesture
3. Using the palm for dialing phone numbers.
4. Reviewing book covers showing Amazon ratings
5. View cloud tags of friends during face-to-face encounters

Unlike other similar touch-technology offered by Apple, Microsoft, G-Speak, Perceptive Pixel, etc., the SixthSense prototype is 100% portable and can be used on a variety of surfaces. So, could this MIT’s newest prototype be the ultimate “cloud” device? While only time will tell, if the buzz across the web offers any indication then there’s a definitely a bright future ahead. For now, consider this quote…

Step aside, Apple and Microsoft. If MIT’s little Sixth Sense gadget sees the commercial light of day, we can toss our multitouch devices out the window. Who needs a Surface or an iPhone when the very idea of being able to access information by turning any flat surface into a touch-screen display sounds far more appealing? No surface available? Simply project a screen onto your hand, and voila. Shades of Minority Report?

-Juniper Foo from CNET

This second video shows Jeff Han demonstrating multi-touch in a lab at Perceptive Pixel:

Consider this scenario…

It’s been a tough day. You are running late for your first lunch meeting with that new (key) client. Earlier, you were careful to write down the address and directions. The problem? You left the notes of your meeting location on your office desk, you’re now running behind because of traffic, and you do not have GPS.

I guess now is a good time to panic? Well, rather than dialing 411, you could try free voice-driven search services offered by either Tellme, or Google’s Mobile App.

Tellme.com

“Tellme’s vision is, ‘Say what you want and get it, on any device.” From ‘vision’ to reality, Tellme has already delivered over 2 billion voice searches results for millions of mobile subscribers. See the following video made courtesy of Pocketnowvideo:

Google Mobile App

“Faster search results with fewer keystrokes.” The video below provides an overview of the new Google Mobile App for the iPhone. The App allows mobile users to speak versus typing their search queries.

As a Recruiter, how can voice-driven search help you?

Let’s assume you are out of the office, waiting on an appointment and have a little time to spare. You are sourcing for potential prospects with .NET architecture and SharePoint experience who live in the New York region.

» Step 1: Grab your mobile device and get started. Using either the Tellme or Google’s Mobile App, try speaking your search query as follows: “Resumes, NET Architects, SharePoint, New York.”

» Step 2: Filter the “noise.” Your search results will vary and likely not be exactly what you were seeking the first time you try it. The results may even contain job posts or other unwanted noise. You may need to retry your search query using additional keywords to narrow down what you are seeking. Be specific as possible with your voice-search. Also, speaking clearly, and in some cases – speaking slowly, is often important to ensure the mobile app has successfully captured your exact search query.

Remember, voice-driven search is pretty “hip” technology but it’s still far from perfect. As with all new technology, it will take time for it to evolve and get better. So get comfortable now and think of the possibilities. Mobile is the future…

Three years into the job as Microsoft’s chief software architect, Raymond Ozzie is on a path to overhaul how the company designs and sells the software that makes its monster profits.

Cloud Control – Forbes.com.

LOS ANGELES–Microsoft on Monday announced a version of Windows that runs over the Internet from inside Microsoft’s own data centers.

Dubbed Windows Azure, it’s less a replacement for the operating system that runs on one’s own PC than it is an alternative for developers, intended to let them write programs that live inside Microsoft’s data centers as opposed to on the servers of a given business.

“It’s a transformation of our software and a transformation of our strategy,” said Ray Ozzie, a computing industry pioneer who now serves as Microsoft’s chief software architect. (For a play-by-play account of Ozzie’s speech, see “PDC 2008: Windows Azure live blog.”)

Microsoft launches Windows Azure | Latest Microsoft News – CNET News – CNET News.

Each year SourceCon brings together the industry’s leadership with top sourcing and researcher talent. It’s a time for networking, sharing, learning, and building community.

Known for working at the cusp of recruiting best-practice and emerging technologies, and among the very best SourceCon speakers in 2008, Michael Marlatt knows what’s what. A natural communicator and teacher, Michael connects people and concepts in new and interesting ways.

If you just want to download the presentation that Michael first delivered to the recruiting industry, you’ve come to the right place: Download »

We’ve entered the world of “cloud recruiting and job searching,” according to Michael Marlatt, recruiting consultant with Search Wizards at Microsoft.

It’s a techno-savvy world where recruiters search for candidates and job seekers find positions virtually, or in the “clouds.” It’s a world where people speak in terms of Web 2.0 (the trends toward an increasingly interactive Web) and Mobile 2.0, which is “the convergence of mobile services and Web services,” that allows people access to sending and receiving information anywhere, anytime.