Microsoft Research TechFest: New wonders
Seattle PI | at | by Mike
It might just be the quintessential Seattle gadget.
Researchers from Microsoft have created an old-fashioned mariners compass that uses the Global Positioning System and an embedded database of Starbucks stores to literally point to the coffee retailer's nearest Seattle-area location.
One of the things it doesn't do is tell you how far away that location is. But the researchers have an answer for that, too.
"This is Seattle," said Raman Sarin, one of the researchers on the project. "You're not going to have to walk far." The Coffee Compass was one of the projects on display Wednesday at the annual Microsoft Research TechFest. But don't be misled by that device's seemingly whimsical nature. For the most part, this is serious business -- in some cases signaling the potential direction of the products Microsoft brings to market.