ConsumerIT - For Europe's High Volume PC Retailers, Distributors & Builders

Is Minority Report-style gesture-based control key to a brighter future for the PC market? HP certainly hopes so as it teams up with 3D motion control developer Leap Motion.

The partnership sees HP bundling the Leap controller (and Airspace, the Leap Motion app store) with a selection of upcoming PC models before embedding the technology in yet announced future consumer products.

“Leap Motion’s groundbreaking 3D motion control combined with HP technology and amazing developer apps will create incredible user experiences,” HP says.

HP is not the first company to sign a deal with Leap-- Asus has a similar partnership with the startup.

University of Illinois researchers create tiny lithium-ion batteries able to out-power even the most powerful capacitators-- batteries few millimetres in size able to recharge mobile devices "in the blink of an eye."

The key to the batteries' power is a redesigned cathode and anode structure. While standard li-on batteries consist of a solid lithium salt cathode and a graphite cathode, the University of Illinois battery uses a nickel-tin anode and manganese oxide cathode with a 3-dimensional internal microstructure.

The result is porous electrodes with a massive surface area allowing for more chemical reactions to take place, which results in a massive boost to power output and charging.

The first battery using the technology is a button-sized number the researchers claim combines the power output of supercapacitators and the energy storage of fuel cells.

Microsoft is planning an answer to the smaller, lower-cost tablets from the likes of Google and Amazon-- according to the Wall Street Journal the company has a smaller (7-8-inch) Surface tablet lineup in the works.

Such a move would come to no surprise, seeing recently Microsoft relaxed Windows 8/RT tablet requirements by dropping minimum resolutions from 1366x768 to 1024x768.

"This doesn't imply that we're encouraging partners to regularly use a lower screen resolution," the March Windows Certification Newsletter says. "In fact, we see customers embracing the higher resolution screens that make a great Windows experience... partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful."

The WSJ also reports Microsoft will drop Windows and Office software prices in order to "spur lower-cost touchscreen devices enabled by its Windows software."

However a question remains-- will customers want a smaller, cheaper Windows 8 tablet? So far it is clear the Surface failed to disrupt tablets, while Windows 8 only managed to negatively affect the PC market (at least according to IDC). But don't expect Microsoft to give up on its "devices and services" dream so easily, at least for the near future.

Go Microsoft Plans 7-inch Tablet (WSJ.com)

Go Microsoft Relaxes Win8 Tablet Requirements

The PC market keeps looking worse-- according to IDC global Q1 2013 PC shipments drop by -13.9% Y-o-Y to 76.3 million units, the worst quarter since IDC started tracking shipments in 1994.

The shipment decline is (obviously!) much worse than the -7.7% Y-o-Y decline previously forecast by IDC. EMEA declines are also worse than than analyst anticipated, reaching the "strong" double-digits within both consumer and commercial markets.

"At this point it seems clear that the Windows 8 launch not only failed to provide a positive boost to the PC market, but appears to have slowed the market," IDC remarks. "The costs associated with touch have made PCs a less attractive alternative to dedicated tablets and other competitive devices. Microsoft will have to make some very tough decisions moving forward if it wants to help reinvigorate the PC market."

In other words, Windows 8 effectively turned the PC market into something akin to a Zeppelin crashing towards the earth in slow motion while consumers stick to tablets and smartphones...