Everywhere you walk in downtown Austin, Texas, new names compete for the attention of the tens of thousands wandering the SXSW Interactive festival. Which of this year's emerging ideas and brands — MakerBot, Leap Motion, Geomagic — will break into mainstream consciousness? Here's a quick rundown of the conversation topics in coffee lines, and some notes on appearances and panels that caught our attention:
Beyond The Keyboard And Mouse - Gamers are used to devices like Xbox Kinect that read our body's waving and swiping motions.
Track Thyself - No fewer than five panels at SXSW Interactive are focused on the "quantified self" movement, and what it means for culture and health.
3-D Printing Popularity - 3-D printing technology has reached the point where it is expected to upend traditional manufacturing.
