Bill Gates Previews 'Connected Experience' at CES Keynote
January 09, 2007
Las Vegas, NV - In his keynote address Sunday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world's largest exhibition of new technology, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates shared how the company is delivering on the promise of the "Connected Experience."
Through Windows Vista, Microsoft Office and Windows Live, Gates said consumers will connect to multiple devices and access live services, such as real-time weather and traffic reports. With Windows Media Center and Windows Vista, sports enthusiasts can enjoy real-time games, scores and alerts and digital photos can be edited, organized or burned to DVD all within the Windows Photo Gallery.
Gates announced that more than 1.5 million devices are compatible with Windows Vista and previewed new PCs from multiple manufacturers and a Windows Home Server, all powered by Windows Vista.
Robbie Bach, Microsoft president of entertainment devices, introduced Microsoft advancements in music, mobile phones, gaming and television - or "Connected Entertainment." Hardware, software and services are coming together with the Zune, Microsoft phones, and gaming.
Gates noted that a key goal of interconnectivity is to make it easy for users to share content. "There's still a lot to be done there," he said, "especially when you get into rights-oriented content and how simple that can be made so the creative people are happy with it and yet the flexibility (for users) is there."
More than 200 million people play games on Windows, Bach reported, making Windows the number one platform for games. In the console space, Bach announced that 10.4 million consoles had sold in 37 countries through 2006. IPTV, which Microsoft first announced two years ago, is now supported by numerous telecommunications companies around the world and will connect with the Xbox 360 to allow seamless communication with friends while watching TV and other advanced features.
For his final announcement, Gates was joined on stage by Ford Motor Company's Mark Fields, to introduce the Microsoft-Ford "Sync" partnership, which promises to take the connected experience to the car. Microsoft auto software will connect devices into vehicles allowing consumers to sync calls and other content with their car audio system. The fully upgradeable technology is expected to be available in a dozen Ford car models this year.
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