IP Democracy: Gates at CES: Software Will Make Everything Simpler

With only one-near glitch, Microsoft put on a good “pre-show” keynote session at CES tonight, with Chairman Bill Gates touching on all the company’s high-profile, forward-looking initiatives. Following a futuristic demo of the possiblities of technology convergence using Microsoft’s upcoming Vista platform, which will ship by the end of the year, Gates primarily allowed his key executives to tell the Microsoft story through demos and hands-on displays, most of which highlighted whiz-bang features of Vista or Microsoft’s Windows Media technologies.

The chief of the world’s leading software provider returned again and again to the theme that software is what will drive convergence. “Software will come in and make things more simpler and effective,” Gates said. And it’s no surprise that Microsoft believes that a single company, as opposed to multiple providers, can make devices interoperate better and communications flow more easily across multiple platforms. We need to “drive them [consumers] through a single interface,” he said.

Windows Vista is clearly a video-centric system and is optimized for HD-viewing. Among its features are improved design, a new side-bar (which features a little media player that can run in in the side-bar or move to the main screen in a greatly expanded format) and something called “side show” which enables a calendar feature to run even when the PC is not powered on. Other features: desktop search, parental controls, portability around the home via other Microsoft devices (including the XBox 360), enhanced gaming and the ability to integrate photos with video in PC-based picture “albums.”

Other noteworthy take-aways:

—Microsoft expects that it will ship five million mobile device platforms this year.

—Microsoft is working with wireless VoIP phone manufacturers such as Uniden and Philips to develop an in-home phone that works over Windows Messenger so that users can call their buddies using VoIP, much as they might use a regular phone.

—A year ago, Microsoft had shipped only 1.5 million Windows Media PCs, a figure that has climbed to six million today. While the latter figure is pretty unimpressive, Gates said that Microsoft is working with 130 manufacturers in 30 countries “to drive that figure up.”

—Microsoft and DBS company DirecTV have a multiyear agreement that will enable Windows-based PCs, and other devices, including the XBox 360, to receive DirecTV’s digital content, including HD-content. Microsoft is also partnering with BSkyB in the UK (both DirecTV and BSkyB are controlled by News Corp.) to offer a videoon-demand content option to BSkyB’s customers with Windows Media PCs.

—Windows Live Messenger will have a “smart agent” TV service that allows a customer to engage in queries with an IM bot, that can then deliver up TV recommendations and even video previews

—Microsoft will be launching an external DVD drive for the XBox 360, and thinks that the XBox is one of the main catalysts, if not the main catalyst, for driving HD set sales.

There were a lot more announcements or noteworthy points made during the 1.5 hour dog-and-pony show. A webcast of the event is available here.

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on January 4, 2006 11:16 PM to IP Democracy