Gates offers Vista close-up
Published: 05 Jan 2006 08:50 GMT
After months of touting Vista's geekier side, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates on Wednesday highlighted features designed to convince the average consumer that they need the next version of Windows.
During his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Gates showed new photo-editing tools and a revamped media player designed to improve the way that Windows tackles the types of media files that are most used by consumers. Gates also showed the improved remote-control experience that will be part of the Media Center edition of Vista.
Gates began his speech by noting his recent appearance, along with his wife, Melinda, and U2's Bono as Time magazine's "Persons of the Year." He noted there were other strong contenders. "Probably if there had been one more hurricane, Mother Nature would have been on the cover," he said. "For a lot of reasons I'm glad that didn't happen."
As he usually does, Gates offered his vision of the digital future. He showed a typical day from the future that began at home, with an on-demand video clip, and then by looking at a map that showed the location of his family members. After heading into the office, he used three large flat-screen monitors to take part in a video conference.
Finally he headed to the airport with just his cell phone. At the airport lounge, his cell phone connected to a screen and he instantly had a full desktop to work on. The phone could even connect to a nearby camera. "The phone is very different. The idea of a meeting is very different," Gates said.
Gates hit many of the same notes he hit in last year's speech, talking about the increasing role that digital gadgets are playing in everyday life. Since the demise of the Autumn Comdex trade show in the US, Gates' CES speech has become a virtual state of the electronics industry speech.
A look at Vista
Among the new graphics abilities in Vista that Microsoft showed off was
Flip 3D, a tool for easily shifting among multiple open windows and the
Windows Vista Sidebar, which runs in the corner of the screen and
includes RSS feeds, sports scores and other small applications.
Microsoft showed Sidebar in the first preview of Longhorn (Vista's code
name), but the feature had disappeared from Microsoft's feature list
before appearing more recently.
Microsoft also showed off a forthcoming update to the classic Microsoft program Flight Simulator to show off the graphics and gaming power of Vista. The demo included helicopters and flying birds, among other realistic details.
New Partners
Gates is also showed off the new Treo 700w, which uses Microsoft's
Windows Mobile operating system. Palm announced earlier Wednesday that
the phone will be available from Verizon Wireless starting this week.
Microsoft and Palm announced the long-rumoured partnership in September, saying that the device should arrive early this year.
The speech, which is known as a showplace for new devices and technologies, was also the launching pad for two new cordless telephones that can download contacts from Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft's planned successor to its MSN Messenger instant messaging software. The phones — from Uniden and Phillips — can be used to make either traditional or Internet-based phone calls. The phones are not planned to arrive until at least this spring.
In December, Microsoft started limited testing of the new Messenger, which is designed, among other things, to store contacts and make Internet-based phone calls.
As for Vista, Microsoft has been publicly showing off the operating system for some time and has released several betas. However, the company has held off talking about most of the consumer features of the operating system or offering a look at its final user interface.
The company has shown a few things, such as the improved searching abilities, better graphics and the ability to more easily shift among open windows in both the operating system as well as the built-in Internet Explorer 7 Web browser. Most of the effort, though, has centred on wooing developers and corporate IT staff who need more advance notice of where Microsoft is going.
However, the company is moving broader with its Vista sell as it hopes to launch the OS later this year, aiming to have PCs loaded with the new Windows on the market this holiday season.
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