[LINK] Gates Outlines Digital Vision In Opening CES Talk

[Brenda Aynsley]

Gates Outlines Digital Vision In Opening CES Talk
January 8, 2004 (2:33 p.m. EST)
By Edward F. Moltzen, CRN

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said his company will take broad steps to better 
integrate audio, video and information into electronics and PC technologies in 
2004, including advances to MSN, its Media Center PC and vision for the digital 
home.

In a wide-ranging keynote to open the International CES conference in Las Vegas 
- the monster consumer electronics show - Gates spelled out his vision for 
"seamless computing" in a digital environment.

"This is a period where the reality is driving the expectation," Gates said. "In 
the '90s, people got ahead of themselves. Now, those things are being delivered 
in solid products that stand the test of the marketplace."

Gates addressed the CES conference for the sixth straight year, but a year in 
which the convergence of traditional consumer electronics functions with PCs and 
information technology is playing a greater role in several vendors' strategies.

During his address, Gates said Microsoft and other vendors would bring forth the 
following technologies and products this year:

-A Media Center Extender, a thin, fanless device that networks devices tied into 
a Microsoft's Media Center PC under a common interface. Gateway, Dell, 
Alienware, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung will all begin shipping such devices 
later this year;

-HP and Gateway would provide the first Media Center-ready TVs later this year;

-Microsoft is upgrading its MSN offering, both at its free web site and with a 
new, MSN premium service for broadband. The pay service, at $99 a year, provides 
anti-virus software and integration with Exchange and Outlook, among other features;

-The first watches based on Microsoft's SPOT technology would be delivered this 
year, and provide service in 100 cities largely through partnerships with FM 
radio stations to send out the information via FM-like signal;

-Gates said several hardware manufacturers, including ViewSonic, Sanyo, Napster 
and Samsung, would roll out palm-held Portable Media Center devices that could 
play video and music, as well as display digital photos.

With broadband adoption, greater amounts of affordable storage, and availability 
of digital content, Gates suggested growth in wireless networks could tie it all 
together.

"The wireless network will deliver it," Gates said. "It's just getting cheaper 
and better all the time."

But as with Microsoft's experience in the PC space, not everyone was happy with 
Gates' vision, or with some of the technologies his company is delivering.

Digital device technology provider, Ambient Devices, released a statement to 
people exiting Gates' keynote that took issue with the company's SPOT watch 
offering.

"Here we go again," the company said. "SPOT is another attempt by Microsoft to 
lock in customers with a closed, proprietary platform. It does not offer 
developers or third-party content providers the ability to send their own 
information over the SPOT network." Ambient said its own technology, which can 
be embedded in devices like watches, is based on an open-source platform with 
Open APIs.

Article appears courtesy of CRN.(http://www.crn.com/) <end>
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040108S0007

cheers
brenda
-- 
Brenda Aynsley, FACS PCP   ||  Mobile:+61(0) 412 662 988
Oz Business Partners - helping you do better business
Web Design and Implementation : Technical Writing for Effect
Training Development and Delivery : Multimedia Production
http://www.ozbusinesspartners.com/ ACN 069 346 327
Phone: +61(0) 8 8357 8844  Fax: +61(0) 8 8272 7486
--
SA Chairman, Pearcey Foundation, http://www.pearcey.org.au/
Promote and Recognise Australian IT&T Achievements
--
Vice President (2002-2003) Australian Computer Society
http://www.acs.org.au/