From the Bloghaus – after a suitable delay – Bill Gates has come onstage at 6:49 -
In his opening remarks, Gates said that we are just scratching the surface of the investment in the global market for digital and computing technology. The challenge is for connected experiences – schedule, media -and connection with work, family and friends, spanning the business and personal world. The key element that is missing is delivery on the promise of connected experiences.
Microsoft foundational products now moving into the marketplace. Vista, Microsoft Office, and Windows Live are the three components that Microsoft is finally bringing to market.
Vista is the foundation, Office and it’s 2007 upgrade is capture of user input on improving the user interface – and Windows Live services is the third part of the plan – the services that are included (both free and subscription).
The Vista demo included a few features that had not been publicly demonstrated. For example, the much touted search will not only search the hard drive of the one machine, it will search all the machines on home network.
Vista has a “goback” feature – much like the Apple Time Machine. – for recovery of documents.
Virtual 3D MAPPING which is steerable from the XBOX360 controller. It can be combined with realtime traffic information for a fly through of Las Vegas.
Media Center receives some demo time – SportsLounge gives on screen stats, provides Tivo like functions so that it can record future events, track Fantasy League teams and provide alerts whenever favorite players come to bat.
Windows Vista Photo Gallery combines the indexing and manipulation of videos and photos, burning to DVD.
Vista Ultimate is the Flagship product and the Group Picture demo was impressive a sort of automated photoshop to take a series of photos – for example children posed on a couch – and merge them into one best shot with the best expression of each child. The full motion desktop will provide an element of fun – with the example of a waterfall forest scene.
Bill Gates was followed by a number of presenters that outlined the capability and plans of Microsoft – and Bill concluded with his summary talk that contained most of the same material as last year – a vision of the integration of digital media and capability transparently within the daily life of a consumer.
No big announcement or revelation other than the between the lines remark in the first few minutes that Bill would be equally happy to talk about communicable diseases and their elimination in the world.
The changing of the guard has begun.