"Technology has revolutionized how we listen to music, watch TV, play games, communicate, and manage and share personal information," said Gates. "In the years ahead, further exciting innovations will unify the software, hardware and services in peoples lives, offering them even richer, more engaging and deeply connected experiences."
Gates showcased the
Treo 700w, Palm's first handheld to run Windows Mobile.
The keynote also included a demonstration of the capability of future technologies to transform the way people manage information in the office or on the go, communicate with co-workers in richer and more immersive ways, and be more productive wherever they are.
In the first broad demonstration of
Windows Vista, Gates highlighted some of the consumer-oriented features of the next generation operating system, including a sleeker user interface, richer multitasking experiences, and deeper integration of search throughout the system. He also demonstrated the platform's gaming capabilities by premiering Microsoft Games Studios's forthcoming "Flight Simulator X," said to be the most realistic flight simulator in the 25-year history of the title.
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Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer play the Xbox 360 Fight Night, Round 3 video game with boxing commentator Al Bernstein during Gates's keynote
(Click image to enlarge) |
Gates also discussed the new
Xbox 360's growing momentum in delivering high-definition hardware, games, and digital entertainment experiences. He noted that the device has also become a powerful platform for high-definition television, adding that the company plans to deliver a new Xbox 360 external
HD DVD drive in 2006.
In the area of software services, Gates previewed
Windows Live, intended to "bring together relationships, information and interests that are important to people on PCs and a wide range of devices."
He unveiled two new cordless digital VoIP (voice over IP) phones from
Royal Philips Electronics and
Uniden America that will work with the voice communications capabilities of the upcoming Windows Live Messenger, the successor to MSN Messenger. The new VoIP phones will allow users to make calls from a cordless handset connected to both the Windows Live Messenger service and public telephone networks.
"The incredible momentum around all these new products and services shows that the digital lifestyle has truly gone mainstream this year," Gates said. "Now its time to bring together the devices, software and services in peoples lives and take all these experiences to the next level."
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