Bach began by noting that five years ago the experience of a PC connected to a server was seen as one domain, while the experience of embedded devices was seen as something entirely different -- with very little interaction between the two. "We are now seeing a dramatic change in that space," he said. Today customers expect all their devices to be connected so they can "get the tools, the data, the information, the entertainment experience they want when they want it and on the device that they want it."
The key elements for successfully implementing these experiences, in Bach's view, are platforms such as Windows Mobile, tools such as .NET and Visual Studio, and various services built with the tools to run on the platforms. In the services space there are "tremendous opportunities for other people to innovate on top of our platform," including companies that compete with Microsoft in other areas. "They want to be building on a platform that has great tools and can deliver great services, and we're definitely seeing that happen."
Bach noted that today there are nearly 150 devices from 50 different handset manufacturers running Windows Mobile for mobile phones with service offered by 125 operators worldwide. Yet there is a "misperception in the marketplace," according to Bach, that Windows Mobile is all about business use. "In fact, 90 percent of our phones are sold through a mobile operator store. And, in fact, they're bought by individuals."
Bach was joined on stage by Derek Snyder who gave a demonstration of Windows Mobile application development using the next version of Visual Studio, code-named "Orcas," along with the .NET Compact Framework, and SQL Server Compact Edition, version 3.5. .NET Compact Framework version 3.5 includes a new technology called Language-integrated query (LINQ) that steamlines database queries with a familiar SQL-like syntax, according to Snyder.
Snyder's demo also included
Silverlight, Microsoft's recently announced cross-browser, cross-platform plugin for rich media content on PCs as well as mobile devices. Silverlight helps solve the problems of adapting applications to multiple screen sizes, according to Snyder.
In conclusion, Bach challenged is audience to "think about the ways in which you can bring connected experiences to your customers, and think about the tools and support you're going to get from Microsoft to make that happen."
The full transcript of Robbie Bach's keynote is available
here.
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