Bill gates and the 'next digital decade'

Bill gates who famously thought the internet would be a flash in the
pan and also predicted in 2004 that email spam would be a thing of the
past by 2006, so your coffee table may not become a gesture based
computer in the near future.

Bill Gates Looks Ahead at 'Next Digital Decade'

LAS VEGAS, Jan 06, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- At the
2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp.
Chairman Bill Gates and Microsoft President of the Entertainment &
Devices Division Robbie Bach today unveiled several new entertainment
services and partnerships, including new deals with Disney-ABC
Television Group, NBC Universal and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
(MGM: 71.95, -1.05, -1.43%), that demonstrate how software is
improving people's ability to connect with their favorite content and
communities through new and expanded forms of entertainment
experiences.

In his 11th CES opening keynote address, Gates looked at the sweeping
changes since 2001 that have created the first true Digital Decade,
including the continued expansion of the popularity of Windows-based
PCs, the growing prevalence of broadband networks, the spread of
mobile phones and the advent of portable digital media devices.

"Since I first started talking about the Digital Decade in 2001, the
speed with which digital technology has become central to the way we
work, learn and play has been amazing," Gates said. "But in many ways,
we are at the very beginning of the transformation that software will
enable. During the next Digital Decade, technology will make our lives
richer, more connected, more productive and more fulfilling in
profound and exciting ways."

Gates went on to outline his vision for the next Digital Decade - an
era in which dramatic advances in hardware and software will make the
power of computing a ubiquitous part of day-to-day life. Gates
referenced how natural user interfaces will more closely reflect the
way people interact with each other. High-definition experiences will
be nearly everywhere. Services-connected devices running on the Web
and huge amounts of storage accessible via the Internet will mean that
information and capabilities people want will be available instantly
and seamlessly, no matter where they are.

Partnership With NBC Universal for the First "Long-Tail" Olympics

A joint Microsoft-NBC Universal announcement provides just one
indication of the power of software to change the way people
experience online entertainment. NBC Universal and Microsoft will
raise the bar for live and on-demand Internet broadcasting through an
exclusive agreement where Microsoft and NBC will deliver
NBCOlympics.com on MSN, the official U.S. online home of the 2008
Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the first "long-tail" Olympics, online
viewers will have access to more than 3,000 hours of live and on-
demand content so they can watch their favorite athlete or sport,
regardless of whether the sport has seven fans or 7 million.
NBCOlympics.com on MSN will be available free and powered by Microsoft
Silverlight technology, a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for
delivering high-quality video experiences on the Web.

"With Microsoft's cutting-edge technology and MSN's enormous reach, we
will be positioned on NBCOlympics.com to enable Olympic fans to tailor
their Olympic online viewing experience -- they can watch Olympic
sports content when and where they want," said Gary Zenkel, president
of NBC Olympics. "An on-demand Olympics means online viewers will be
able to return to their favorite Olympic moments over and over or
watch a performance they may have missed for the first time."

Hit ABC and Disney Channel Programs Join Xbox Live Video Lineup; MGM
Brings Legendary Library of Films to Xbox LIVE

Bach announced that hit TV programs from ABC Television and Disney
Channel will join the Xbox Live programming available for download
directly to the Xbox 360 console. In addition, MGM will bring its
library of hit movies.

Under the agreement with Disney-ABC Television Group, later this
month, all U.S. Xbox LIVE members will begin to have access to select
TV shows and movies from the ABC Television Network, ABC Family, ABC
News, Disney Channel and Toon Disney as part of an agreement with
Disney-ABC Television Group. More than 500 hours of content, in both
standard definition and high definition when available, will be
offered including hit ABC Television shows "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy,"
"Ugly Betty" and "Desperate Housewives." Past and current ABC shows
will be available on demand, with new episodes arriving on the service
the day after they air on television.

Under the agreement with MGM, Xbox 360 will offer MGM's legendary
movie library on demand for Xbox 360 including such titles as "Rocky,"
"Terminator," "Legally Blonde," "Silence of the Lambs" and
"Barbershop." United Artists, an MGM sister company, will also make
select films available on demand.

With more than 10 million Xbox LIVE members and more than 3,500 hours
of premium content, Xbox 360 has established itself as a premier
platform for on-demand TV shows and movies, including impressive high
definition experiences, for TV.

"Xbox LIVE Marketplace is the destination for high-definition movies,
TV shows and music videos," Bach said. "And, with the new Disney-ABC
and MGM partnerships, we are bringing even more compelling high-
definition content to people through their Xbox 360."

Xbox 360 on Track to Register Biggest Year in Video Game History

According to Bach, the continuing success of Xbox is another
indication of the power of digital technology to transform the way
people access and experience entertainment of all kinds. Sales of 17.7
million consoles this holiday season surpassed original expectations
and put Xbox 360 on track to register the biggest year in video game
history as U.S. consumers spent more on the Xbox 360 platform in 2007
than on any other gaming platform.

"With its continued momentum in games, accessories and digital
entertainment via our leading online service Xbox LIVE, and record-
setting games and accessory attach rates, evidence is everywhere that
Xbox 360 is thriving," Bach said.

Zune to Launch in Canada; Zune Social Grows Rapidly

Adding to the entertainment momentum, Bach announced that Zune will be
available in Canada in spring 2008, the first time the family of
digital music players will be available outside the U.S. Microsoft
also announced that since the November launch of Zune Social, more
than 1.5 million people have joined the music-focused social network,
demonstrating how Zune is tapping into consumers' desire to share
their musical passions with their broader community.

Windows Vista Hits 100 Million Licenses; Shows Latest "Fashion" PCs

During the keynote, Gates talked about the ongoing transformation of
the personal computer and he shared sales figures for Windows Vista
that indicate that the PC and the Windows platform remains a central
catalyst for the advances of the Digital Decade. According to Gates,
the company has sold more than 100 million Windows Vista licenses to
date.

"For more than 25 years, Windows has unlocked the power of personal
computing," Gates said. "Now we are expanding Windows to go where you
want to go and do what you want to do on PCs, the Web and mobile
devices. The result is connected experiences that extend across
people's lives, interests and communities, at home and at work."

In addition to technology advances that continue to make PCs more
powerful, more portable and more affordable, there is a growing
emphasis on style. Independent research firm Forrester Research Inc.
has predicted that the period between now and 2012 will be the "Age of
Style" for the consumer PC industry, with "strategists and marketers
weaving design concerns into their thinking about every facet of their
company's strategies as style and design becomes a critical brand
attribute." ("The Age Of Style In Consumer PCs," Forrester Research,
June 25, 2007). Examples from several hardware manufacturers were
shown in a video during the CES keynote, including these:

-- ASUS-Lamborghini VX3. Available in the first quarter of 2008,
this PC
is ultrathin and lightweight, and comes with a 12.1-inch-wide
LED
backlit panel and premium leather-bound palm rest with
exquisite
stitch detailing reminiscent of that in a Lamborghini
automobile.
-- Lenovo IdeaPad U110. Available in January 2008, this super-
slim
notebook weighs just over two pounds and is embellished with a
tendril
texture etched into a red metal cover and includes a Dolby
Home
Theater system and optional Solid State Drives.New IPTV
Experiences; Microsoft Mediaroom Now on 1 Million Set-Top Boxes

Other announcements highlight the ongoing impact that digital
technology and software plus services are having on the way people
experience television. Showtime Networks Inc. and Turner Broadcasting
System Inc.'s TNT and CNN networks all introduced new TV applications
capable of delivering the most advanced digital TV services on the
Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform,
which is enabling over 20 of the world's leading broadband service
providers to deliver advanced digital TV services.

Examples of innovative new television experiences include the ability
to view NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races from the driver's vantage point
by choosing from a series of in-car cameras on broadcasts by TNT; to
watch boxing matches by selecting different camera angles and audio
feeds on Showtime; and to access the richness of CNN.com's 2008
presidential election coverage while watching CNN's television
broadcast.

Microsoft also announced that Mediaroom is now running on 1 million
set- top boxes worldwide and unveiled a new offering called DVR
Anywhere, giving customers the flexibility of watching their recorded
programs on multiple TVs in the home.

In addition, Microsoft announced that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
will support Extender for Windows Media Center, enabling televisions
to stream HD content from any Windows Vista-based PCs with Windows
Media Center over a wired or dual-band Wireless-N home network. This
partnership builds on strong momentum and a growing set of online
services, including the recent beta release of Windows Media Center
Internet TV, which offers more than 100 hours of ad-supported
entertainment from MSN Video, including full-length shows, music
concerts and movie trailers.

New Interfaces Drive Future of Computing: Speech, Vision, Touch and
More

Examples of the growing prevalence of more natural user interfaces
were also on display during the keynote. Bach previewed a new version
of Tellme, Microsoft's integrated voice-and-visual mobile service that
enables people to use voice commands to say what they want and see the
answer on their phone's screen. The new service uses Global
Positioning System (GPS: 20.02, +0.44, +2.24%) capabilities to
identify the caller's location, yielding results that are
significantly more relevant. Tellme is available today on AT&T
Wireless and Sprint phones and will be available in future versions of
Windows Mobile.

For example, a person can "call" the Web on a mobile phone and say
"movies" and the software will recognize where the person is located
and send to that mobile phone's screen a list of the theaters closest
to that location. Furthermore, Microsoft gave an early glimpse of how
future versions may also offer the ability to purchase movie tickets
from a mobile phone and share the movie information with friends and
family via a text message.

Bach also demoed voice-activated technology for the car, including
Sync, a fully integrated in-car communications and infotainment system
for mobile phones and digital music players that has been available in
select Ford models since September. Ford Motor Co., which expects to
sell more than 1 million vehicles with Sync by early 2009, unveiled
the new 911 Assist feature that connects drivers with emergency
services in the case of an accident or emergency.

Ed wrote:

Bill gates who famously thought...

No mention of HD-DVD's imminent demise, then?

Regards

Mark

On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:49:20 -0800, Ed wrote:

Bill gates who famously thought the internet would be a flash in the pan
and also predicted in 2004 that email spam would be a thing of the past
by 2006, so your coffee table may not become a gesture based computer in
the near future.

Bill Gates Looks Ahead at 'Next Digital Decade'

No mention of the tech companies pushing of Trusted Computing hardware
meant to turn PCs into expensive cable boxes and his malignant company's
bribing of politicians to turn the Internet in to a corporate-policed
walled garden either.

In article ,
says...
Bill gates who famously thought the internet would be a flash in the
pan and also predicted in 2004 that email spam would be a thing of the
past by 2006, so your coffee table may not become a gesture based
computer in the near future.

I saw those touch-sensitive tables on Click and they do seem rather
unnecessary, especially since (in pubs) they're based around ordering drinks
and adding a tip (if you've seen the clips of this you'll know what I mean),
but in the average pub when does a waiter ever come to your table? And who
would give a tip when you're paying through the nose for your beer anyway?
--

Dom Robinson Gamertag: DVDfever email: dom at dvdfever dot co dot uk
/* http://DVDfever.co.uk (editor)
/* 1136 DVDs, 362 games, 338 CDs, 110 cinema films, 51 concerts, videos & news
/* half life 2 episode 2, beatles: help, spiderman x360, russell brand, kylie
New music charts - http://dvdfever.co.uk/music.shtml
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=DVDdom

On Tue, 8 Jan 2008 20:54:36 -0000, Dom Robinson
wrote:

In article ,
says...
Bill gates who famously thought the internet would be a flash in the
pan and also predicted in 2004 that email spam would be a thing of the
past by 2006, so your coffee table may not become a gesture based
computer in the near future.

I saw those touch-sensitive tables on Click and they do seem rather
unnecessary, especially since (in pubs) they're based around ordering drinks
and adding a tip (if you've seen the clips of this you'll know what I mean),
but in the average pub when does a waiter ever come to your table? And who
would give a tip when you're paying through the nose for your beer anyway?

I saw that too. Can't see them taking off at all.

Marky P.

"Dom Robinson" wrote in message
...
In article
,
says...
Bill gates who famously thought the internet would be a flash in the
pan and also predicted in 2004 that email spam would be a thing of the
past by 2006, so your coffee table may not become a gesture based
computer in the near future.

I saw those touch-sensitive tables on Click and they do seem rather
unnecessary, especially since (in pubs) they're based around ordering
drinks
and adding a tip (if you've seen the clips of this you'll know what I
mean),
but in the average pub when does a waiter ever come to your table? And who
would give a tip when you're paying through the nose for your beer anyway?
--


Lots more propaganda he

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Reminiscent of those table top Space Invaders machines of the late 70's.

On Jan 9, 6:28*am, "Vortex" wrote:
"Dom Robinson" wrote in message

...





In article
,
says...
Bill gates who famously thought the internet would be a flash in the
pan and also predicted in 2004 that email spam would be a thing of the
past by 2006, so your coffee table may not become a gesture based
computer in the near future.

I saw those touch-sensitive tables on Click and they do seem rather
unnecessary, especially since (in pubs) they're based around ordering
drinks
and adding a tip (if you've seen the clips of this you'll know what I
mean),
but in the average pub when does a waiter ever come to your table? And who
would give a tip when you're paying through the nose for your beer anyway?
--

Lots more propaganda he

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Reminiscent of those table top Space Invaders machines of the late 70's.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I had one of them in my lounge for a while in 1979. As am 8 year old
things didnt get much better!

In article 1cd7f831-eccc-463e-9b4f-
, says...
On Jan 9, 6:28*am, "Vortex" wrote:
"Dom Robinson" wrote in message

...





In article
,
says...
Bill gates who famously thought the internet would be a flash in the
pan and also predicted in 2004 that email spam would be a thing of the
past by 2006, so your coffee table may not become a gesture based
computer in the near future.

I saw those touch-sensitive tables on Click and they do seem rather
unnecessary, especially since (in pubs) they're based around ordering
drinks
and adding a tip (if you've seen the clips of this you'll know what I
mean),
but in the average pub when does a waiter ever come to your table? And who
would give a tip when you're paying through the nose for your beer anyway?
--

Lots more propaganda he

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Reminiscent of those table top Space Invaders machines of the late 70's..- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I had one of them in my lounge for a while in 1979. As am 8 year old
things didnt get much better!

Nice one. I have many happy days (well, one week) in a hotel in Wales playing
Phoenix on one of those.

I'd love a stand-up arcade machine with MAME and the ability to add more (as
they have a CD or USB slot, depending on the model), but first I'd love the
money to be able to buy one
--

Dom Robinson Gamertag: DVDfever email: dom at dvdfever dot co dot uk
/* http://DVDfever.co.uk (editor)
/* 1136 DVDs, 362 games, 401 CDs, 110 cinema films, 51 concerts, videos & news
/* tomb raider anniversary, tony hawk, half life 2 episode 2, spiderman x360
New music charts - http://dvdfever.co.uk/music.shtml
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=DVDdom

On Jan 10, 9:56*pm, Dom Robinson wrote:
In article 1cd7f831-eccc-463e-9b4f-
, says...



On Jan 9, 6:28*am, "Vortex" wrote:
"Dom Robinson" wrote in message

m...

In article
,
says...
Bill gates who famously thought the internet would be a flash in the
pan and also predicted in 2004 that email spam would be a thing of the
past by 2006, so your coffee table may not become a gesture based
computer in the near future.

I saw those touch-sensitive tables on Click and they do seem rather
unnecessary, especially since (in pubs) they're based around ordering
drinks
and adding a tip (if you've seen the clips of this you'll know what I
mean),
but in the average pub when does a waiter ever come to your table? And who
would give a tip when you're paying through the nose for your beer anyway?
--

Lots more propaganda he

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Reminiscent of those table top Space Invaders machines of the late 70's.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I had one of them in my lounge for a while in 1979. As am 8 year old
things didnt get much better!

Nice one. I have many happy days (well, one week) in a hotel in Wales playing
Phoenix on one of those.

I'd love a stand-up arcade machine with MAME and the ability to add more (as
they have a CD or USB slot, depending on the model), but first I'd love the
money to be able to buy one
--

Dom Robinson * * *Gamertag: DVDfever * * *email: dom at dvdfever dot co dot uk
/*http://DVDfever.co.uk(editor)
/* 1136 DVDs, 362 games, 401 CDs, 110 cinema films, 51 concerts, videos & news
/* tomb raider anniversary, tony hawk, half life 2 episode 2, spiderman x360
* * * * * * *New music charts -http://dvdfever.co.uk/music.shtml
* * * * * * *Youtube -http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=DVDdom- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Dad used to work for Courage putting video games and juke boxes in
pubs. We had phoenix, asteroids, moon cresta and invaders in the back
room between 1979 and 1981. It was great.

In message ,
Ed Proclaimed from the tallest tower:

On Jan 10, 9:56 pm, Dom Robinson wrote:
In article 1cd7f831-eccc-463e-9b4f-
,
says...



On Jan 9, 6:28 am, "Vortex" wrote:
"Dom Robinson" wrote in message

...

In article
,
says...
Bill gates who famously thought the internet would be a flash in
the pan and also predicted in 2004 that email spam would be a
thing of the past by 2006, so your coffee table may not become a
gesture based computer in the near future.

I saw those touch-sensitive tables on Click and they do seem
rather unnecessary, especially since (in pubs) they're based
around ordering drinks
and adding a tip (if you've seen the clips of this you'll know
what I mean),
but in the average pub when does a waiter ever come to your
table? And who would give a tip when you're paying through the
nose for your beer anyway? --

Lots more propaganda he

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Reminiscent of those table top Space Invaders machines of the late
70's.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I had one of them in my lounge for a while in 1979. As am 8 year old
things didnt get much better!

Nice one. I have many happy days (well, one week) in a hotel in
Wales playing Phoenix on one of those.

I'd love a stand-up arcade machine with MAME and the ability to add
more (as they have a CD or USB slot, depending on the model), but
first I'd love the money to be able to buy one
--

Dom Robinson Gamertag: DVDfever email: dom at dvdfever dot co dot uk
/*http://DVDfever.co.uk(editor)
/* 1136 DVDs, 362 games, 401 CDs, 110 cinema films, 51 concerts,
videos & news /* tomb raider anniversary, tony hawk, half life 2
episode 2, spiderman x360 New music charts
-http://dvdfever.co.uk/music.shtml
Youtube -http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=DVDdom- Hide quoted
text -

- Show quoted text -

Dad used to work for Courage putting video games and juke boxes in
pubs. We had phoenix, asteroids, moon cresta and invaders in the back
room between 1979 and 1981. It was great.

Ahh! Moon Cresta!! That was the one where you could dock the ships together
between levels to get extra fire-power(??)
I used to love that game! Never lucky enough to own one though, so the local
chippy benefitted rather more from my pocket-money than I did!!

--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)