Gates Talks Interconnected Future (Courtesy of Microsoft) New Vista Features and Gates Looks Ahead Christopher Saunders
New Vista Features
Vista, nevertheless, remains at the center of Gates', and Microsoft's, vision of the future. Consequently, the keynote also featured demonstrations from various Microsoft executives that highlighted new and previously unannounced features of Vista. These include the ability for a Vista PC, while doing a file search, to also include documents on other Vista machines in a home network.
Microsoft Group Product Manager Justin Hutchinson also said Windows Vista Ultimate Edition automatically downloads small, useful applications like GroupShot photo software (which offers a solution to the dreaded problem of group photos being ruined by a blinking subject), and DreamScene, a feature that enables full-screen video desktop wallpaper.
Hutchinson also demonstrated a new 3D mapping feature that's available to Vista users, courtesy of Windows Live, Microsoft's online content service that integrates with the new OS. During his demo, Hutchinson "flew" around a Flight Simulator-like 3D representation of Las Vegas using a Xbox controller, which also demonstrated Vista's ability to support Xbox 360 peripherals.
Another new feature in Vista targets sports fans. Through Vista's Media Center, users can launch SportsLounge, which uses live content from FoxSports.com to offer live TV, sports score "weather crawls," scheduled recording, and fantasy sports player tracking.
Gates Looks Ahead
Gates wound down his keynote by discussing his expectations for future "connected home" scenarios that would build on current technologies.
One such possibility revolves around delivering deep and location-aware content to a mobile phone. At a bus stop, for instance, Gates said he expects to receive bus schedule information on his phone, as well as information, coupons, and menus for nearby restaurants.
Gates also highlighted the idea of using a mobile phone to remotely control functions at home. While still at the bus stop, he said that he'd be able to use his digital phone to respond to a ring on his home doorbell. In this case, he's using a front-door Webcam to identify the visitor – a deliveryman – and to securely send a digital signature to sign for his package.
In the kitchen of a future home, Gates said to expect help from advancements in projection and display technology, along with RFID and voice control. Here, he described preparing a recipe with the assistance of his home computer, which could project recipes and item information on his countertop. The system could also analyze products (like a bag of flour) when placed on the countertop, using RFID chips in those products, and Gates demonstrated navigating through a menu-driven recipe program using voice commands.
Similarly, Gates said greater availability and affordability of display technology would enable bedrooms to sport entire walls comprised of computer-controlled displays. He briefly demonstrated changing the "wallpaper" of a mock bedroom using a tablet PC, to show off a music group poster, a playable feed from the Xbox 360, and a Webcam.
"The idea of connected experiences can go way beyond what we've got this year," Gates said. "We can take these incredible improvements in the hardware, take the new type of content being designed for interactivity, take this powerful software building on the work you're seeing this year in Vista, Office, and all these great third-party things connecting up to the device."
Christopher Saunders is managing editor of JupiterWeb's Sysopt.com.
