A presentation at the CES 2011 by the Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer aimed to prove to consumers that Windows has the “breadth and depth and flexibility” to maintain its reputation for excellence and stay at the head of the computing market for years to come.
His display, which was streamed live on Facebook and on the Microsoft site, was largely based around how in the near future we will be able to control all our gadgets and computers through our voice and even our gestures in a simple, streamlined process which lets us link together all of our technology for a unified control.
For many the most interesting part of his speech would have been the section around the upcoming appearance of Avatar Kinect, a stunning upgrade for Live Gold users of the Xbox which will ensure that the figure on the screen has a facial expression copied from the gamer’s own current expression. This will also be useful for people who want to give a more personalised experience in their video conferences. Other advances which are due soon will include ESPN, HuluPlus and Netflix.
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Kinect Avatar Trailer
In a boost for British industry Mr Ballmer then stated that the Windows chips will now be all sourced from the UK company Arm Holdings. Another interesting part of his demonstration was when he showed us the wonderful two screen laptop which Toshiba are setting high hopes on and which drew a great reaction from the gathered crowd.
With the fast pace at which the technology market moves it is no wonder that sometimes we take long established companies like Microsoft for granted and expect ground breaking innovations to come from newer, hungrier firms. However, are these latest displays of progress and fresh ideas enough to convince you that no one will be taking over their mantle anytime soon?
