CES 2006: Bill Gate's Keynote Address

Its time for CES watch...
and here is the transcript of Bill Gates's pre-show keynote address at this year's CES 2006.

I think he has some interesting ideas worth contemplating over.

I thought I would start off and show a scenario that we think will be real by the end of the Digital Decade, so within the next four years or so, this will be something we think will actually be realistic.

The term "digital decade" was mentioned by Bill Gates in 2001 at his Comdex keynote.

I think I was really impressed by the phone demo.

And so I can take my phone here, and I just put it down on a table that's here in the airport lounge, and it recognizes it. It's got a little camera here, and a little Bluetooth, nothing very complicated with the magic of software behind it. And it says it wants me to authenticate that this is really me, my phone. So, as soon as I put my fingerprint there, I'm connected up, and I actually get a full-sized desktop. And so now, if I want to read mail, or browse, that's all there.

A full-sized desktop workspace projected on a table, authenticated with a phone and fingerprint, anywhere and anytime! Really cool. I am confident we will see this becoming mainstream (among business travellers) in 5 to 10 years' time.


Also, see Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer play a boxing game (Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frasier) on XBox 360. Of course, Bill Gates won. I find the commentry by Al Bernstein very amusing.

First of all, in this corner, playing the role of Mohammed Ali, he floats like an MSN butterfly and he stings like a bee, let's welcome back a true heavyweight, Bill Gates. (Applause.)

Now, in this corner, playing the role of Joe Frasier, he's the sultan of security, and he's the prince of productivity, the Motor City hit man, Steve Ballmer. (Applause.)

And I wonder how much they paid Al Bernstein to say:
"Ladies and gentlemen, watch these replays, they are so realistic that it's unreal."



On a more serious issue, URGE might be a direct competitor to Apple iTunes music download service.

And to-be-expected there was a demo on Windows Vsita (Flip 3D, Quick Search, Live taskbar thumbnails, etc). Its high time we better do something about KDE and GNOME interfaces.

Check out the CES 2006 Keynote page for more keynote addresses.
(Still waiting for Larry Page's keynote transcripts...)


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