Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates
previewed new technologies for Windows XP at the Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas that transform the humble PC
into a digital control centre.
Taken together, the technologies are part of a familiar vision that
the Microsoft executive has hawked at the CES in previous years.
The company is betting that consumers want anytime, anywhere access
to their digital files and applications - and that they will trust
Microsoft's software to do it.
The overall vision is to allow users to access their applications
and digital content from computer screens and other devices
anywhere around the home or office via a wireless network.
The new software includes Mira, a set of wireless technologies that
enable users to unplug a flat-panel display from their desktop PC
and carry it around with them, retaining access to all of the
applications and digital content on the PC. The wireless connection
is based on the 802.11 wireless standard, and users can interact
with the PC through a touch-sensitive display as if they were
sitting at their PC.
According to Microsoft, hardware partners such as ViewSonic are
expected to release flat-screen terminals enabled with the Mira
technology by the end of 2002. The technology could also be
embedded in simple screens around the home that could display
digital videos or pictures, Gates said.
"What we mean when we talk about integrated computing is that as
you move from device to device, your information is there for you,"
Gates told the conference.
The other new technology, dubbed Freestyle, turns the Windows XP
interface into a control panel that can be operated using a remote
control-like gadget. Large icons on the screen allow a user to
operate the computer from a distance, playing music or video clips
that could be played on the PC or another computer screen in the
home. The Freestyle interface should also be available in the next
12 months, Gates said.
Gates also announced that the company's software for smart cellular
phones, dubbed Stinger, has been renamed Smart Phone 2002. The
software will power devices that blend the functionality of a PDA
and a phone, he said, showing future products from Samsung and
Cyberlink.
The developments are made possible by dramatic improvements in the
power of computer chips, combined with declining hardware costs, he
said. Software has a vital role to play, he added, providing the
glue that will allow smart devices to talk to each other and share
information.
Key to this new environment will be wireless technology, Gates
claimed. "The explosive way that these devices work together will
overwhelmingly be wireless, and the standards around Wi-Fi, or
so-called 802.11," he said.
Building such a world will mean building trust among consumers that
Microsoft's software is secure and reliable enough to manage it
all, he said. Well-publicised security problems with Microsoft's
software mean the company may face an uphill battle to win that
confidence.
"This trustworthiness will have to be an element of all the
different devices - that's a substantial challenge, but it's a
challenge we can meet," Gates said.
One analyst said the Mira concept is a good one, because it will
allow users to roam about their home or office and still have
complete access to their PC. However, one stumbling block is likely
to be price, which could limit the use of the technology to early
adopters, said Tim Bajarin, president of research company Creative
Strategies.
Mira depends on the use of relatively expensive flat-panel
displays, and it would be hard to sell one for less than $500
(£347) and still make a profit, Bajarin said. Corporate users may
find the technology appealing, however, and might be willing to pay
for the mobility.
"I could see the usefulness in certain corporate environments; if
you were to go down the hall to a conference room and give a
presentation, you could imagine it might be useful to have access
to an extension of your PC," he said.
The concept described by Gates at the CES is similar to the one put
forward by Apple Computer's chief executive officer, Steve Jobs, at
the Macworld conference, in which the personal computer acts as the
hub of a universe of digital devices such as music players, cameras
and handheld computers.
Microsoft's plan is more ambitious, however, seeing a role for its
software in virtually every electrical appliance in the home. The
company's plans are based on two operating system products, Windows
CE and Windows XP, and complemented with its Windows Media
technologies.
"Those are the software products we adapt to every one of these
intelligent devices to make sure we can deliver the intelligent
experience," Gates said.