Gates Ushers In The ""Consumer Electronics-Plus Era""

At last weekís 2000 International CES, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and CEO Bill Gates demonstrated a new interconnected era where ""software magic"" links and controls dozens of digital consumer electronic appliances, enabling them to seamlessly share information anywhere, anytime. Gates predicted that in the future consumers will have personalized access to music, news, entertainment, home management services, e-mail and even wireless e-books, newspapers and magazines, inside and outside the home from various Internet appliances, including TVs, telephones , car stereos and pocket PCs.CES attendees began to see this convergence enabled by digital technology on the show floor. More than 1,500 exhibitors showcased the latest in workstyle and lifestyle technologies at CES to more than 90,000 industry professionals.To illustrate the pervasiveness of the digital age, Gates showed an amusing video entitled, Everybodyís Talking about Technology. It featured Gates in a cameo performance as Austin Gates, International Man of Technology; a spoof on MTVís The Real World with Diane Sawyer, Tom Brokaw, Jeff Bezos and Michael Dell; a court scene with Judge Judy settling a dispute between elderly delinquents Gates and Warren Buffett; and actor Leslie Nielsen speaking candidly about HDD, a.k.a. hard drive dysfunction.Microsoftís mission to empower people through software will allow consumers to engage in such interactive applications as participating in a game show, organizing TV programs and music into customized collections, requesting complimentary information from the Internet and creating and editing home videos that can be stored on a Web page.In addition, a short video showed how the home of the future with universal plug-and-play capabilities might operate. Microsoftís concept home in Redmond, Washington uses iris scanning to unlock the front door; panels throughout the house to control the temperature, shades and the entertainment center with music, Internet and TV access; and even a display to show who is at the front door. Gates said, ""I actually live in a home like this and it really works."" He added, ""It is more than just devices and software; there are services that update the software. ""The bottom line is straightforward, there will be a whole new generation of products and we look forward to new partnerships,"" Gates commented. ""The next five years are going to be incredible.""