Experience the new Microsoft Zune and Future Technology with Bill Gates at CES Keynote

After the demonstration of Windows Vista by Bill Gates at the CES keynote, Robbie Bach, President of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) talked about Zune, which he said, has rapidly become the No.2 music player after Apple (AAPL) iPod. Of course, the objective of Microsoft is to dominate the portable music player market. Bach said that Zune will become the leader. Honestly, I think that Microsoft has a real challenge with Zune. Even though I was impressed with Zune features such as the large screen, the FM tuner, and the ability to beam songs between devices (you can play the beamed song three times over three days), I think that Microsoft could have done much better with the name; they did such a great job with Xbox. Yet, Microsoft has a solid record of success. So, we have to wait and see how popular Zune becomes. Bach also showed Xbox 360 which he said had such a tremendous success over the Holidays.

Bill Gates announced HP MediaSmart Server powered by Windows Home Server developed in partnership with Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) which will be available this year. This Windows home server will allow you to have a home network, connect all your home computers and store all your data, music, and videos on one server with scheduled backups along with secured remote access in case you want to access your home PCs while traveling. I need this!

Another product Gates talked about is Windows Mobile, which is not new, yet has been increasingly and extremely popular in cell phones and has a lot more potential in the future. Windows mobile allows users to access on their cellular phones, their Microsoft Word and Excel documents, their Microsoft Outlook emails and all kind of other neat software. Bill Gates also announced that Microsoft and Ford (F) partnered together to develop Sync, a new in-car digital system exclusive to Ford. The voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital music players is powered by Microsoft Auto Software and allows you to pretty much integrate your phone and music into your car. You can connect any Zune or iPod to Sync and stream MP3s off your phone. If you are on your cell phone and enter your car, Sync takes over the phone conversation and you can use the hands-free car phone system; users can access their mobile phone or digital music player, including genre, album, artist and song title, via voice commands. Your IM will be automatically read to you with voice technology. Per Ford executive, Mark Fields, Sync will be made affordable and available not just in luxury cars but in some everyday Ford cars as well.

Bill Gates talked about the futuristic home that Microsoft has on campus where they dream about how any house could be in years to come. Bill Gates showed us a bedroom of the future with a multi-screen wall panel with at least 16 screens going over two bedroom walls; the gigantic screen controlled by a simple remote was used to display videos such as a thrilling car race or a soothing aquarium setting, for any mood and ambiance, and with music of course! You can also play video games on the wall. How exciting is that? Quite impressive! I cannot wait for the future!

All trademarks in this article are the properties of their respective owners.

This article has been written by Marylin Stompler, MBA, President of Power Accessories Corp., a leading company dedicated to provide quality iPod Accessories at Affordable Prices. Marylin Stompler has more than twelve years of technical and business experience in the high-tech industry. Visit [http://www.poweraccessories.com] for additional articles and iPod accessories at affordable prices.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Bill Gates WOWs us with Microsoft Windows Vista at CES Keynote

I just came back from my annual trip to CES to find the best iPod accessories and the latest technology for my company. This year, the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) celebrated his 40th birthday and was kicked off by the Bill Gates keynote on Sunday November 7 in Las Vegas at the Venetian Hotel. The event was sold out! 5,000 people attended and hundreds more people tried to get in without success. Security was tight! The focus of Bill Gates keynote was a showcase of the newest products from Microsoft including Windows Vista and the new Zune music player; Gates also gave us a glimpse into the future with products such as Ford (F) Sync and a demonstration of technology from the Microsoft futuristic house.

Here are some of the Windows Vista features demonstrated in the keynote. You can now play video files as the background of your desktop in Windows Vista. It was visually stunning! Another new feature was the Windows Photo Gallery where you can easily organize, find, and view pictures. With Windows Vista, you can also easily burn DVDs complete with a main menu and the play option, just like in commercial movies! This is definitely something the many Windows users will love to use! Windows Vista also provides enhanced capabilities to play games and access to XboxLive. Something really cool in Windows Vista is Windows Live with a lot of functionality such as Windows Live Search powered by Microsoft Virtual Earth, somewhat similar to Google (GOOG) 3-D application, Google Earth, which lets you view maps and satellite images for regional searches. The actual demonstration was very real. I felt like I was inside a video game, going down the Las Vegas strip and seeing hotels and traffic. What a trip! Windows Vista includes other impressive features such as Instant Search Box and Windows Sidebar & Gadgets to quickly access functionality, data, and files, Internet Explorer 7, which I have been using since the beta and that I love, Data Backup and Restore so you never lose information, and a lot more.

Windows Vista also features a digital entertainment system, called Windows Media Center (not included in Windows Vista Business Edition)--providing the ability to store and access live and recorded TV, movies, music, and pictures with an easy-to-use menu and remote --in one place. Very nice!

The new Microsoft Office 2007 was very impressive with major improvements in the look and feel and with key functionality at your fingertips to make it much easier for new users to be up and running quickly. Another benefit of Microsoft Office 2007 is that it also runs on Windows XP in case you do not want to upgrade to Windows Vista, just yet!

With Windows Easy Transfer, Microsoft makes it easier to transfer your data, user accounts, settings, photos, videos, and more to your new computer running Windows Vista. Belkin also offers the new Easy Transfer Cable for Windows Vista working in conjunction with Windows Easy Transfer to facilitate the transfer on your new computer.

However, if you upgrade, watch out that the software you run on your current version of Windowsâ are all compatible with Windows Vista. You can check the Microsoft (MSFT) Web site to view a list of the software that work with or are certified for Windows Vista. Otherwise you may have some downtime struggling with software that may not run smoothly on Windows Vista.

To sum it up, Microsoft got really great reviews about Windows Vista, which won the Best of CES Award in the Computers and Hardware category. I must admit: it looks real tempting to upgrade!

All trademarks in this article are the properties of their respective owners.

This article has been written by Marylin Stompler, MBA, President of Power Accessories Corp., a leading company dedicated to provide quality iPod Accessories at Affordable Prices. Marylin Stompler has more than twelve years of technical and business experience in the high-tech industry. Prior to working at Power Accessories Corp., Marylin Stompler was a Vice-President for several successful high-tech companies. Visit [http://www.poweraccessories.com] for additional articles and iPod accessories.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.