MICROSOFT CHIEF executive Steve Ballmer delivered his last keynote speech ahead of the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) yesterday, discussing gesture control for PCs, an update for Windows Phone and Microsoft’s latest operating system.
The tech firm, which has delivered several of the opening speeches over the years, brought relatively little that was new to the crowd who had gathered from early in the day to get a spot at Microsoft’s swansong.
Microsoft said last week it would take a break from the show in 2013, as the timing does not fit in with its product release schedule, and Mr Ballmer’s keynote certainly hammered the point home.
He confirmed Microsoft’s body control system for the Xbox, Kinect, would be coming to Windows in February, and also showed off some Windows 8 devices to the crowd.
But what it lacked in shock announcements it made up for in enthusiasm.
“We have a chance in the next year to really raise our game, our product line, to the next level, across phones, PCs, tablets, TVs, the Xbox,” Mr Ballmer said.
Kinect has sold 18 million units since its launch, the Microsoft head said, and would launch for Windows on February 1st.
There was also a recap of some of the announcements around fourth generation LTE networks and Windows Phone devices, including the Nokia Lumia 900, which Nokia had earlier announced for the ATT network in the US, and the HTC Titan 2.
Mr Ballmer said he was “excited and upbeat” about where the Windows Phone system was, claiming it was the first smartphone system that put people first.
The 2012 International CES officially opened yesterday, with more than 140,000 people expected to pass through its doors before it closes on Friday evening. The Consumer Electronics Association said the conference was heading for one of its most successful, beaten only by the 2008 event.
There was plenty to keep the tech faithful occupied over the past few days. On Monday afternoon, Samsung, Sony and Panasonic made announcements, with a heavy focus on connected TVs and new ways to control media.
Echoing some of the themes of competitor LG, Samsung said it would bring face recognition, motion and voice control to its TV range, allowing you to turn the TV on or off, adjust the volume or activate some apps using natural gestures. The company plans to build the features into its high-end TVs from this year, including the new 55-inch Super OLED TV.
Sony was also quick to get in on the upgraded displays and smart TVs, with its new display technology dubbed Crystal LED Display. Sony has a prototype on display at CES and said the display is the industry’s first 55-inch full HD self-emitting display using LEDs as a light source.
The company also said it was working on a 4k TV, which has about four times the image quality of the current HD standard, and announced Bluray DVD players that would upscale images to 4k.
“We always strive to be the best, because Sony creates and delivers more entertainment experiences to more people than anyone here at CES,” said Sony chief executive Sir Howard Stringer. “That’s not just my usual hyperbole – we can all count.”
Integrated and cloud services were a big part of Sony’s offering, synching across phones, tablets, games devices and TVs through Sony’s entertainment network.
“One of greatest strengths must be the ability to deliver distinctive entertainment experiences by using all the resources across the network,” Sony’s executive deputy president Kaz Hirai said.
