Steve Cote: Check out the CES Keynote, new cool stuff on Windows 8, Kinect, Surface, Windows Phone 7

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Check out the CES Keynote, new cool stuff on Windows 8, Kinect, Surface, Windows Phone 7

Did you miss the live keynote stream of CES last night/this morning? Go check it out is a little less than an hour and has new cool stuff on Windows 8 with ARM and SoC support, Kinect, Surface, Windows Phone 7.

Watch it complete or see clips from the keynote here: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/ces/VideoGallery.aspx

Some highlights below

Xbox Kinect

Control your avatar?s facial expression, head and arm movements. As you talk, frown, smile, or scowl, your voice and facial expressions are enacted by your avatar, bringing your avatar to life.

Invite up to seven friends to join you in the imaginative virtual environments. Discuss the latest entertainment or sports topics, or even perform on stage, and see your friends? facial expressions in real time. Record your session with a producer?s editorial eye, following your performance, zooming and panning, just like a real TV production, then share your videos online with friends.

Choose from 15 unique and imaginative virtual sets to reflect your mood and inspire your conversations or performances. Arrive or leave your session in style with unique animations like flying in with a jet pack, or snapping your fingers to vanish. You can also add cool animated and visual effects to creatively express your thoughts.

When you watch Mediaroom-powered TV on your PC with Windows Media Center, you?ll get all the HD TV, DVR, and VOD programming you love with no additional hardware required. New on-demand programming is also available through your browser, delivering instant entertainment to any Windows 7-based PC.

Mediaroom features an intuitive on-screen guide so you can quickly and easily browse through TV and movie listings, and live or recorded programs. You can search for current or future programs using keywords, and watch clips and video previews of what?s on other channels or programs that are coming soon.

Mediaroom?s video-on-demand storefront enables rentals and purchases through an intuitive menu system, giving you instant access to movies and entertainment. Watch the latest blockbuster or an old classic, an incredible concert or the kids? favorites.

ESPN on Xbox LIVE delivers more than 3,500 live, global sporting events a year from ESPN3.com. Enjoy features like HD and on-demand programming, out-of-market games, and access to clips and highlights from ESPN.com. Catch all the bowl game action this college football season and predict which teams will win this season?s 36 bowl game match-ups.

Zune is Microsoft?s digital entertainment service that provides a single music and video service that works across multiple screens. It brings the best music, movies, and TV straight to Xbox 360. Rent or buy HD films and TV shows right from Zune Marketplace. And with a Zune Pass music subscription, you can access millions of songs through Xbox 360.

Surface

Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface features new technology that gives LCD panels the power to see without the use of cameras, a 40-inch, high-definition screen, and thin form factor with multiple configuration options (horizontal and vertical).