I’m live-blogging the Microsoft keynote. The keynote started late due to a power outage but now everything is back to normal, some two hours after a reboot.
Keep refreshing this page for the latest info.
9:01P CT – Ballmer on stage, stressing that the economic impact had an influence on Microsoft but now on a rebound.
9:02P CT – Video of SNL writer Seth Meyers talking about how technology changed our lives, pretty lame. Is that the best they could have gotten? Little applause from the audience.
9:06P CT – Three categories: Screen everywhere – I guess sharing your screen with other device. Cloud – having your data everywhere; and Natural User interface
9:07P Ballmer “We Facebook, We Twitter and we BING. BING! BING! BING! BING! We Bing in our household” The new developers, developers, developers catch-phrase.
9:08P – Talking about 2009; integrating Facebook, Twitter and last.fm into XBOX360
9:10P – Ballmer “We have sold 39 million XBOX360s around the world”. That pretty low, isn’t it?
9:11P – Talking about Bing. New Bing Maps, go from satellite to Maps to looking at your house. Just like Google.
9:11P – Bing will become the default search engine and homepage on all HP computers sold around the world.
9:12P – Microsoft Sync expands to other cars, coming to Kia in 2011.
9:13P – Leaked information that a tablet is coming, Project Natal for sale for Christmas 2010.
9:17P – Windows 7 sales jumped 63% when released, according to NPD Group. Ballmer “Best Windows operating system”.
9:21P – Ballmer stops talking, now demos boring Windows 7 stuff.
9:23P – Showing touch screens PCs and my goodness the Dell Adamo is thin!! And showing that netbook pcs can run the full version of Windows 7. Except my HP mininote, that thing barely runs Windows at all.
9:25P – 3D enters gaming . . . and you have to wear the glasses. Good thing is that all games can be HD capable.
9:26P – Was going to show a TV with Windows built in but the power failure blew the tube. Not a good selling point if you have a power failure.
9:27P – Demos bleo (I think its spelled like that) reader, showing interactive textbooks. Looks good, if you get a class that will use that book. Software can read the text out-loud and have interactive short videos.
9:28P – Demos syncing Powerpoint. Like the ability to have two people working on a project and merges both copies. As well as new transitions in powerpoint.
9:34P – TV PC, includes CableCARD, allows 4 record of live shows, and TV everywhere.
9:36P – And our first demo freeze.
9:37P – New frontend of media center PC can access TV shows through Internet. Shows CBS.com,. PBS and Netflix. Does not show Hulu but someone will put that in. Now you can really cancel cable.
9:38P – Big screen went dead. Starting to question if Apple was behind the power failure.
9:40P – AT&T U-verse will allow to watch TV on XBOX360. IPTV was announced at CES two years ago and it finally gets integrated with Media Room 2.0. Will alow AT&T ONDemand to work on Media Center. Demo on stage works on Cox Cable, which is available in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, we will be testing this. Also has the ability to watch OnDemand media on Windows Mobile phones.
9:44P – And here comes the slate PCs (middle finger towards Apple). HP and Archos will have one. Available later this year, HP model. Surprise to me – also can run Kindle software. Many on Twitter already dissing the slate PC; I’ll give Ballmer another chance as he wasn’t looking at the screen and has fast fingers. And now a boring video from Seth Meyers.
9:49P – Robbie Bach now on stage, Entertainment division of Microsoft. Now showing new stuff about XBOX360.
9:51P – XBOX360 will be the best year; New games like Mass Effect 2, new Splinter Cell, and COD:Modern Warfare 2. Also includes Fable III and Crackdown 2.
9:52P – Will debut a new gaming genre. Bach “Imagine Lost written by Steve King.” Also showing another Halo game – Halo Reach.
9:55P – “In respect to the intellectual property begin demonstrated on stage, we are temporary suspending the [live stream]” BOO!
9:57P – Halo Reach coming Fall 2010; those that own Halo 3 ODST can get demo in the spring 2010.
9:59P – XBOX 360 will integrate with Zune video store, in 1080P, 5.1 surround sound. If you buy a movie on Zune store, you can move it to Zune HD, Windows Media Center and TV. But not Windows Mobile?!?!?
10:01P – XBOX360 and Windows Media Center will get classic games. Also has ability to play with friends on XBOX Live. Over a 1,000 games in three years.
10:04P – Now talking about Project Natal – freeing the controller. Now showing the team behind Natal.
10:09P – A promise that Natal will come this holiday 2010. No date and price, yet!
10:10P – And that’s it! Thanks for reading!