Ballmer, Bach head Microsoft news

Electronista was at Microsoft's keynote for CES 2010 providing live coverage. Steve Ballmer and Robbie Bach made several new announcements, including a talked-about HP tablet and some Xbox 360 updates. Updates as always are in reverse chronological order, Pacific time.

Keynote ends.

8:11PM: Wrapping up here. If this is 2010, imagine what computing will be like in another 10 years.

8:09PM Project Natal comes up; recapping the concept of a motion driven game controller.

Natal will ship holiday 2010. Lots of "progress" made since E3.

8:02PM: Robbie Bach on stage. Shows Game Room for Xbox 360. Relive classic arcade games as they were originally made. For Xbox and [believed] Windows PC. 1,000 games coming over the next 3 years.



7:48PM: Microsoft shows the HP slate PC. Runs Windows 7, works in portrait or landscape, due later this year. Obviously running x86 processor. Running Kindle software as a demo.




7:38PM Windows Media Center demo. Note: our battery is very low; coverage may stop soon.

7:30PM Showed the Blio reader (already public) with interactive diagrams, video and text-to-speech. Showing Office 2010, including Powerpoint. Ballmer's three top things in a Powerpoint slide are "developers, developers, developers."



7:24PM: Showing new (announced) Windows systems: Lenovo A300, Sony VAIO L, Dell Adamo XPS, ASUS NX90 concept, HP Envy 15, Toshiba Qosmio X505, ASUS G51.

DirectX 11 coming in a few weeks.

7:17PM: Extols Windows Mobile devices and points out that the HTC HD2 will ship to T-Mobile USA soon.

Black Friday: Windows PC sales up 63% year-over-year.




7:11PM: Bing the default search, MSN the default homepage on HP's PCs.

7:09PM: Over 39 million Xbox 360s, more than 500 million games sold. Talks about Bing "resignating" (resonating) with users.

7:07PM: A view into 3 aspects of MS strategy: importance of PC and the TV, the cloud and natural user interfaces. The "digital middle class" is growing fast and needs help.




7:02PM: Steve Ballmer onstage: discusses impact of MS tech on 2009. Video of SNL writer in funny ways tech has "helped" him.

6:57PM: Starting with CEA head Gary Shapiro. Talking about 2010 as a turning point following tough 2009.

6:54PM: Microsoft keynote finally starting after "power problems," though Ballmer's not yet on stage.

6:25PM: Waiting for the keynote; floating images from Microsoft's various products on the displays. The room is packed as it often is with the company's keynotes.

By Electronista Staff