[photopress:keyboard.jpg,full,center] Bill Gates was recently giving a speech at Canegie Mellon and said the following: “We say that there’ll be more searches done through speech than through the keyboard five years from now.” That’s five years from now. 2013. We’ll have jet packs and flying cars and push-button girlfriends by then, too. At least I will. Bill, as your neighbor and friend, I must recommend you stop buying the cheap crack. Go to Belltown and get the good stuff. In related news, Logitech has been accused of hiring a hitman for an anonymous murder in an affluent Washington State neighborhood. (No, not really.) Gates predicts rise of voice-based search [Todd Bishop's Microsoft Blog] → Read More
[photopress:bill_gates_xbox_360_221105.jpg,full,center] I’m all about “Takin’ it to the top” to get your stuff fixed. If I have a problem with customer service, I have no compunction against asking for a supervisor. Jon, writing to Consumerist, had no scruples about this either. When his Xbox 360 started acting up, he wrote to Kathleen Hogan, VP of Customer Service, as well as the big man Gates himself. The results? A new Xbox 360, that worked. We can’t say this will happen for everyone, but it’s good to know Mr. Gates checks his email once in awhile, yes? Emailing Bill Gates Results In New XBOX [Consumerist] → Read More
[photopress:msfttalks.jpg.jpg,full,center] AP image Intrigue! It looks like Microsoft was hedging its high-def disc bets with the revelation that it was in talks with the Blu-ray folks “all along.” Even though it currently backs HD DVD, the truth of the matter is that the Xbox 360′s high-def disc playback is largely a matter of built-in software. The implication is that with the flick of a switch Microsoft could add Blu-ray support to the 360. It should be noted that even though Microsoft currently is in HD DVD’s corner, its actual, long-term position on the format war seems to be “yeah, this is all temporary.” Save for Steve Jobs, no executive, to my knowledge, has been as bullish on digital downloads of movies, high-def or otherwise, as Bill Gates. But yes, Microsoft was in talks with Blu-ray. Let the mudslinging begin. Sitting Down with Microsoft’s Jeff Bell [1UP.com via Xbox-Scene] → Read More
While our liveblogging software worked wonders, our wireless connection did not. Thanks, CES, for repeatedly holding the keynotes in places surrounded by electronic interference and wall after wall of signal-reducing crap. Anyway, here are the photos we couldn’t get to you live, and we’re sorry we could not. Also is the replay, so you can follow along step-by-step, like you were there! And like we had a decent Internet connection! And it was still Sunday! Yay! → Read More
Click through to see the full liveblog replay. → Read More
This will truly be a sad and momentous CES for many. I’m not looking forward to my excursion in the desert and this will be my first CES. I may throw my glamorous career and life in the trash if nothing groundbreaking is announced or unveiled. Failing that, I may end up in a ditch or roaming the desert hopped up on peyote. I haven’t decided yet. It’s also Bill Gates’ last CES as the head of MS. I’m sure he’ll want to go out with a bang. So I hope this rumor of an Xbox with and internal HD DVD drive is true. It only makes sense considering the PS3 has an internal Blu-ray drive. The format war isn’t going to end anytime soon and consumers will not want to purchase an external drive, either. So, Mr. Gates, I hope you bow out of the limelight with something worth announcing on your last go around. If not, I’ll boo and throw stuff at the stage. If I get kicked out then my trip will be worth it. Visions of Gates’ keynote swan song [Seattle Times] → Read More
Bill Gates now owns 3-percent of the world’s second-largest Coke bottler and Mexico’s second-largest brewery. I say good for you, Mr. Gates. Cascade Investment LLC, the asset management firm that Gates owns, recently purchased almost 11 million shares of Monterrey, Mexico’s Femsa. Femsa has a soft drink unit (Coca-Cola Femsa), a beer subsidiary, and a retail unit that runs Mexico’s popular Oxxo convenience stores. Bill Gates buys stake in Mexican brewer Femsa [Reuters] → Read More
Not sure what this has to do with anything, but Flamin’ Bill Gates just wrote what I would call an op-ed for BBC news regarding the future of IT. Like his speech on the Internet, this seems a bit like the guy who just discovered the White Stripes and is now telling his buddies about it. If you look at the most interesting things that have emerged in the last decade – whether it is cool things like portable music devices and video games or more practical things like smart phones and medical technology – they all come from the realm of science and engineering. → Read More
Hey, you know what’d be great? If Bill Gates told us why the Zune 2 is good. I gotta say, that Wi-Fi music sync features is pretty clutch. Hopefully this will force other companies to get on board the Wi-Fi Express. Video: Bill Gates talks about Zune 2 [Zune-Online.com] → Read More
Picture this. A child is in a hospital room, away from home and scared by his or her surroundings. Everything smells different, everything looks different, all the people are different. Where are mom and dad? When is it time to go home? Suddenly, in marches a robotic monster with green fur asking for hugs. → Read More
In Sarajevo, Bill Gates is the next best thing to diamonds apparently. So it makes perfect sense why Club Bill Gates exists. Looks actually kind of crowded and more like a restaurant than a club. I wonder how the “Blue Spaghetti of Death” is… Flickr Page → Read More
Everyone’s favorite software company, Micro$oft (note clever use of dollar sign), made $13.37 billion in revenue last quarter, placing it about $50 billion in the current fiscal year. They chalk their good fortune up to strong sales in Windows Server and Vista, XBox 360, and stealing and processing the life energy of third-world babies for off-world energy export. “Our results this quarter cap off an extremely strong fiscal year for the company,” said Chris Liddell, chief financial officer at Microsoft. “We have healthy core businesses and are strategically investing in growth opportunities, which will build on our success and contribute to continued double-digit revenue and earnings growth in fiscal year 2008.” Liddell then entered his mediation chamber where he contacted the Emperor, explaining that the new Microsoft Battle Station 2008 was almost completely operational. Press Release → Read More
http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/452319854 Actually, they kind of like each other. Just listen to the gentle lilt of Steve’s voice and observe the shy smile on Bill’s face. Imagine being a fly on the wall back in the green room *wavy TV picture and music* “Well, this is it, Bill?” Steve smooths out his turtleneck and rubs off some lint with an iRoller. “PI!” says Bill, putting down his iPaq. He then reverse-engineers OS X and then includes WinFS into the core. → Read More
I love a good deathmatch and this is maybe the biggest duel to be found amongst us nerds. The video is a few weeks old, but I haven’t seen it posted anywhere, so I imagine many of you haven’t either. Anyway, enjoy. → Read More
Earlier today, Bill Gates went on the Vista offensive saying that the new OS has been “well received.” That’s funny, I could have sworn earlier in the week, CEO Steve Ballmer was flipping out over piracy and slow Vista sales. Gates says PC manufacturers have embraced Vista and it’s currently helping boost sales for companies. True, but what about regular, off-the-shelf sales? Is Gates nervous about the future of Windows? Here’s what he said to Reuters: Asked by Reuters if there was anything that would make Microsoft cautious about the outlook for Vista, Gates replied: “I don’t know what you mean. Vista’s had an incredible reception.” Denial! C’mon Billy Boy, you know things suck in the land of Vista. Just admit it and we’ll be on our way. Windows Vista well received: Gates [Reuters] → Read More
You remember that party you had a few months ago, where your buddy and his ex-girlfriend both showed up? You know, the ones that don’t ever get along, but they pretended to for your benefit? That’s what May 30 might look like, as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates take the stage together at the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital conference. But they won’t be discussing a joint venture, or even making speeches. They’re just going to chat. The topic they’ll share will be the future of the digital revolution, something both men have had equal part in executing (no dig on Gates here; while Jobs’s camp invented much of the hi-tech we take for granted today, it was Gates’s Microsoft that put it into the hands of the masses). Also speaking will be AOL’s Steve Case, MS’s Steve Ballmer, George Lucas, and Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm. Despite the who’s-who list of tech leaders, all eyes will be on Steve and Bill. It’ll be interesting to see what exactly these two will agree on, and equally interesting to see what they don’t. Officially, we’re hoping for a civil discussion between two luminaries who’ve known each other for decades about what’s next on the digital horizon, but secretly, we want blood on the stage. Bill? Steve? Step into the octagon. → Read More
Sometimes you gotta face the music, Billy boy. You know damn well you copied a lot of features from OS X when designing Vista and now CNN is calling you out. Watch this video to see Gates get called out on his own game and go “no no no” as a rebuttal. But according to Gates, Vista has revolutionary features like support for tablet PCs and parental controls. Parental controls? Wow! I totally have to run out and buy Vista now if not for the parental controls, then perhaps for the networking utilities. You got called out Gates. Man up and deal with it. Bill Gates lists Vista ‘innovations’ Apple’s had for years [Youtube] → Read More
http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/syndicated_player/index.jhtml You don’t need any silly blogger to convince you that Vista is by and far the best Windows operating system yet. No, you need Microsoft’s chairman Bill Gates, who sat down last night with the Daily Show’s John Stewart for quite awhile and discussed the OS, as well as password protection and that pesky F12 key. It appears as if the Daily Show’s crew went all-out for the chairman’s visit, as the Vista logo is every-freakin’-where on the set. If the charming Microsoft boss doesn’t make you want to get Vista, we don’t know what will. Catch Part 2 after the jump. → Read More
So with so many flavors of Windows Vista set to debut, one would think there couldn’t possibly be room for one more. Outlandish as always, Microsoft has dreamed up yet another version of Windows: Windows Vista Ultimate Signature Edition. Yes, for $259, you get a numbered box with a fake Bill Gates signature printed on the front. If you really want a copy, head on over to Amazon for one. Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Limited Numbered Signature Edition (seriously) [Engadget] → Read More
http://www.podtech.net/player/podtech-player.swf?bc=3F34K2L1 Lots of Vista/Microsoft news today including the addition of IPTV to the XBox Dashboard and the launch of Windows Home Server along with technology like SideShow which adds Media Center functionality to small devices like remote controls. We’re going to try to track down a few hotnesses for you in the next few hours, but it looks like Vista+Media are going to make lots of people happy. Exlusive lunch with Robert Scoble and Bill Gates [ScobleShow] → Read More
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