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On my way to the keynote I bumped into Jeff Sandquist. I of course congratulated himon his recent launch of On10.net. Check it out.

Then, when getting coffee I once again ran into Jon Gallant. We got coffee and headed to the keynote together.
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I got into the keynote a little late (the coffee was worth it), and Joe Belfiore was already talking. He was demoing Office with application integration via Web Services. He demo'ed what looked to be Office 12 with an eBay application integratd into it. This enabled auction items from eBay to enter Outlook as Outlook items, providing all the richness that comes with the tool. This included reminders on auctions, and syncing with mobile device. Since my team is working on an add-in to Outlook, I found this be be very interesting (I wish I would have gotten there a little earlier, but the coffee was worth it).

Next Joe demo'ed the Windows Vista Sidebar and a few Gadgets (World Clock, RSS, Xbox Gamer Card). He did mention that the Gadget library can be preloaded, so that OEM's can customizewhat gadgets are included in new Windows Vista machines.

Next up was mobile devices, including Ultra Mobie PCs, like the Codename: Origami, Windows mobile devices, and Windows Media Formats.

Notes on Ultra Mobile PCs:

  • TablePC Edition 2005 OS
  • Sub 2lb, 3+ hour battery life
  • 7" wide screen, pen, touch and handheld input (although the touch input failed to work in the on-stage demo).
  • WiFi and Bluetooth

Notes on Windows Mobile:

  • 102 mobile operator partners in 55 countries
  • 18,000+ applications for Windows Mobile

One of the more compelling parts of the keynote was the discussion and demo of Windows Media Center (WMC), including a peak at the Windows Vista version. Jeff's statement for his goal for WMC was, "To be the world's best and most compelling remote controlled application." This speaks to the phrase being used a lot this week of the "two-foot application to the 10-foot application." This refers to typical PC applications (the two-foot view) and the TV-based applicaions (the 10-foot view). I have to say, WMC is compelling. I am definitely going to look into getting it up and running in my house (you can run up to five TV's from one WMC PC).

Jeff told the story of aconversation he had with an Exec VP from Turner Braodcasting who stated that they are willing to bet on WMC because they believe that the number of broadband connected households is at the same number now as cable-connected households when Turner bet big on cable movie channels. This speaks pretty loudly about the future of WMC as the primary entertainment console for the household.

For Windows Vista, there will be three SKU's (although the website says five), the top two of which will both include WMC. For the Windows Vista update Jeff highlighted:

  • Broader availability
  • Incredible user experience
  • HD digital TV ready
  • Platform advancements
  • Whole home distribution

In the Windows Vista w/ WMC demo Jeff showed some very cool UX running on Windows Presentation Foundation over a broadband connection.

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