by Larry Richman
January 9, 2007 12:46 PM

CES 2007 Bill Gates Keynote --

It has just been a whirlwind of activity here at CES 2007 following the last session of our Windows Vista RTM Lab. Bill Gates' keynote Sunday night, lunch with Microsoft co-President Jim Allchin Monday afternoon, followed by the amazing Vanishing Point fountain show at the Bellagio, followed by the annual MS-sponsored night of debauchery at Club Pure at Caesar's.

Immediately following our final Lab session on Sunday afternoon, we arrived at The Venetian for the 6:30 PM Pacific Time keynote address by Bill Gates. Our group split in two. Some decided to take in the speech in the ballroom itself. Seating was at a premium and most were only able to sit far back in the room and see it on large screens. The other group, myself included, decided to spend the evening in the room set aside for Microsoft employees. The keynote would be simulcast on screens in this room, and there was the added plus of a lavish buffet and free-flowing beverages. Hey, why not? We also had the chance to rub elbows with the actual folks responsible for what would be seen in the keynote, and there is something surreal about being in a room with the MS staffers as their own colleagues take to the stage to do the demos. It's a bit like being backstage.

Our own John C. Derrick has posted a fantastic account of the keynote and what was unveiled by Gates Sunday night. Also, since the address was broadcast to the public, I don't have much to add to what our own readers have already said. In fact, your comments are much more interesting than mine, since I'd had a preview of everything that was unveiled during our Lab sessions. That was the stuff I said was "NDA" or confidential. All that material (most of it, anyway) was revealed in the keynote. Still, it was fun to watch as it was announced to the public.

You can rest assured that as the months go by, the products and features announced by Gates in this year's keynote will be covered in depth here at PROnetworks, and we will provide information and support to all who need it.