Depending on how many times your computer has crashed lately, you may feel pretty jaded about the wonders of technology. But make no mistake: a revolution is coming, says a man who will have a lot to do with it.
During a campus appearance in April, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates presented his vision of a new generation of technology that he says will liberate users from keyboards and clunky hardware and put useful applications “right in their hands.”
“Uniting the phone experience” with new technologies will allow people to customize when and where they get information, communicate with others and conduct business, Gates told a packed Kresge Auditorium audience. For example, he says, e-mail users will be able to send handwritten notes via the Internet; motorists will listen to music from an online provider in their cars; and parents will schedule family activities on a touch screen in their home. Improved handwriting recognition and voice recognition will drive advancements in creating a “natural interface” similar to a telephone. The real promise of anytime, anywhere network connectivity still lies ahead, Gates says. “The key point I want to make is that we’re really just at the beginning.”
