Monday, November 15, 1999
Gates goes on offense with new-tech collaborations
Hand-held computer, driving aid shown
BY DAVID E. KALISH
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates declared Sunday that Microsoft encourages innovation in the high-tech industry, offering a public counterpoint to a judge's finding that Microsoft uses its monopoly power to crush competition.
In his biggest public presentation since Microsoft's crushing blow in court Nov. 5, Mr. Gates unveiled technology initiatives that offer new ways to access the Web and take computing well beyond the personal computer. He did not mention the government's antitrust case in his presentation.
However, he said he has heard from many Microsoft supporters.
“I want you to know I appreciate the people who sent letters and e-mail in the last week,” he said.
The sentiment in correspondence was in favor of Microsoft “doing more innovation in Windows,” he said in a keynote speech to thousands of attendees at the giant annual Comdex computer show.
Mr. Gates showed a prototype of a hand-held computer, code-named Mariner, that lets people browse the Web, plot out calendars and exchange e-mail. The computer, known as an MSN-based Web companion, will run on Microsoft's Windows CE operating system and be sold by the middle of next year by companies including Acer, Philips Electronics and Thomson Consumer Electronics.
The device, which may include a keyboard, is expected to be given away to people who agree to sign up for Internet access. The gadgets are larger than so-called Palm-sized PCs, which also use Windows CE but don't offer keyboards or full-fledged Web service.
Mr. Gates also showed how Microsoft, working with Web site operators, is pursuing new types of services. One he illustrated would work together with satellites to give car drivers access to the Web and help direct them to attractive roadside spots, such as the lowest-priced gas station along a given route.
He also stressed Microsoft's support for a new Internet programming language, XML, that enables information to be easily exchanged among a wide variety of networked computers.
The remarks come in the wake of U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Jackson's finding that Microsoft had been a bullying high-tech monopolist whose actions had squelched the march of innovation.
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