6 November 2008

Microsoft demonstrated Device Stage with Canon’s SD990 digital camera

Microsoft demonstrated new Windows 7 features at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2008 and encouraged hardware partners to test current and new products on the application programming interface. A pre-beta release of Windows Server 2008 R2 was also shown to attendees.

Windows 7 is the next version of Microsoft Windows and the successor to Windows Vista.

“We’ve done a great deal of work in Windows 7 to enable new scenarios with our hardware partners, and we are excited by the partner innovation we have shown today,” said Jon DeVaan, senior vice president of the Windows Core Operating System Division at Microsoft. “Windows 7 presents tremendous opportunities for hardware developers. This innovation will enable our hardware partners to provide customers with even greater choice in rich computing experiences.”

Windows 7 can optimise how customers interact with PCs, manage devices, access broadband and engage with wireless experiences, providing new opportunities for partners to improve their customers’ experiences. Particular features that were highlighted included: Devices and Printers, a place for customers to interact with devices, browse files or manage settings; Device Stage, designed to help customers take advantage of advanced features for devices; mobile broadband; and Windows Touch.

Microsoft also announced early industry support for Device Stage from partners including Brother, Epson, HP, Motorola, Nikon, Sansa, Canon and Sony. As part of the keynote, Microsoft demonstrated Canon’s SD990 digital camera and a Nokia N95 smartphone to show how Device Stage can simplify the use of multifunction devices.

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