Are We There Yet?

I was looking for a cool way to demonstrate the capabilities of Windows Live Movie Maker, Silverlight, Windows Live SkyDrive, Windows Live Writer, Windows Media Center and start a conversation on mobile devices.

It occurred to me, that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates introduced a slim tablet/slate style computing device almost five years ago at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (aka WinHEC).  The device that BillG had was a prototype to inspire hardware and device manufacturers to use then the forthcoming “Windows Codenamed Longhorn” to build the next-generation of mobile computing devices.

What happened?

Who knows.

In reality there were a slew of devices that attempted to fulfill the vision that BillG laid out. Most fell short on the size, battery life, industrial design, or market appeal.  More than anything, it was most likely a vision slightly ahead of its time. Ironically, that is common at Microsoft.

Recently, Larry King asked Bill Gates what his impressions were of the new flavor of the month gadget, the iPad.  BillG’s comments echoed remarks that I wrote about earlier in the year.  Students are prosumers. In fact, most of us are prosumers—meaning we produce and consume digital content.  So we need devices to enable both scenarios.

In addition to prosumerization, schools and universities require devices that meet Section 508 compliance and ADA standards for accessibility.  Today, the current crop of devices on the market largely ignore the need for enabling technologies.  Hopefully, that will change in the future.

In the interim, you can view BillG’s perspective below.

 
Video may be unavailable until Windows Live Wave 4 is released.

Source: http://cid-8085701bfb1f07c2.photos.live.com/self.aspx/Video%20Vault/LKL-Bill%20Gates%20on%20iPad.wmv

What do you think is missing from today’s mobile devices that need to be in place for broader adoption for schools and universities?

Update:  Video link updated, Microsoft has launched Windows Live Wave 4