…people use multiple finger gestures to manipulate objects on a screen. Microsoft has the feature in its high-end tabletop computer, Surface, while Apple has introduced a more mainstream adaptation of the technology in the iPhone and iPod Touch.
"People kind of gasp when they see how touch works on Surface — you know, when they touch their iPhone," Gates said. "'Oooo, wow', you know, that's just such a natural thing."
The conference table, the office whiteboard and even the bedroom mirror are all surfaces that will one day be replaced with an intelligent computer screen, Gates said.
"Give us a five- to 10-year time frame and we will wonder why our tables used to sit there and not do anything for us," Gates said.
Pall said that Gates's strength is in helping the company see where technology will help previously disparate things come together. "He is amazing at spotting what are the connections that need to be made, and then moving on to the next opportunity to make the connection, and letting the rest of Microsoft and the industry innovate once the proper connection has been made."
As for the other projects Gates expects to work on once he becomes a part-timer, he said: "Search is such a fun area right now."
Microsoft has found itself in an intense battle with Google and, despite pouring tons of research resources into the area, it remains in third place behind Google and Yahoo.
Give us a five- to 10-year time frame and we will wonder why our tables used to sit there and not do anything for us
Bill Gates
Gates was more circumspect about another area he is working on. "There are some ideas about where Office should go... I'm really quite enthused about some things."
Others at the company say that Gates is particularly driven about the notion of how presence — the notion of a computer knowing whether someone is online or not — can be used by computers to help prioritise work.
Kim Akers, general manager of Microsoft's unified communications effort, said Gates has been pushing her team, as it integrates various modes of communications, to also make other software programs aware of when someone is busy and when — and how — they are available.
"Once you integrate that communication, how can you use the power of software to drive productivity gains?" Akers said.
If, say, you have an hour free on your schedule, Akers said that Gates believes an intelligent agent should be able to look at your calendar and prioritise some of the top tasks and messages that you might want to tackle.
"It's very futuristic," Akers said.
