CES: Ballmer shows off Windows 8 and Office on SoC

LAS VEGAS: Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer used his opening keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to show off the next version of Windows on ARM processors.

The company announced its support for alternative processors earlier today, but Ballmer used his address to show off how far Microsoft has come in extending the reach of its operating system and applications on new platforms.

"We have the opportunity through the magic of software to bring Windows forward to whole new ranges of devices," he said. "In the future Windows will be there."

Ballmer showed off a motherboard capable of running the new version of Windows that was just centimetres wide and long, insisting that such systems are the future of PCs.

He demonstrated systems from AMD, Nvidia and Texas Instruments using system-on-a-chips running the new operating system using Word and PowerPoint.

Ballmer also previewed changes to Windows Phone 7. Cut and paste will be added in the spring, he said, as well as faster application loading and running time.

Microsoft is also planning upgrades to the Xbox system that will allow avatars of system owners to take part in virtual conversations. The Kinect interface will be able to track not only gestures but movements and facial expressions.