Microsoft's Jawad Khaki (Corporate Vice President, Windows Networking and Communications Technologies, Microsoft Corporation) delivered a keynote here at 802.11 Planet in Boston in which he showed a number of current uses, but then had several of his team demonstrate pervasive collaborative computing performing voice over IP over wireless, streaming multiple high-definition video streams, and playing Xbox games. None of it is per-se cutting edge, but it was all simple interface, it worked, and had consumer interests at heart.
Announced: Windows CE .NET 4.2 Network Gateways Solution: secure network gateways, deploy them in an integated fashion, extensible architecture. I really know nothing about how this, but it's apparently news. Many many vendors (AMD, Braodcom, Intel, TI, etc.) buying off on this.
One of his remarks: "What I call the evil NATs" are stifling the ability for people to get connected. (Interestingly, Bob Frankston, who worked at Microsoft to develop home networking the mid-90s, told me in late 2002 that he calls himself the father of NAT and said that NAT was one of the biggest mistakes he made. He shoulda gone with IPv6, he said.)
Khaki said 25% of Microsoft users say they save 1/2 to 1 hour per day with Wi-Fi. He asks, "Did they use that time to improve their lives or did they give it to Microsoft?"