2007 CES speakers announced

Bill Gates has announced that he will begin to slowly step away from the daily operations at the company he founded, but the Microsoft executive will reprise his role as a keynote speaker at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The annual trade event, being held next year on January 8-11 in Las Vegas, is where many consumer-electronics companies choose to unveil and show off their latest tech products.

The two other announced keynote speakers for the 2007 CES are Walt Disney Co. president Robert Iger and Motorola CEO Ed Zander, both of whom will give their pitches on January 8. Gates--who delivered keynote speeches at CES in 2005 and 2006 and used the 2001 show to unveil the original Xbox--will speak at a preshow gathering one day earlier on the 7th.

"These three industry visionaries will present their views of where the industry--particularly digital content and entertainment--is heading," said the trade show's president, Gary Shapiro, who will also deliver a speech at the show.