<i>Specifically, MICROSOFT has three technologies that could, theoretically, provide a Star Trek like experience in your home:<p>1. Voice recognition<p>Anyone with Visual Studio knows how easy it is to use MICROSOFT's voice recognition framework. They’ve had it for years, and it keeps getting better.<p>2. MICROSOFT HOME NETWORKING and UPNP<p>Since the days of MSHOME, Microsoft has been hard at work getting your fridge, phone, and computer to talk to each other -- with zero configuration! Did we say phone? We meant tricorder.<p>3. Search (Bing)<p>MICROSOFT's Bing takes you beyond information retrieval. As a Decision Engine, it's just what Jean-Luc needs when deciding whether to enter Cardassian space or not.</i><p>Seriously: The fundamental technologies to “talk to your [handheld device] and display search results on a television” have been around for years and years now, but it’s not <i>really</i> a compelling use-case and furthermore takes real vision and commitment to deliver this as part of a really usable experience, something that has not really been Google or Microsoft's strong suit.