Out with a whimper

And so it ends, the final CES keynote for Microsoft. And with very little in the way of new news, at least Microsoft fans won't have to look for much to surpass when the company begins holding its own news conference events.

Sure, there was some talk about Windows Phone, Windows 8, and Xbox. Some numbers thrown out, a minor news announcement here and there -- Nokia and HTC beat Microsoft to the punch on their Windows Phone announcements, and Microsoft will bring a News Corp app to Xbox that will include TV content from Fox and Fox News Channel.

But in the end, Ryan Seacrest asked CEO Steve Ballmer what's next? His answer - Metro-style apps from Windows 8. Apparently, 2012 is the year of Windows 8. And not much else.

- Chris Freeman