The Engadget Show - 002: Steve Ballmer, Droid, Nook, and new Macs
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Oct 23rd 2009 4:47PM
posted Oct 23rd 2009 4:47PM
Do we really need to tell you what this is all about? Steve Ballmer. Windows 7 launch day. Pure magic. Sit back and enjoy a spirited conversation with the CEO of Microsoft -- then stick around to watch Josh, Paul, and Nilay get into it over the week's news!
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel
Special guest: Steve Ballmer
Produced by: Chad Mumm
Directed by: Michael Slavens
Music by: Bit Shifter
Visuals by: Paris and outpt
Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec
Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 002 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 002 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted)
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Loved it :D
I'm halfway through lovin' it!
Oh, is Steve Ballmer tone-deaf?
Are those DJ's with the portable gaming devices even doing anything???
It seems to me they are just trying to give the impression that they are somehow making music on the fly with those... Clearly the music is pre-recorded
Guys!! Can you have the show for Ovi Store, for Nokia phones? Nokia is your major sponsor, isn't it?
ballmer was brilliant. however, i am pretty disgusted with josh and his nit-picky questions. "lukewarm response to windows 7"? "vista was not a huge success for you guys in terms of launchers"? when steve responds with "not really right, since this is an audience that cares about the facts" i just want to stand up and shout for joy with my renewed faith in Microsoft. he does everything right, absolutely perfect. he is so smart and so hopeful for the future of Microsoft and i could just go out and buy a copy of ultimate for all my friends and family. there is not a trace of snobbish behavior in this man. he (unlike our friends at Apple) can admit and own up to the mistakes and failures his company has endured. however, with every is just one more great prospect for his vision. could not have done it better. well done, steve!
and, to all the haters, i love the opening sequence. keep it up engadget!
Loved it too.
Just turn on the lights next show!
@ Brendan :
It's an understandable point of confusion for a lot of people. The music's not prerecorded, although the direct feed from the board (as opposed to a room recording) makes it sound a little like it could be. From a performance end, the music is pre-sequenced (like most electronic music), but the performance element involves on-the-fly pattern selection & queuing, and modifying other characteristics. A couple of examples: the portions of the first song that sound a little bit like a primitive "filter sweep" are done by manually cycling through different waveforms; the structure of the 2nd song (during the playout) is being modified on the fly (which of course wouldn't be obvious unless you happened to be familiar with the song's original version).
Back to Ballmer & Josh's pants!
i agree w/ just about everyone on this blog...please...for the next episode, fix the damn lighting. its absolutely horrible.
Ballmer was good and so were Nilay and Paul, but my god, Josh needs to learn how to just shut the fuck up and let someone else get a word in. The entire time the group of three were talking he was just shouting over everyone else. I mean, watching Nilay trying to just get a valid point across nearly drove me to chuck my chair into my monitor. Engadget really needs to find someone else to put on camera. Preferably, someone with interpersonal skills.
Same here, I loved the interview with Steve B. He's really great! I wouldn't mind working for him at all! :D
755MB for a podcast... wtf?!?!
IS ENGADGET LOSING ITS MIND!!!
Don, calm down, it's not 1999 anymore, people actually don't use DialUps anymore. So set your time machine to #INF and good bye.
The only thing that I like about this video is the 10 sec intro of engadget using that snazzy space-age effects. Mr. Ballmer is a billionaire - - err, what else? I guess he need to learn how speak without getting to excited. lol
I think Steve Ballmer put on a better show on Today Show: On how he used MacBook Pro as a props background on promoting Windows 7 to the public: http://pinoytutorial.com/techtorial/nbcs-today-show-windows-7-featured-on-a-macbook-pro/
good job MS!
Steve Ballmer is awesome.
Just sayin'
I agree! Not a touch of arrogance =)
I think Ballmer has really come into his own. Between this and the Gizmodo interviews, he comes off as incredibly approachable and likable while not just spouting the company line.
Very true. He seemed quite smart throughout the show and gave a lot of smart answers.
Woah, on half volume, Balmer can STILL make my speakers clip.
I'm a bit disappointed that even a guy like balmer is afraid to say hell and says heck like some scared little girl.
@nin
Steve truly is approachable, and friendly, at least in my experience! I used to work for Starbucks just a couple of miles from Wal-Mart hq. I was new to the company, just learning the register, and who comes up to order coffee? Steve Ballmer! I said, "Are you who I think you are?" he said "Well, depends on who you think I am... Who do you think I am?" I was right. :) He was in town for a meeting with Wal-Mart. Anyway, being shocked to see him and get to meet him, and being new on the register, I kept messing up typing stuff in. (Not to mention he decided he wanted a couple of pastries...) Anyway, he was cool about it at all. I apologized for taking so long and he said, "No problem, take your time!"
So that was a pretty cool experience. Been a fan ever since.
I agree Ballmer seems like a cool guy, but his answers sounded kinda like PR-safe answers.
Yeah vote me down yanks, because you are all religious nutters slash scared little girls who can't even say the damn word 'hell'. Then go suck a lollipop and ask the freaking FCC to control your internet, and charge you for it.
(Just venting.)
Yeah, Nice job guys!
Nice job. Josh - how did you find someone to spraypaint on a pair of pants? Those things look snug...just sayin...
Ha, that was the first thing I noticed, it made uncomfortable just looking at them.
He's male cameltoe'n
Damn son I can see all your business with them pants. Extra Medium like a mofo!
My goodness, those pants were hurting me, and I was just sitting in the audience.
those pants are painful to look at. seriously what is that guy thinking
Downloading the zune version right now.
Thanks guys.
Wireless networking is his favorite part of Win7? I still prefer Gates.
yeah I like steve but gates seemed to get so nerdgasm excited for stuff it made ita bit more fun...great show though nice to hear from ballmer surprised about how much he knew actually
I'm not sure how it's possible, but the lighting is even worse in this episode.
I thought the same about both episodes!
They need some source 4's up in dis'
Seriously, everyone who goes to show next time, bring a flash light (high-powered is proffered). I think it would be hilarious for everyone to turn their lights on when the guest comes out, it would send a message too. =D
They probably search you at such events, with metal detectors, he's a billionaire, and it's NYC.
Chip Music on Engadget Show? Very nice.
I will say this though, it did not help my headache.
do nerds really listen to chiptune?
no. it only works with engadet opening imo.
I thought that noise was annoying as hell.
I really really want to know what the opening theme song is and where I can download it
The song is Hexadecimal Genome http://bit.shifter.net/audio/bit_shifter_-_hexadecimal_genome.mp3
you the man
Ballmer has such a wonderfully awful speaking voice. And props to Josh for winning the hipster award for skinniest jeans.
Ballmer's nasally squeals are expressions how Josh must have felt in those pants...I wonder if his legs were asleep by the end of the episode... :)
Love the show guys, stage lighting's a bit dark though...
Where should I fast forward to?
Watch it all the way through, some really good stuff in this episode.
Ballmer is a cool guy.
Ouch...better lighting please!
And a better opening sequence could really help too.
Are you kidding? The opening sequence is my favorite part! My only gripe would be with how josh, paul, and nilay always talk over each other! It's like they're getting paid by the letter!
i agree with Chris. The constant one-up interruptions were distracting.
The only thing that I like about this video is the 10 sec intro of engadget using that snazzy space-age effects. Mr. Ballmer is a billionaire - - err, what else? I guess he need to learn how speak without getting to excited. lol
I think Steve Ballmer put on a better show on Today Show: On how he used MacBook Pro as a props background on promoting Windows 7 to the public: http://pinoytutorial.com/techtorial/nbcs-today-show-windows-7-featured-on-a-macbook-pro/
good job MS!
I'm going to have to go ahead and say it's a lot better than the "baggy pants" fashion was.
Good to hear the original ending of the themesong is back in this one :).
Didn't like the one from the second episode. Much cooler with the modulation at the end.
I get the desire to have the lights low to create a relaxed, conversational atmosphere, but they're TOO low. Ballmer was constantly shifting in and out of a shadow across the top quarter of his head.
Love the shows, but these CEO's dodge questions way too often and it ends up just being frustrating to watch/listen too.
These days CEOs have to be as dodgy as politicians. One wrong word and your stock can take a nosedive.
Also, have you not seen CE Oh No He Didn't?
http://www.engadget.com/tag/ce+oh+no+he+didnt/
No girls in audience. Should at least pay to have some there. Also Ballmer should've been last so that you can have your boring discussion, but keep the viewers. K thanx.
People always say that about tech events. I was there, however, and believe me: there were girls. Ladies, even.
Well, go ahead. Say it.
Uh, people don't choose Windows. People buy PCs, and the PCs have Windows.
Don't believe me? Watch at 4:15.
It's as if Sydney Water said "more people pick us for their water", when in truth Sydney has a larger population already, and they just "get" Sydney Water.
The facts (a topic apparently close to Ballmer's heart) are that more PCs have Windows installed anyway.
Basically, Microsoft has taken every non-Apple brand, merged it into the "PC" brand, and pretended that 1) every PC is cheaper than every Mac, when in truth only some are and 2) that more people choose PCs than Macs.
That's like saying more people choose cars than Teslas.
Rant? Yeah. But I think someone needs to make the point.
Yeah it's a bit silly to say 300 million people picked windows, it was picked for them in most all of the cases, firstly because it's on every damn OEM box and secondly because it's used to play games on PC's.
And he bloody well knows that, and is aware of it since MS made sure of that in ways that weren't, and aren't, always that clean and aboveboard.
It's something every viewer of engadget shows knows.
Yeah, because the ~10% of the market (in the U.S.) that has the Mac OS, purchased their operating system after their hardware. It didn't come pre-installed or anything.
If you buy a mac you buy it knowingly as a software/hardware package. (and not just to pay double for a windows box.)
But you know that.
"I'm going to have to go ahead and say it's a lot better than the "baggy pants" fashion was."
Not when you look like you came straight out of an episode of "That 70's show"
You can dress intellectual and not look like you came out of a time machine.
Other then that this episode was way more interesting then the last one. The show is def. picking up momentum.
What is that cell phone that Steve showed us?
is a microsoft model? or any other company?
looks so nice!
Can everybody stop downloading so I can finish downloading mine please.
Hey, I liked that, I think that was a good interview. Ballmer was friendly, questions were good. Josh came across a bit more humble than he did in 001.
The lighting was better, still could be brighter. Honestly, it didn't bother me though.
Its a Cosby Sweater!
Engadget.. here is MY recession antidote to you... adequate lighting for you and any future guests.
I love the first song thats played and i love the whole show
Quite enjoyed the show but Josh is so frustrating - can you just ask one question please rather than ramble on for 30 seconds asking about three different questions.
I completely agree. Balmer may have like it though, he had a a choice of which questions he wanted to answer.
It could have been titled "Don't upset the CEO".
True dat. I tried the whole tight pants thing once but unfortunately the size of my package created the largest moose knuck you've ever seen.
No extra small file for this show?
Where can i get the Engadget Show Intro Theme song? lol sounds cool
Awesome, I was in the show! I see myself, I wont tell you who i am but yay! I thought the Bit Shifter thing was really weird, cause the only thing i saw was the guy just like dancing with his gameboy in his hand, it was pretty weird
Josh and the gang are so Tremendous(tm) that I'm borrowing WiFi from the wonderful linksys folks so I can watch this on the subway!
paul miller is a lot less nerdy than i imagined he was when listening to him on the podcast
USE SOME LIGHTING, thats twice they were poorly lit.
How did he get wireless signals 15,000 feet in the air? I cant get my wireless to work 200 feet away from the router.
I have zero interest in anything Ballmer has to say. What a clown.
you guys really need to put up a torrent of each episode as well
Am I the only person that found the music kind of annoying?
good god.. I couldn't mute it quickly enough.
You are not alone
I had to mute it after 20 seconds or so, I tried to listen to it, but it was way too annoying. Sounded like a Vic20 was short circuiting.
I'm so horrified by it that I +1'ed all of you, and I'm not too into that voting really.
Wow, Steve is on FIRE! What an energetic man :D
Very nice intro and outro music BTW!
He's on crack. Which would explain a lot. Obviously has handlers have told him to tone down the clown act but you can still see it.
Ballmer is awesome!
He really sound Chewbacca when he get excited.
Great show, I'll be tuning in again for sure! Keep up the great work.
Decent Show, Josh your question a way too long, stop talking man let Steve or your guest talk more. Other than that, nice.