DVR on your Xbox (even while you're playing)

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates had a busy weekend, popping up via satellite at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and delivering the keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Gates was promoting his vision of a world where every electronic device you own -- from your computer and your TV to your cell phone and your car -- is connected.

"The digital decade is happening," he crowed.

For gamers, the big news is that you'll be able to use your Xbox 360 as a digital video recorder. Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment devices division, joined Gates in Vegas to unveil the console's new IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service, which will let you download and record TV shows while you're playing "Halo" or other games on Xbox Live. The service will be available by the end of the year, but whether you'll be able to receive it will depend on your Internet service provider.