Although he held his intense animation in check, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had a great deal to say about industry trends and Microsoft's intentions in a recent keynote address to the CTIA I.T. & Entertainment show. Much of Ballmer's speech traced the evolution in the wireless industry in the six years since his previous CTIA keynote address. While mentioning many of Microsoft's partners in its mobile efforts, he singled out HTC and its Touch device for special attention. Sprint Nextel's device runs Windows 6 and is a worthy competitor to the iPhone. But devices are only part of Microsoft's wireless strategy. Ballmer sees the mobile phone becoming 'a universal remote control' for people's business and personal lives. To that end, Microsoft is making a top priority of the search for a common platform for PCs, enterprise, online software and mobile devices. Ballmer expressed confidence that Microsoft will succeed in both enterprise and consumer mobility markets. This confidence was then backed up by effective demonstrations of its System Center Mobile Device Manager, which is directed at enterprise's need for swiftly deployable and easily managed handsets for voice and data. Ballmer also announced a partnership with startup Enterprise Mobile on mobility planning, deployment and service, an effort he hopes will help resolve clashes between IT departments and corporate end users over enterprise mobilization. In response to questions, Ballmer stated Microsoft's preference for core competencies with partners over spectrum acquisition, and he acknowledged interest in mobile advertising, where revenue sharing presents 'the first great problem.'