Join us Wednesday evening for Microsoft's CES keynote kick-off. The event is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Pacific and should run anywhere from one to two hours based on past performances.

Steve Ballmer shows off a slate PC at last year&39's CES keynote.

As usual, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be taking the stage to demonstrate the latest PCs, as well as hardware and software from Microsoft and its partners.

Last year's keynote had Ballmer talking up Windows 7, while demoing the Office 2010 suite and Halo: Reach for the Xbox 360. That keynote was also where we first laid eyes on HP's Slate 500 device--some 10 months before proper details of the device surfaced.

Like the rest of our live coverage at CES 2011, we'll be using Cover it Live to bring you news and photos from these press conferences as they're happening. All you need to do is bookmark this page and come back to it, or sign up in the module below to get a reminder e-mail 15 minutes before it starts. You can also watch a live Webcast of the keynote through Microsoft's CES news site.