22 Jan 2002
Microsoft has completed Windows CE.Net, the latest version of its embedded operating system for devices such as PDAs, thin clients and point-of-sale terminals.
The company said that the new version provides greater reliability and better connectivity, including native support for the Bluetooth and 802.11 wireless networking standards.
Windows CE is the code at the heart of Pocket PC 2002, Microsoft's current PDA platform. With Windows CE.Net, formerly codenamed Talisker, the software giant has built in greater connectivity as part of its wider .Net strategy for making web-based information available on any device.
"We're bringing .Net to Windows CE," said Scott Horn, director of Microsoft's embedded and appliance group. "Windows CE.Net offers dramatically improved wireless connectivity and better developer support over Windows CE 3.0."
He explained that there would be a future version of Pocket PC built around Windows CE.Net, but that it was too early to say when this version was likely to be available.
Some of the most important improvements in Windows CE.Net include zero configuration support for 802.11 wireless local area networks (Wlans), which Microsoft said will enable seamless roaming from one Wlan to another. A feature known as MediaSense also tracks the status of the network, notifying applications of the available bandwidth and if a network connection is lost.
Windows CE.Net takes up less memory than previous versions, with a minimum configuration now needing just 210Kb of space for the code. Microsoft also said that file system access is 72 per cent faster and that the optimised TCP/IP stack should improve network throughput by up to 50 per cent. Network appliances built around Windows CE.Net would see improved performance because of this, the company claimed.
Low-cost thin client terminals, one of the major applications for Windows CE, will also see a number of benefits. Windows CE.Net now includes Internet Explorer 5.5 and the latest version of Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
Tools will also be available to help developers bring Windows CE.Net products to market. The Windows CE.Net Emulation Edition lets developers test designs on workstations running Windows 2000 or XP without having to physically build the target device. Visual Studio.Net also features Windows CE.Net support, according to Horn.
The company also announced some details of Mira, a platform based on Windows CE.Net and primarily aimed at the home market. Mira is a set of technologies that can turn a PC flat-screen display into a mobile terminal.
The concept is similar to thin client computing, but uses RDP over a wireless connection, according to Horn. Products based on the Mira platform are expected to ship by the end of this year.
Available Windows CE.Net-based systems include Siemens' Simpad, a tablet-style device for mobile web browsing and email access, and new thin client terminals from firms such as Wyse.
WINDOWS CE.NET KEY FEATURES
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