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Windows Embedded Senior Product Manager David Wurster clarified the remarks in an interview with our sister publication eWEEK, saying, "The first release under the [Windows Embedded Handheld] brand is scheduled to come this calendar year and build on the Windows Mobile 6.5 platform with trusted management and security features, as well as enhanced protection for existing enterprise investments in LOB applications on devices."
A future version known as Windows Embedded Handheld 7 will be available during the second half of 2011, Wurster is quoted as saying. That version will be based on the recently announced Windows Embedded Compact 7 and will feature a "different set of developer tools and experiences," he is said to have addded.
What will it look like?
Contrary to what some other websites are reporting, Windows Embedded Handheld 7 will not be the same as Windows Phone 7 (right), whose enterprise-oriented features Microsoft has recently been touting. Both operating systems share a common Windows CE base, but they'll apparently feature divergent user interfaces and will probably not be able to run a common set of software applications.
When it announced Windows Embedded Compact 7 at the beginning of June, Microsoft emphasized how the OS would allow OEMs to bring "highly reliable and differentiated speciality devices to market. Partners will be able to roll their own user interfaces (UIs) via tools such as Platform Builder, Visual Studio, Expression Blend, and Silverlight for Windows Embedded, the company added.
Redmond's implication that Windows Embedded Compact 7 will not have a single standard UI disappointed some -- us included (see our "10 ways Windows can succeed in today's tablet arena") -- because of the implication that Balkanization may result. (Earlier versions of Windows CE have a standard, if dated, UI modeled on the Windows 95 desktop, and Windows Mobile devices have standard UIs too, even if they are sometimes hidden by vendor additions.)
Microsoft's announcement of Windows Embedded Handheld did not address the user interface issue, except to say that 2011's Windows Embedded Handheld 7 release will feature "a clear migration path ... to a new application platform based on Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft XNA, as well as Visual Studio 2010."
The company further suggested that Windows Phone 7 and Windows Embedded Handheld 7 will not converge by stressing that "There are two distinct product groups focused on mobility at Microsoft: one for the enterprise handheld devices industry (WEB), and one committed to the mobile phone needs of customers for all types of end users (MCB)." It even underlined the point by releasing the slide reproduced above.
While Windows Embedded Handheld's UI and applications compatibility remain something of a mystery, adding telephony as a standard element of the Windows CE-based operating system stack should eliminate some of the confusion that pertains today in the operating system space. Presently, vendors of enterprise handhelds -- Motorola's MC3100, to name one example -- often offer otherwise-identical devices with either Windows CE or Windows Mobile, depending on whether voice telephony is included.
In a statement, Microsoft promised that "Windows Embedded will continue to support developer tools used in building applications and experiences on todays devices, including Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and Windows Forms. This will help provide confidence that the existing investments will be protected over time as Microsoft releases new software platforms, as the operating system support life cycle will be extended to more closely align with the typical life cycle of devices in the enterprise."
Motorola's new ES400 "Enterprise Digital Assistant" (right) sidesteps any UI mysteries by adopting the vendor's own MEUI (Motorola Enterprise User Interface), touted as "an industry first in this device category." Pictured at right, the interface may be tailored by users "to improve their unique workflow and maximize on-the-job efficiency," the company says.
Under the skin, the ES400 runs Windows Mobile 6.5.3, and presumably is compatible with any applications authored for that platform. The device apparently includes Microsoft's Office Mobile software and Internet Explorer web browser.
As most readers will be aware, Motorola has dropped Windows Mobile for its consumer smartphones in favor of the Google's Linux-based Android software stack. Ironically, the Windows Mobile-based ES400 doesn't just look like a phone -- it is one, with standard dual 3.5G (GSM HSDPA/HSUPA and CDMA-EVDO Rev. A) telephony.
The device is smaller and more pocketable than Motorola's other enterprise handhelds, and wouldn't be likely to draw questioning glances in any setting.
However, says Motorola, the ES400 goes beyond an ordinary smartphone in a variety of different ways. One of these is toughness: The device is said to be sealed against liquids to the IP42 level, and to shrug off single four-foot drops or multiple 1.6-foot hits.
Also, while the ES400 has the expected camera (an autofocus unit packing 3.2 megapixels in this case), Motorola's is tuned to act as a 1D/2D barcode scanner. The device has a red line LED aimer and a one button push-to-scan function, the company says.
According to Motorola, the ES400 includes a fingerprint reader for biometric security. In addition, the device is said to offer 802.11a wireless networking, relatively interference-free, as well as the 802.11b/g versions commonly found on consumer devices.
The ES400 is said to use Qualcomm's ARM11-based MSM7627, which provides it with GPS functionality. The device comes with 256MB of RAM, 1GB of flash storage, and a microSD slot that supports up to 32GB, Motorola adds.
Motorola says its EDA has a three-inch, VGA-resolution touchscreen that is usable indoors and out, due to a 750-nit brightness rating. "PenTile" screen technology minimizes power consumption, and the device can operate for a minimum of eight hours with fifteen minutes per hour of voice communication, GPS on all the time, and 10KB of data transmission every ten minutes, the company claims. (In other circumstances, the battery may last twice as long, Motorola adds.)
Finally, the ES400 has an integral keyboard that is available in QWERTY, AZERTY and QWERTZ layouts. Optionally available are a single-slot charging cradle, a vehicle holder, and a holster, while Motorola promises its enterprise customers that the device will be available for a minimum of three years.
Features and specifications listed by Motorola for its ES400 EDA include:
Further information
More coverage of Microsoft's Windows Embedded Handheld may be found on the eWEEK website, here. A blog posting by Microsoft watcher Mary-Jo Foley pointing out that Microsoft now has (at least) five different operating systems that can be applied to mobile devices may be found here.
Motorola says its ES400 EDA will be available "later this year" through its own sales team and via Sprint. Pricing was not specified, but extensive product information may be found on the company's website, here.
