(Click here for a larger image of the Ovation iX)The award was presented in a ceremony May 8 at Microsoft's annual Mobile & Embedded Developer's Conference (MEDC) in Las Vegas.
The Ovation iX, positioned as "the future of retail petroleum," is built on Dresser's Windows CE-based iX Technology Platform. It currently features three components, according to the company:
- iX Media -- an integrated 10.4-inch color display that shows customized, full-motion video promotions; iX Media also features a built-in speaker and site-specific coupon creation capability
- Sense -- remote management system that can automatically diagnose, troubleshoot, and in some cases, actually fix equipment problems, sometimes before they occur
- iDPOS -- in-dispenser point-of-sale system that guarantees uninterrupted fuel and merchandise sales by independently managing transactions and credit card sales, even if the in-store point-of-sale device is off-line.
The device is the third generation of Dresser's intelligent retail fuel dispenser to be based on Windows CE. The company has evolved its smart gas pumps over several generations of Windows CE technology, and currently uses Windows CE 5.0.
Some of the many benefits of using Windows CE included the IE browser, the rich user interface, the TCP/IP stack, the media player, the ability to virtualize peripherals such as printers, and the ability to share data between the gas pumps and the associated host systems, which run Windows XP Embedded, according to Dan Harrell, Dresser's senior director of marketing and product management. Additionally, the
newly unveiled Windows CE 6 directly addresses a few technical challenges relative to planned future enhancements to the iX Technology Platform and applications that will run on it, Harrell added.
"This award was made possible due to our close relationships with Microsoft, our development partner Bsquare, and the Atlanta-based design firm, Tier One," said Neil Thomas, Dresser Wayne's global president. "Dresser Wayne is committed to partnering with the best in an ongoing effort to provide new solutions that drive our customers' business. We will continue building capabilities onto our iX Technology Platform based on the scalability and security of Windows CE."
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