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Windows For Devices
your Windows® embedded community
Microsoft emailed those who had downloaded pre-release versions of Windows Embedded Standard 7 (see background information later in this story) to say that the OS will be launched at ESC Silicon Valley on Apr. 27. A 10:30 a.m. keynote called "Building Windows 7 Powered Devices" will be delivered that day by Kevin Dallas (left), General Manager for Windows Embedded, detailing "how you can build rich user experiences on Windows 7-based devices," according to the company.Dallas will be "demonstrating a number of new and compelling consumer and enterprise devices built on the latest Windows Embedded platforms," as well as outlining "a refreshed product roadmap," promises Microsoft. As an added inducement, attendees to the keynote will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a custom home theater media center device based on Windows Embedded Standard 7, the company says.
Apart from the keynote, ESC Silicon Valley -- which runs from Apr. 26 to 29 in San Jose -- will include at least a dozen other sessions related to Windows Embedded operating systems. For example, the four sessions in a "Developing for Windows Embedded" track are as follows:
According to its organizers (the EETimes Group), ESC Silicon Valley will also feature other keynote speakers and an expansion of the popular "Build Your Own Embedded System" (BYOES) event. For example, one significant keynote speaker will be Dr. Michio Kaku, best-selling author and science popularizer (pictured below left, with the group's director of content/media Richard Nass at right).
Kaku's keynote will deliver a vision of what the world will be like 10 to 20 years from now, according to a blog entry by Nass. Highlights will include such things as "the successor to silicon" and (gulp) "Silicon Valley becoming part of the rust belt," plus smart bathrooms with built-in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners and breath analyzers that can help determine our health, Nass says.
Another keynote speaker highlighted by the EETimes Group is Richard Templeton (right), chairman, president, and CEO of Texas Instruments. Templeton is described as having "guided TI during the worst downturn in semiconductor history, while maintaining the companys strategic investments in R&D and advanced manufacturing."
The EETimes Group says that in addition to the "Developing for Windows Embedded" track already mentioned earlier in this story, four other new tracks will be offered, as follows:
Alternatively, attendees can choose the Freescale Tower System pictured above, which is said to employ the company's MCF5225X V2 ColdFire microcontroller and run the MQX real-time operating system. The Tower System supports a variety of interchangeable peripheral modules via four card-edge connectors, the EETimes Group adds.
ESC Silicon Valley 2010 also continues the show's long-standing tradition of device tear-downs. On Apr. 27, Richard Nass and Microchip's Art Anderson will disassemble the yet-to-be-released Zircon ElectriScanner, touted as being the first electrical scanner that can find AC wires in almost any environment. On Apr. 29, EE Times Products Editor will disassemble the FitBit, a pocket-sized device that's said to accurately track the calories you burn, the number of steps you take, and "even how good a night's sleep you had."
Finally, the show will also feature the finale in Microsoft's embeddedSPARK 2010 contest, in which academics, hobbyists, and developers have been channeled to create "fun and games" devices using Windows CE. Three finalists will receive all-expenses-paid trips to the show, garner votes from conference attendees, and will then be awarded first, second, and third-prizes worth $15,000, $5,000 and $1,000 in prize money, respectively.
Windows Embedded Standard 7
Like the previous Windows Embedded Standard 2009, Windows Embedded Standard 7 -- codenamed "Quebec" during its initial development -- is "componentized," letting developers create an OS on their devices with only the drivers, services, and applications they need. Unlike Windows Embedded Standard 2009, which was based on Windows XP, Windows Embedded Standard 7 is based on Windows 7, and is available in both 32- and 64-bit versions, according to Microsoft.
While Microsoft had provided no formal release date for Quebec, promising only that it would be available "within a number of quarters" after Windows 7's release, it made the first downloadable beta (or CTP, to use Redmond's preferred nomenclature) available on Sept. 1, 2009, in advance even of Windows 7's retail debut. The second beta, CTP2, became available not long after, on Nov. 20. Finally, Microsoft unveiled the release candidate in February, also announcing the Windows Embedded Standard 7 moniker for what had been called Windows Embedded Standard 2011.
According to Microsoft, Windows Embedded Standard 7 "delivers the power, familiarity and reliability of the Windows 7 operating system in a highly customizable and componentized form, enabling OEMs in industrial automation, entertainment, consumer electronics and other markets to focus on their core competencies and create product differentiation."
Touting "familiar, easy-to-use development tools and embedded-enabling features," the company adds that the OS will reduce development costs and increase speed to market for thin-client, point-of-service (POS), kiosk, medical, multifunction printers, and other devices.
Key Windows Embedded Standard 7 features highlighted by the company include the following:
ESC Silicon Valley 2010 will be located, as in the past, at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose. More information may be found on the show website, here.
An overall list of available educational sessions by track may be found here. Details about keynote times may be found here. An exhibitor list may be found here.
For those who cannot attend the show but would like more information on Windows Embedded Standard 7, Microsoft has created a series of white papers that may be found on the WindowsForDevices.com website, here.
