| Tiny wall-wart sized T-Engine PC runs Windows CE |
Jun. 21, 2004
 Personal Media Corp. is selling a tiny, rugged PC that is said to support Windows CE and is meant to demonstrate the T-Engine platform for embedded systems. The $1,909.11 (207,900 Yen) "Teacube" measures 2 by 2 by 1.8 inches (52 x 52 x 48mm) and weighs 5.8 ounces (165 grams).
(Click for larger view of Teacube)
The tiny Teacube next to a shiny teacup coaster
(Click to enlarge)
What's a "T-Engine?"
T-Engine is an open, standardized development environment for embedded applications overseen by the T-Engine Forum, established in 2002. The forum describes T-Engine as defining "an open, standardized development environment for embedded applications . . . aimed at constructing a ubiquitous, networked computing environment encompassing portable information devices (such as mobile phones, PDAs, and electronic books), home electronic appliances, and other networked devices." It defines the configuration of a target system processor board, including external dimensions and how the board combines with various types of expansion boards.
T-Engine grew out of the TRON project ("The Real-time Operating system Nucleus"), an embedded operating system popular in Japan.
The Teacube appears to have an LVDS LCD connector
(Click to enlarge)
The Teacube
The Teacube, or "tangerine computer," is based on an NEC Electronics VR5701 processor, with a MIPS core clocked at 266 or 333MHz. It includes 16MB of Flash memory, and 64MB of SDRAM. Interfaces include 2 x USB host, 2 x RS-232C serial, CompactFlash (IDE), 10/100 Ethernet, external video connector supporting up to 1280x1024 resolution with 65K colors, an eTRON port, and headphone and microphone ports. The device also includes a hardware real-time clock.
The Teacube is a PC/AT compatible device that comes pre-installed with a BTRON3-specification operating system and an assortment of BTRON applications.
Out of the box, the Teacube runs Personal Media's T-Kernel version of BTRON, along with a collection of middleware that provides a command line interface, graphical display, Kana Chinese character conversion and display software, TCP/IP, a web browser, word processing software, a graphics editor, the Micro script visual language, and various configuration utilities.
The Teacube is also reported to be compatible with a version of Windows CE called T-Windows CE .NET.
Personal Media also sells T-Engine development kits for platforms in a number of form-factors, and based on a number of SuperH and ARM processors. It built the Teacube as a demonstration platform, and will also market the device direct for kiosk applications in organizations such as museums, libraries, train stations, and retail outlets.
More Info
The TRON website has an excellent overview of TRON, including current and future development plans, available here (PDF download).
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.
Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.
Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.
Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.
Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.
Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.
Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.
Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed