| Microsoft unveils Windows Embedded Standard launch plans |
May 09, 2008
 Microsoft will launch a downloadable "customer technology preview" of a next-generation embedded OS on Jun. 2, it announced. Formerly known as Windows XP Embedded, Windows Embedded Standard 2008 boasts updated Internet Explorer and RDP (remote desktop protocol) packages, among other touted improvements, Microsoft said.
Microsoft officials announced last month that the new operating system release, still based on Windows XP underpinnings, would be dubbed Windows Embedded Standard 2008, and scheduled for broad availability this fall. The product adds "the most-requested Vista technologies," such as a new version of Internet Explorer, a revised RDP (remote desktop protocol), a new media player, and an updated .NET Framework, according to the Redmond giant.
 Its introduction will take place Jun. 2, via a keynote at Microsoft's TechEd developer conference, delivered by Ilya Bukshteyn, Microsoft's director of Windows Embedded marketing. Separately, Kevin Dallas, (right), general manager of Microsoft's Windows Embedded business, will offer a 30-minute address that highlights "the embedded technologies in Windows Embedded Standard and how they further enable next-generation enterprise device scenarios," the company says.
Also on Jun. 2, Microsoft will offer developers a Customer Technology Preview (CTP) of the operating system, which will be downloadable until 12 AM PST on Jun. 14. As a further inducement, those who register both for the webcast and the CTP download will have a chance to win one of ten Xbox 360 Elite game consoles, the company adds.
Background
Microsoft officials announced at last month's Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) that the company's embedded operating systems would receive simplified product names and year-based versioning. The Windows Embedded Standard moniker denotes the company's premier, x86-based embedded operating system, which is scheduled to morph over the next couple of years into Windows Embedded Standard 2010, using the Windows Vista codebase.
Meanwhile, Windows Embedded CE, which runs not only on x86 but also on ARM, MIPS, and SuperH processors, will be renamed "Windows Embedded Compact." Formerly known as Windows CE 7.0, the next new version will be called Windows Embedded Compact 2009 or Windows Embedded Compact 2010, depending on when it is released, according to Bukshteyn. For more details, see our earlier coverage, here.
Microsoft has provided only a general outline, already cited above, of what Windows Embedded Standard 2008 will include. However, it's widely expected to feature the Service Pack 3 (SP3) updates made available last month for Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional. Primarily a rollup of previously released patches, SP3 does add Network Access Protection, which allows creating "customized health policies" to validate computer health before allowing network access, and optionally confines non-compliant computers to a restricted network until they become compliant, says Microsoft.
Other functionality added to SP3 includes "black hole" router protection, an improved security user interface, and a FIPS 140-1 Level 1-compliant cryptographic module. For more details, see our earlier coverage, here.
Further information
The webcast introducing Windows Embedded Standard lasts 30 minutes, and is scheduled for 9 AM PDT on Jun. 2. To register for it, go to the Microsoft website, here. To sign up for the Windows Embedded Standard CTP download, go here. Both sites will require a Microsoft Live ID.
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