Microsoft previews Windows CE 5.0

Bob Brewin   Today’s Top Stories    or  Other Mobile Devices Stories  

Advance your BlackBerry(R) solution management know-how this July Enhancing Business Mobility with Convertible PCs Advance your BlackBerry(R) solution management know-how this July Seven Steps to Secure and Seamless Field Mobility Managing Mobility: An IT Perspective Demonstrating the Business Value of Mobile Device Management in the Enterprise Computerworld Technology Briefing: An open-source path to optimal virtualization Learn-Fast Guide: It's All About You Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

March 29, 2004 (Computerworld) -- Microsoft Corp. said it has made it easier for developers of mobile handheld computers, IP telephones, industrial controllers and consumer electronics devices to build new products with the latest version of its embedded operating system, Windows CE 5.0, due for release this summer.
Microsoft said today that it will make a technology preview kit for Windows CE 5.0 available this Thursday on its Windows Embedded Web site.
The newest release of the Microsoft embedded operating system includes more than 50 drivers optimized for a variety of embedded chip sets, including the ARM processor from ARM Holdings PLC, MIPS processors from MIPS Technologies Inc., the SuperH processor from Hitachi Ltd., and Intel Corp.'s x86 family of chips.
Microsoft said this will allow manufacturers to use drivers right out of the box, rather than having to customize them for a particular hardware environment.
The new release of Windows CE also provides built-in support for an emerging hot product category, dual-mode mobile phones, which can make high-speed data connections on both cellular and wireless LAN networks. The new software also includes increased support for voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephony. Microsoft is expected to provide more details on this support at the Voice on the Net trade show in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday.
John Starkweather, a Microsoft senior product manager, said the improvements added to Windows CE 5.0 bring the operating system, used as the basic building block for such products as the company's Pocket PC mobile computer hardware, "closer to desktop parity." At the request of developers and handheld makers, Starkweather said, Microsoft has added to Windows CE 5.0 built-in error-reporting like that found in the company's desktop software. Microsoft has also added a wide range of security features to the new operating system, with these features turned on by default.
Rich Sherman, director of marketing for mobile computing at Intermec Technologies Corp. in Everett, Wash., said Windows CE 5.0 should provide his company, which builds rugged handheld computers, with a lot of flexibility in developing next-generation products. But Intermec won't incorporate the advances in Windows CE 5.0 into its products until late this year, he said.
Sherman said additional support for VoIP in Windows CE 5.0 will help the company meet customer demand for IP telephony products.
Rob Enderle, an analyst at Enderle Group in San Jose, said improvements in the communications software in Windows CE 5.0 will help manufacturers develop devices that can roam easily from cellular to wireless LAN networks without losing the call. He added that built-in error-reporting should go a long way toward making devices built on Windows CE 5.0 "better corporate citizens" and will help IT departments better manage devices that run it.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"Mozilla's successful attempt to set a world record for downloads of a single program, Firefox 3 was dumb...." Read more... "Apple yesterday dropped the price of the 64Gb MacBook Air by a whopping $500 ($400 less for the SSD and..." Read more... Read more Mobile & Wireless posts or See all Blogs

Microsoft promises four patches next week Google gives away home-cooked Web application security scanner Storm botnet stages Fourth of July attacks More top stories...

Microsoft trumpets security additions in upcoming IE8 Apple cuts price of high-end SSD MacBook Air by $500 Ultrathin showdown: Apple MacBook Air vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X300 vs. Toshiba Portege R500

This old laptop: Revitalizing an aging notebook on the cheap All it takes is a couple hours and about $125 to breathe new life into an old laptop. Here's how. Bill Gates moves on Is Microsoft's Golden Age over? What are Gates' most memorable quotes? Find out in Computerworld's complete coverage of the end of the Bill Gates era at Microsoft. Five things you should never tell your boss There are some things your CIO definitely doesn't want to hear. Also don't miss the flipside, Five things you should always tell your boss. Hands-On: Firefox 3 fixes what's broke and keeps what's right With its latest version, Mozilla's browser continues to raise the bar for what Web browsers should be. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland SecurityAsk a Premier 100 IT LeaderBlackBerry Legal BattleData Security BreachesElectronic VotingFirefoxH-1B VisasHP's Boardroom ScandalHandheld DevicesHurricane Katrina AftermathMicrosoft Legal IssuesMicrosoft's VistaOpen SourceRFID TechnologySCO's Linux FightSarbanes-Oxley ActSpamVoice Over IPWi-FiWindows Meta File VulnerabilityWindows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders2006 Salary Survey2007 Best Places to Work in IT2007 IT Forecast2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders40 Years of ComputerworldASPs, Take TwoBest Places to Work in IT 2003Best Places to Work in IT 2004Best Places to Work in IT 2005Best Places to Work in IT 2006Business Intelligence Home RunsBusiness Intelligence: Smarter BIBusiness Intelligence: The Future of BICRM Goes VerticalCRM: Sober CRMCareer Planning Guide 2005Careers: IT Profession 2010Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005Data Management: Mining for GemsData Management: Taming Data ChaosDevelopment: Hard-Workin' Web SitesDevelopment: New Tools New ChoicesDevelopment: The New World of Application DevelopmentDevelopment: The Web Services TsunamiDevelopment: Web Services HurdlesDisaster Recovery: Preparing for the WorstE-commerce Grows UpE-mail/Groupware: Big DecisionsFaces of Mobile ITForecast 2006Global MobileHardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple ChallengesHardware: On-Demand Un-HypedHardware: The Shape of Things to ComeHorizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge TechnologiesIT Management: Guide to Managing VendorsIT Management: Navigating Global ITIT Management: Recovery AheadIT Management: The Future of ITIT Management: The Resourceful Project ManagerInnovative Technology Awards 2004Management: Reinventing ITMicrosoft in TransitionMobile/Wireless Leaders and LaggardsMobile/Wireless: The Untethered WorkerMobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge CostsNetwork Management: Taking ControlNetworking: Turbulence Ahead!Networking: VoIP Goes MainstreamOperating Systems: In the Slow LaneOperating Systems: Linux Goes GlobalOperating Systems: Should You Nix Unix?Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's GuideOutsourcing: Outsourcing DangersPremier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in ClassPremier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in ClassROI: Do the Math!Salary Survey 2003Salary Survey 2004Salary Survey 2005Security Action PlanSecurity: Compliance HeadachesSecurity: Proactive SecuritySecurity: Risk and RewardSecurity: Tips From Security ProsSouped-up SecurityStorage: Battling ComplexityStorage: Cheap & Secure Data StoresStorage: Stretching Your Storage DollarsStorage: The Lean Storage MachineStorage: The New Rules of StorageStorage: The Ultimate Backup GuideSupply Chain: Missing LinksSupply Chain: RFID Reality CheckThe Business of SecurityWeb 2.0 SecurityWireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone See your link here

The Untethered Worker (Source: Computerworld) Today's roaming employees expect to be able to work in a conference room, airport, customer site or coffee shop. This report - covering wireless LANs, mobile applications and cellular networks - tells you how to get the job done, avoid chaos and maintain security! Download this executive briefing  Virtualization Everywhere Download this white paper, free, compliments of Citrix. (Source: Citrix) Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while adoption by mid-sized companies has been much slower. For these companies, the cost and complexity of server virtualization solutions has been a barrier. In this paper, we'll discuss how Citrix XenServer" provides simple, economical server virtualization for any size company. Download now! Download this white paper  Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Download this webcast, free, compliments of Sterling Commerce Go to the webcast  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Deploying Virtualized NetWare on Linux Whitepaper Toward More Flexible, Next-Generation Collaboration Solutions Driving Business Success Through Workgroup Choice and Flexibility View more whitepapers

• Microsoft promises four patches next week
• Google gives away home-cooked Web application security scanner
• Storm botnet stages Fourth of July attacks
• More top stories 

Columnist Bert Latamore digs deep to analyze the latest networking trends. Click here to read the latest column by Bert Latamore

Try Fluke Networks' OptiView Analyzer on your network FREE Solve network and application issues, manage infrastructure changes and deploy new applications and services. Use OptiView Analyzer on your own network for five days at no charge. Generate network discovery reports, perform security audits of your network to find unauthorized devices and applications and see protocol distribution to eliminate legacy protocols. Request free trial now

Networking Know-How For tips and best practices on building anything in the network, see Sandra Gittlen's regular column. Click here to read the latest column by Sandra Gittlen

Try Fluke Networks' EtherScope Analyzer on your network FREE Quickly solve the wide range of problems you encounter - 10, 100 and Gigabit, twisted pair and optical fiber, LAN or wireless LAN. The EtherScope Analyzer combines the essential tools you need to monitor network traffic and switch interfaces, discover devices, networks, VLANs, access points, mobile clients and more. See the power of this portable network analyzer on your network. Request free trial now *Terms and conditions: Evaluation units are available only for a limited time and will be scheduled on a first-come first-served basis. Not available in all geographies. Limited quantities available; customers requesting evaluation units may be waitlisted for the next available unit. It will be at the discretion of Fluke Networks to accept or decline requests for this free evaluation.