| WinHEC 2006 -- a mobile and embedded perspective |
by Carey Butler (May 31, 2006)
 In this guest column, Carey Butler, Bsquare's Vice President of Professional Engineering Services, reports on the recently concluded Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) from the perspective of someone heavily involved in the mobile and embedded industry and a member of Microsoft's WinHEC Technical Advisory Council.
WinHEC 2006 -- a mobile and embedded perspective
by Carey Butler
The 15th anniversary of WinHEC, the PC hardware industry conference for those who are aligned with Microsoft's roadmap, was held last week in Seattle. As a member of the WinHEC Technical Advisory Council and as a representative of the Microsoft Embedded Devices industry, I observe WinHEC from a mobile and embedded viewpoint. I am pleased to report that, this year, mobile and embedded themes were prevalent throughout the conference -- from the keynote demos, to show exhibitors, to the technical sessions. This emphasis is good news for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), semiconductor vendors, and system integrators comprising the Microsoft embedded operating system ecosystem.
WinHEC kicked off with a fast-paced and lively keynote address in which Bill Gates highlighted several mobile devices: - The Samsung Q1 UMPC (ultra-mobile PC), powered by the Intel Celeron M 353 processor and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
- The long-anticipated Motorola Q phone, featuring the Windows Mobile operating system
- The iRiver Clix DAP (digital audio player), featuring a 2 GB flash drive and requiring Windows XP and Window Media Player for content loading
Gates also delivered big update announcements for Microsoft's three flagship products -- Windows Vista, Office 2007, and Windows Server (Longhorn). "The release of these three betas is a significant milestone for Microsoft and a major step toward delivering the platforms that will drive the next decade of computing," Gates reported.
Marshall Brumer, General Manager, Windows Hardware Platform Evangelism, introduced the WinHEC 2006 tag line, "Advancing the Platform." Based on the keynote demos, it appears the emphasis of advancing the platform fully incorporates mobile and embedded device technologies.
There were several other notable announcements and demonstrations: - Microsoft's Vista Beta 2 has some welcome attributes for the mobile community. It features Windows SideShow, which provides support for an auxiliary display on an independent device, creating an opportunity for further integration between the PC and mobile devices such as phones and PDAs.
- A demonstration of the Windows ReadyDrive technology, which uses a hybrid hard drive (a combination non-volatile flash memory and conventional spinning disk), affirms the embedded device industry's usage of flash drives for speed, power management and portability. These new Vista features for the Enhanced Windows Tablet (already labeled "Vistagami" by the technology press) will be welcome enhancements for this category of mobile device.
- The Uniden Phone from Philips, which uses the Windows Live Messenger brand. The Uniden Phone supports PC-to-PC calling by remotely signing in to your Messenger account and utilizing the contact database.
- Multiple exhibitors demonstrated that the digital home is becoming a reality with the next generation consumer electronics, portable electronics, and home entertainment devices, many utilizing Windows CE and Windows XP Embedded mobile technology. Set-top boxes, television sets, PVR/DVRs, high definition (HD) DVD recorders, gaming consoles, automotive, and in-flight entertainment systems are all target devices for incorporating Windows Embedded technology. Combined with technology advancements from semiconductor vendors such as 64-bit and dual core technology (the big message for WinHEC 2005), and Ultra Wideband Wireless (UWB), devices can be both portable and connected.
Additionally, I was pleased to see that WinHEC offered the most Windows Embedded sessions in its history, with courses in the Windows CE operating system and device driver architecture, real-time performance, and the CE test kit (CETK). Curiously missing were sessions on Windows Mobile for Pocket PC and Smartphone.
WinHEC 2006 was a win for the mobile and embedded device ecosystem. As opposed to last year's conference, where Microsoft emphasized hardware advancements driving software innovation, this year's show focused on solutions for the workplace and the digital home that demonstrate how mobile and embedded devices can deliver customer value.
About the author: Carey E. Butler has been Vice President, Professional Engineering Services for Bsquare since 2003, and directs software and hardware engineering, quality assurance, and program management with teams located in Washington, Ohio; Vancouver, BC; Taiwan; and Hyderabad, India. She also manages Bsquare's customer support and training centers in Washington, Ohio, and Tokyo. Butler holds a B.A. in Business, Quantitative Methods (Computer Science) from University of Washington and is a member of the Microsoft WinHEC Technical Advisory Council 2005, 2006.
Related stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
news feed