Microsoft launches Windows CE 6.0, now with added embeddedness

Anyone following things of this sort closely will know that Vista's not the only OS upgrade Microsoft's had in the pipeline, with both Windows XP Embedded and Windows CE seeing significant upgrades released today. So as to not leave good ol' CE feeling left out of the "embedded" game, Microsoft's also seen fit to rename the venerable mobile OS to something more buzzword-compliant -- henceforth, it will be known only as Windows Embedded CE 6.0 (or WECE, we suppose). The folks at The Inquirer have the rundown on what you can expect from the upgrade, much of which seems to be in line with the preview from earlier this year, including a completely rewritten, shared source kernel, the platform builder integrated into Visual Studio for a single development environment, and ready-made templates and libraries for things like GPS systems, networked devices and set-top boxes. It also comes in quite a bit under Windows XP Embedded in price, with volume licenses starting at $3 for the core version and $15 if you want to go for the professional model.

[AL @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:38AM]

Hmm I have to admit i've never really understood what CE is...I've checked Wikipedia and everything :-S

[John Stracke @ Nov 2nd 2006 9:18AM]

The "CE" stands for "Compact Edition" or "Consumer Electronics" (as usual, Microsoft retrofitted the acronym once or twice before saying it didn't stand for anything). It was created for PDAs, and that's still where it's mostly used--PocketPCs run a version of Wince. It has the distinction of being the only version of Windows which runs on non-x86 chips (now that NT/Alpha and NT/PowerPC are dead). So it's not binary-compatible with desktop Windows, but the API is meant to be similar enough that desktop developers can learn it easily.

[John Stracke @ Nov 2nd 2006 9:14AM]

Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new OS
Funny, but it's still WinCE to me.

...pronounced "wince".

[John Stracke @ Nov 2nd 2006 11:17AM]

"the only version of Windows which runs on non-x86 chips" -- oops, correction: I forgot that there are various current versions that run on Itanic; and it also turns out that the Xbox 360 runs a modified NT/PowerPC.

[Ari @ Nov 2nd 2006 2:55PM]

Does this mean I can upgrade my PPC6700 to CE6? I'm getting bored of this aging OS.

[John Stracke @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:16PM]

Almost certainly not; PocketPC (or Windows Mobile, or whatever they're calling it this lunar month) is built on Wince, but that doesn't mean you can run just any Wince on your hardware. You'll have to wait for your manufacturer to distribute an upgrade, if any.

[Sonia Foxworth @ Nov 2nd 2006 2:50PM]

when will the new phones that already have this inside start to sell?

[Sonia Foxworth @ Nov 2nd 2006 2:56PM]

Ari, your ? is something i want 2 know 2...my older sister has the sprint ppc6700 and i have the cingular 8125...i want 2 put this on mine, i don't know about putting this on hers bcuz i have to find out what i did to hers...i was messing around with it (the settings) and now activesync won't recognize it...i am soooo glad she doesn't sync with the pc lately...i am trying to get my hands on it when she puts it down (which is what i did wrong in the 1st place) so i can troubleshoot w/sprint b4 she finds out or i am soooo grounded when she does find out...i also wonder if putting 6.0 will correct whateva i did wrong?

[Sonia Foxworth @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:32PM]

oh so like b4 when i had a standard pda with no phone in it and they ask if i wanted to upgrade to 5.0 on my hp model pda? kool, i will keep checking the htc, cingular and sprint website

[LaughingVulcan @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:37AM]

Translation: Every PDA currently out on the market just became obsolete and unsupported. Almost every PDA is not upgradable, as they are built with planned obsolescence. So if you've got problems, time to buy a new device at $500 plus.