Microsoft launches Windows Embedded NavReady 2009 GPS operating system

Not content with dominating the PC and smartphone market in the realm of operating systems, Microsoft has apparently now set its sights on PNDs. Today the folks in Redmond announced a new OS aimed directly at GPS units, dubbed Windows Embedded NavReady 2009. The software is based on Windows Embedded CE, and combines navigation tools enriched with Live Search, MSN Direct, and Windows SideShow integration, coupled with an emphasis on Bluetooth connectivity. The company says that the system is shipping to OEMs and developers as we speak, which will yield consumer devices in time for the 2008 holiday season.

[Image courtesy of Jim Clark]

[Michael @ Jun 16th 2008 12:13PM]

How do you turn left on blue screen?

[Lowest Ranked @ Jun 16th 2008 1:13PM]

Thats not his wife.

That would be one of those novelty, bobbin' hula dance girls. Its just a toy man, its just a toy.

[Minilap @ Jun 16th 2008 1:36PM]

damn it, it looked so real. No wonder she is so quiet.

[barry99705 @ Jun 16th 2008 1:46PM]

That should have been your first clue right there.

[Pastry Chef @ Jun 16th 2008 12:14PM]

Great. Another buggy product that will kill off innovative competition. Why doesn't Microsoft just use their resources fixing and improving their current products?

[Astrostream @ Jun 16th 2008 12:17PM]

Because their slogan is:
"Me, Me, Me."

[Eric M. @ Jun 16th 2008 12:43PM]

Well no matter how much they fix their products, people will always criticize Microsoft. Microsoft haters criticized XP until Vista came out and they will criticize Vista until Windows 7 comes out.

Personally, I enjoy XP over Vista and OS X. And if I want OS X, I'll put Ubuntu and skin it so it looks like OS X, since they are both based on Unix.

[letstakeawalk @ Jun 16th 2008 12:46PM]

@ Astrostream

Is that because they're copying (you-know-who) "Mobile Me"?

I think it makes complete sense that a software company would like to make software to run PNDs.

[josh @ Jun 16th 2008 12:47PM]

Do you currently have a GPS? Chances are it is already running CE. Over 50% of the PND market is already powered by the OS. They seem to work fine as it stands.

[Andrew @ Jun 16th 2008 12:58PM]

Do you have any justification for writing this of as 'another buggy product'? Or is this generic omg its microsuck!1onetwo crap. Because it's wearing thin. And sounding rather tired. CE is a pretty reliable OS to start with.

[Astrostream @ Jun 16th 2008 12:54PM]

@letstakeawalk:
Why don't they fix their "software" first.

[barry99705 @ Jun 16th 2008 1:48PM]

"josh

Do you currently have a GPS? Chances are it is already running CE. Over 50% of the PND market is already powered by the OS. They seem to work fine as it stands."


The one on my dash is running linux.

[Bob @ Jun 16th 2008 1:59PM]

@ letstakeawalk

Are you serious? Microsoft came out with Windows Me in what... 2000? Just because all you pay attention to is Apple products and services doesn't mean someone else hasn't already came up with that idea. Also, when was multi-touch integrated into an Apple product? Microsoft came out with "Surface" several years ago, does that mean Microsoft copied Apple? It must be that Microsoft can see into the future!!! :-O

[bondsbw @ Jun 16th 2008 2:24PM]

Bob... do you think that Apple started working on multi-touch the day they announced the iPhone in 2007?

Be fair... Apple is well known for keeping upcoming products under the rug until it's prime time to get the hype machine going. Microsoft is well known for talking about products well before they hit market (Longhorn was around in 2002, 5 years before the release of Vista), which is why they are often labeled as being slow and producing vaporware.

More people knew about the iPhone the day it was announced than all the people in the world who have heard of Microsoft Surface to date. Surface just isn't meant to have the same market penetration.

I'm not saying that Surface came after the iPhone... but both came after Minority Report, which made the idea famous, and that came well after the idea of multitouch came into existence.

[Jubei @ Jun 16th 2008 3:11PM]

@Astrostream

Actually, if you don't mind me saying, the slogan is more like: "me too", "me too", "me too"

[Bullitt @ Jun 16th 2008 3:28PM]

@ Astrostream:
What's up with the microsoft hating? Honestly, they haven't released the product yet and you probably don't even know what it looks like, so why do you assume it will suck?
P.S. This is coming from a Mac fanboy.

[Wwhat @ Jun 16th 2008 3:29PM]

Almost all GP devices already use windowsCE, but of course the one-before-latest edition always, when 5.0 was out they all used 4.0 and when 6.0 was out they all used 5.0, so holiday season 2008 would bring CE6.0 and then next year if MS brings out a new version this incarnation might appear on devices.

[letstakeawalk @ Jun 25th 2008 1:22AM]

@bob

Perhaps I should've checked back sooner. Yes, I was being sarcastic. AS stated MS had a slogan "Me, Me, Me" Apple fanbois always say MS copies Apple, so I referenced the "Mobile Me", as it was currently in the news. Sorry if you didn't get it. I use iMacs at work, and they are my pit of dispair and frustration. Sarcasm, dude. AS got it, he lobbed it back...

[Anton @ Jun 16th 2008 12:15PM]

Some competition is always good.

[Jubei @ Jun 16th 2008 3:11PM]

@Anton
"Some competition is always good."


Yes it is. Is it still good coming from a competitor with a monopoly on the desktop market OS? The clues are all there.

"The software is based on Windows Embedded CE, and combines navigation tools enriched with Live Search, MSN Direct, and Windows SideShow integration, coupled with an emphasis on Bluetooth connectivity."

[Flashpoint @ Jun 16th 2008 12:15PM]

In 0 point 5 miles make a .....


*BLUE SCREEN OF DEEEEEEEEEATH*

[Hamidxa @ Jun 16th 2008 1:26PM]

In 0.5 miles, stop off at your local organ donor site and pick up a brain.

A majority of all GPS solutions already run on Windows platforms just fine.

The only people you hear complaining about them are those who havent tried them -- incidentally, anti-microsoft bigots.

[Bob @ Jun 16th 2008 2:04PM]

Come on people, quit knocking Microsoft, it's old and lame. I will *NEVER* buy another Apple computer again in my life. Although I may buy an iPhone, but that's not a computer (technically). I have a Macbook Pro and I don't like it. I constantly get the GSOD (gray slide of death), Safari constantly crashes, my desktop constantly boots to just the wallpaper, I constantly have other programs crash... All this even though I have *everything* patched, all updates and everything. I had a Toshiba Satellite before my Macbook Pro, and when I go to upgrade, I'm going to upgrade... and go back to Toshiba.

[Astrostream @ Jun 16th 2008 12:16PM]

As if we need more systems to be less reliable!!!

[Anton @ Jun 16th 2008 12:24PM]

BSOD Jokes = FAIL

[Minilap @ Jun 16th 2008 12:30PM]

True said, kernel panic jokes FTW.

[Brian Paul Ehni @ Jun 16th 2008 12:25PM]

Gives new meaning to the word "crash"

[Ayman @ Jun 16th 2008 12:26PM]

Please turn left on ERROR!!

Virus Infected!!! your home has been GPS address has been linked with porn sites

[bob e @ Jun 16th 2008 12:30PM]

Makes perfect sense as they have all that mapping software already on their Live site.

[Todd @ Jun 16th 2008 12:36PM]

[ from Windows NavReady 2009 ] "...your requested destination "The Apple Store" could not be found...Did you mean "apples at the grocery store?"

[Eric M. @ Jun 16th 2008 12:37PM]

Yeah!?

[nanobis @ Jun 16th 2008 12:40PM]

sweet so now i can search for diretions while using my sat nav.

Whats the betting someone will hack this to run as a mac.

[Sergio @ Jun 16th 2008 12:40PM]

Hey guys its actually cool to see one company besides apple getting all the "innovation" crap. I love all my windows products.
Cheers boys.

[Andir3.0 @ Jun 16th 2008 12:48PM]

What's innovative about this?

[unkymike @ Jun 16th 2008 12:47PM]

Lets all forget all the Windows CE based Nav systems.

[Alex Terry @ Jun 16th 2008 12:50PM]

What I like about this is the very catchy product title...

[Lowest Ranked @ Jun 16th 2008 1:16PM]

Has a nice ring don't you think?

[fuma @ Jun 16th 2008 12:54PM]

gives new meaning to the word "crash"

[Chris Macdonald @ Jun 16th 2008 7:38PM]

buying a computer: $1000.00
monthly internet fee: $30.00
setting up an account on engadget: $0.00
posting the exact same comment someone else did half an hour later?

priceless

[Zephyr @ Jul 16th 2008 5:06AM]

You mean half a decade later?

[Some Kid @ Jun 16th 2008 12:58PM]

Is it voice activated?
Cuase this could be used with a Garmin Nuvi type device
and i have to give them credit cause they finally have something ready for the holiday season
good for you microsoft
nice job :-)

[shmengie @ Jun 16th 2008 12:59PM]

yeah, it'll bsod. don't forget uac. and bill getting a pie in the face. and is that steve ballmer crazy or what?

there, did we get all the stupid ms bashing covered?

whaaaa...whaaaa...whaaaa...i hate microsoft. i use solaris unix! i'm so cool!

[worm @ Jun 16th 2008 1:04PM]

I sure hope they write this software for the iPhone. No, no, I don't.

[Nohone @ Jun 16th 2008 1:34PM]

They can't write this for the iPhone. While Microsoft does not restrict the type of applications that you can write for their OSes, Apple restricts people from writing turn by turn applications using their software.

[Kyle @ Jun 17th 2008 11:29AM]

Nohone:

That's not technically accurate. The "no turn by turn directions" is in reference to using Google Maps for that such feature. It's literally copied out of the Google Maps TOS.

Moreover, TomTom has already stated that that line has no such bearing on their software release.

[Rob @ Jun 16th 2008 1:18PM]

Holy crap. That would explain why my GPS crashes all the time and locks up in an on-and-off cycle after 40mns of use. I'm not kidding. My GPS does that.

[Hamidxa @ Jun 16th 2008 1:31PM]

No Rob,

That's just user error or faulty hardware.

You wouldn't happen to own a Mac by any chance would you?

[MArk @ Jun 16th 2008 1:22PM]

I will wait until wm7 with some better gps app

[PEZ @ Jun 16th 2008 1:23PM]

Dosnt Tomtom or navigon already use embedded CE for their base? (are belong to us) Haha.. I just had to.

[virain @ Jun 16th 2008 1:24PM]

And it will crash and burn, sorry, freeze at the moment you need it to perform the most!
Disclaimer: Based on my previous experience with Windows CE based devices