windows ce
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Windows CE 6 previewed
Microsoft just dolled-up Windows CE in a new beta dress dubbed Windows CE 6 and turned her out at the Mobile and Embedded DevCon show in Vegas baby, Las Vegas. The new flavor of this embedded OS features a redesigned kernel with expanded capacity for up to 32k simultaneous processes while remaining true to the features and functionality of previous CE generations. So what the hell does that mean to you? Well, as the basis for Windows Mobile we should see new products based on both embedded CE (set-top boxes, industrial automation and medical devices) as well as sophisticated SmartPhones and PocketPCs coming sometime in 2007.[Thanks, kerunt]
Clio NXT unleashed on Duke University... kind of
It's been almost a year since the Clio NXT was supposed to ship -- so long ago in fact, that we sense the dull fog of disinterest descending upon you. See, the Clio NXT was (is?) the successor to the cult 1998-released WinCE laptop/tablet which is said to feature Windows CE.NET 5.0 (yes, CE), a 10.4-inch, 800 x 600 touchscreen LCD with 180-degree pivot, WiFi, 64MB SDRAM and 64MB Flash memory, a near full-size QWERTY keyboard, and a smattering of connectivity and expansion options including SD card slots, PCMCIA, USB, a headphone jack, mic, and video out. Well, out of the blue this morning we received a press release stating that Duke University's Fuqua School of Business will serve as "beta site" for the NXT and Data Evolution's other CE computing device, the Cathena ultra-light laptop. That's it -- no price (although we last heard $999 for the NXT), no expected start date for this beta program, let alone a revised ship date... nothin'. In a market now flooded with reasonably priced tablets, UMPCs, and dirt cheap laptops, we're feeling, well, a bit jaded ourselves.
Pioneer AVIC-S1 portable GPS receiver with Bluetooth
French site caraudiovideo, whose specialty is pretty self-evident, have information on a new Windows CE-powered Pioneer GPS receiver that is supposedly one of the first from the company to include built-in Bluetooth. The AVIC-S1 is a "portable" model (meaning you can port it from vehicle to vehicle, but not on your geocaching expeditions) that features a 320 x 240 touchscreen, SiRF III chip for greater accuracy, and what seems to be 2GB of flash memory preloaded with European maps. Any of the included points-of-interest can be dialed on your cellphone via Bluetooth, and a choice of 17 guidance languages will help you brush up on the native tongues as you travel around the continent. It's not really clear when this product will be released (if it's not out already), or how much it will go for, but until a US version is announced, those details are a moot point to the majority of you anyway.
New OLPC deets: 500 MHz, 128MB RAM, Windows CE and no hand crank
Given that a number of companies have been boasting of their computing plans for the developing world in recent weeks, it's kind of a relief to see Nicholas Negroponte back in the spotlight talking up the One Laptop Per Child project. Especially when he's willing to be so free with the box's specs. Speaking at the LinuxWorld conference in Boston, Negroponte shed some light on his plans for the OLPC, including more concrete specs than we've seen before. The mini-laptop will be powered by a 500 MHz AMD processor, will have 128MB RAM and 512MB of flash memory for storage. It'll also include an LCD display that will switch from an 1180x830 black-and-white mode for daylight viewing to 640x480 color for indoor use. He also revealed that, despite Bill Gates' reservations about the OLPC project, Negroponte is working with Microsoft on a version of Windows CE that will work on the computer. Negroponte also said the laptops will be extremely stingy when it comes to power consumption, using just 2 watts, one of which will run the display. However, despite that low power, he said that one of the most recognizable features of the original OLPC prototype (above), its handcrank, will have to go -- not because it can't generate enough power, but because it would put too much stress on the box (more recent prototypes have already jettisoned the crank). However, an adapter to allow the machine to run on pedal power is planned. Negroponte also had some bad news for his hosts at LinuxWorld (as if anything could be worse than saying he supports Windows CE): he said the penguin OS is as bloated as Windows, and will need to slim down to run on the OLPC. We suspect that his words didn't go over very well -- and that a half-dozen open-source projects to shrink Linux down to size were started within an hour.
