Windows Embedded

Development of Consumer Electronics Devices with Windows XP Embedded Webinar

Frank — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:34:00 GMT

This webinar tomorrow looks interesting:

During this live online 60 minute presentation, You will learn that XP Embedded has and can be used in a variety of Consumer electronic solutions because of so key embedded enabling feature and core OS functionality.
Technical decision makers and developers will hear from Microsoft system engineers and Microsoft Embedded Experts online via live meeting for Microsoft Embedded products introduction, technical demonstrations of the developer tools and time for questions.
Discover Windows XP Embedded for Consumer Electronics
Windows XP Embedded is being used in a variety of applications from gaming machines to test equipment to industrial controls. Having support for a variety of hardware and support for multimedia software make Windows XP embedded an ideal platform for set-top boxes, car PC, and home entertainment systems. This looks at the features and implementation for using XP Embedded in consumer electronics

This looks like a great introduction to the world of Windows Embedded.

You can even register online.

[found via Mike Hall]

Technorati Tags: Windows Embedded,Embedded,Development

No MEDC This Year

Frank — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:33:00 GMT

Call me behind the times, but I just found out that MEDC has been canceled this year.

I agree partly with the rationale that with mobile devices becoming more mainstream, the content belongs at TechEd.

However, Embedded development is hardly mainstream and I wonder if it ever will be.

One of the coolest parts of MEDC was seeing just how big Microsoft's impact in the embedded space is: something you would miss at an event the size and scope of TechEd.

Technorati Tags: Mobile Computing,MEDC,TechEd

But Does It Run Windows Embedded or Micro Framework?

Frank — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:36:00 GMT

No doubt that you've seen spinning rims on cars and SUVs.

They feature prominently on tricked out cars and in music videos.

Now, you can kick it up a notch with Dub's new line of Pimpstar rims.

They have LED light embedded in them and software to control the lights in synch with the spinning of the wheels to display different images.

At a starting price of $12,000, they are for the serious playas.

The YouTube video shows one "use case scenario."

It also shows the images on the wheels being updated in real time by computer running Windows XP.

I want to put my RSS and Flickr feeds on them and have it update in real time.

I'd love to know more about how the system works under the hood (so to speak) and if they'd be willing to ship me a demo unit. :)

Or how about we see an episode on how to program this on Code To Live?

Technorati tags: Funny, Windows Embedded, Micro Framework, Pimpstar

Five Finger Keyboards

Frank — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:06:00 GMT

Interesting.

http://slashdot.org/palm/21/07/07/23/1256213_1.shtml

Slides from Last Week's Richmond.NET User Group Meeting

Frank — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:06:00 GMT

I've posted my slide deck from last week's Richmond.NET User Group meeting on SlideShare.

SlideShare is a free service that allows you to upload your presentation and share it online. Right now, they do not support PPTX (PowerPoint 2007), so you'll have to save in good, old PPT or PPS. The site can even understand PDF files.

Slide decks can also be tagged and searched across. There are plenty of good WPF and user experience slides, including this one entitled "The Age of the UX."

My colleague, Russell Stalters, told me about the service and how easy it was to upload documents and embed them in blog posts. He has a lot of presentations up there on the site.

Technorati tags: SlideShare, PowerPoint, PowerPoint 2007, WPF, Richmond VA, Developer, Device Development, Embedded, Tablet PC, Mobile Computing

So Maybe Your Coffee Machine Does Need WPF

Frank — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:28:00 GMT

Rob Relyea responds to my blog post about the .NET Micro Framework. In the post, I said that the Micro Framework cuts out a lot of functionality to squeeze into a 300k footprint and I rhetorically asked if a coffee machine needed WPF.

It leaves the impression that there is no WPF at all in the Micro Framework, which isn't quite true.

Since the Micro Framework allows you to build out gadgets for Windows SideShow, it does need to have a graphics rendering engine.

In his post, Rob explains:

It doesn't need the full WPF for embedded programming scenarios, but the .NET Micro Framework team thought it would be valuable to have similar APIs for their UI to WPF. There are a few types that look very familiar in some of their namespaces: Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation, Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation.Controls, Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation.Media, and Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation.Shapes.
No Xaml, but similar APIs...

SPOT stands for Smart Personal Objects Technology and, in case you're wondering why it appears in the .NET Micro Framework namespaces, the two products are related.

Technorati tags: Micro Framework, SPOT, WPF, Embedded, Device Development, SideShow, Gadgets, XAML

Framework on a Chip

Frank — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:52:00 GMT

At Tech Ed this year, the .NET Micro Framework folks had a booth and were showing off the latest version of their SDK.

Particularly interesting was the Embedded Fusion product, which is a chip that runs the Micro Framework. In case you've never heard of it, the .NET Micro Framework is miniature version of the .NET Framework designed to power embedded devices, like coffee machines.

They also had my favorite device running: the RSS Reading LED Sign. Now, they've added a massage chair being controlled by the Micro Framework to the mix.

It has a footprint of around 300k to 400k and fits onto this chip.

You may ask yourself what gets lost in the translation from a 23mb+ framework to a 300k-ish sized one.

Well, a lot of stuff gets stripped out. But does your toaster oven really need a file system? Does your coffee maker need WPF?

The real advantage of the Micro Framework is that it opens up a new world of possibility for app developers who can write managed code: Now we can develop for embedded devices.

I'll say that again so the significance isn't lost: we can now develop for embedded devices.

Most people who read this blog are either Web or Smart Client developers and may have coded for devices that run Windows Mobile. The Compact Framework opened up the mobile device market to managed code developers, which, previously, had been been a C++/Assembly/Obscure language only game.

The Micro Framework will do the same for smaller devices, which up until now, has been completely off the radar for most developers. It's something folks like me didn't know we were missing until we discovered that there was a better, more efficient way.

For example, if I had wanted to make an LED sign that reads an RSS feed and displays the contents on said display. Would I have initially thought of an embedded solution?

Probably not. I probably would have found an old computer with a serial port and coded the solution on that device, essentially requiring a desktop computer where it was not really needed.

I wouldn't have thought that I would be able to push managed code onto a device like Digi's Connect Me. To your normal developer, device coding requires C++ and maybe even some machine code.

Even though that's no longer true, that's the perception.

I really hope Microsoft or one of its partners releases a "hobby kit" or produce some content (complete with shopping list) on Coding4Fun.

Until then, I will search around the parts and pieces I need to build my RSS reading LED sign.

Technorati tags: Micro Framework, Embedded Fusion, Windows Embedded

Coffee Maker Makes Java, but Runs on .NET

Frank — Tue, 08 May 2007 17:06:00 GMT

Here's a coffee maker that does more than just make coffee: it let's you know the weather.

Even though it will make you a cup of java, the machine doesn't use Java. It uses the .NET Micro Framework and DirectBand (part of MSNDirect) to feed the machine with weather data.

DirectBand uses a carrier wave inside of regular FM radio signals and, since the infrastructure for FM is already widespread, there's no waiting for the towers to be put into place. It also provides a revenue stream for radio broadcasters.

The .NET Micro Framework takes up a mere 300k of space. Compare that to the full framework at 23mb and the Compact Framework at 3mb.

There's even a book in the works on the Micro Framework.

Technorati tags: Coffee Maker, Java, Windows Embedded, Micro Framework, Microsoft

MEDC 2007 Wrap Up

Frank — Sat, 05 May 2007 23:34:00 GMT

Here's a recap from MEDC 2007.

Microsoft is clearly making a move into the robotics space and by creating tools that open up robotic development for managed code developers, they are lowering the entry barrier.

Technorati tags: MEDC, MEDC 2007

Sumo Bot Competition Photos

Frank — Thu, 03 May 2007 12:53:00 GMT

Pictures from last night's Sumo Bot competition at the MEDC 2007 Attendee party.

Technorati tags: Robotics, MEDC, MEDC 2007, Las Vegas