Microsoft Launches CE 5.0 Preview In Anticipation Of Summer Ship Date

The technology preview kit of CE 5.0, the embedded operating system upgrade formerly code-named Macallan, will enable partners, developers and device manufacturers to test out new features including Direct 3D Mobile, new error reporting capabilities and more drivers out of the box, Microsoft said.

CE 5.0 is the first major upgrade since CE 4.2 shipped last June. Microsoft offers a separate Windows XP Embedded operating system for embedded systems with a larger footprint.

The new release offers integration of Direct 3D Mobile, a component object model (COM) solution based on the company's DirectX technology, which will enable developers to provide a rich graphics and multimedia experience akin to that of the desktop, including new 3-D applications. It also includes an enhanced multimedia feature known as FastStart that vastly decreases the playback start time for multimedia content, including movies on IP-based set-top boxes.

The upgrade also offers numerous enhancements designed to make development easier, including the ability to toggle between the graphical IDE interface and a command-line interface.

In addition, the software offers 50 production-quality drivers out of the box for leading chipsets including ARM, MIPS, SuperH and x86. Previous iterations offered sample drivers, but they required significant work by systems integrators for integration into finished products.

The new Windows error reporting tools, meanwhile, will provide IT administrators with quick error and diagnostic information about malfunctions in handheld devices and other embedded systems. OEMs can opt to include these error reporting tools in their OS image.

Microsoft said several equipment manufacturers and systems integrators are working on CE 5.0-based devices, including BioStar Group, Intel, ViewStar, Intermec Technologies, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics.