Microsoft fires Windows Embedded straight at Chrome OS

David Flynn
10 August 2009, 11:18 PM


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The pint-sized ‘Windows Embedded’ OS is set to join its desktop and smartphone cousins in Microsoft’s war against ‘little Linux’ distros such as Android and Mobilin.


Microsoft has big plans for its littlest OS. In the shiniest of Redmond’s dreams, Windows Embedded – the stripped-back operating system previously known as Windows CE – will find its way onto everything from smartbooks to pocket-sized ‘consumer Internet devices’, GPS systems, media players and even set-top boxes.

Many of these run on ARM and MIPS processors instead of Intel’s x86-based silicon, and all of them favour Linux as their OS of choice.

The current hot topic of ‘smartbooks’, for instance, describes a melding of smartphones and netbooks – compact devices, often smaller than the ‘sweet spot’ of today’s 10 inch netbooks, running an ARM processor for all-day battery life and fitted with embedded 3G for always on Internet access.

Smartbook manufacturers have already shown great interest in adopting Google’s Android, while Intel has its own cadre of companies backing the mobile Internet device (MID) form factor and running the Intel-backed Moblin.

Kevin Dallas, General Manager of Microsoft’s Windows Embedded Business Unit, says that Windows Embedded allows the company to put a dollar each way.

“A successful software platform must support a large range of processors. ARM has long been one of the prevailing architectures in the embedded industry, and Windows Embedded CE can support ARM, MIPS and (Intel) x86 natively” Dallas explains in an interview with IDG News Service.

Dallas affirms that Windows 7 is the OS for netbooks or, as Microsoft now prefers to call them, ‘small notebook PCs’. But Windows Embedded is primed for a different and much broader category of products which the company has christened as ‘consumer Internet devices’ or CIDs.

“CIDs are a broad category of devices that range from smartphones to netbooks, such as personal navigation devices, portable media players, set-top boxes, and networked TVs” says Dallas. “We believe that Windows Embedded CE is an ideal platform for CID development.”


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Raindog (New user):

Embedded? more like Encumbered !

05 August 2009, 12:51 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The Big Baboo (New user):

Ye ye. They can load whatever they like on the thing when they sell it to you in the shop but they can't stop you formatting it and putting your preferred OS on there :) Hiya "Raindog" How's it going :)Ah to be young and working again :) Wait what am I saying :(

06 August 2009, 9:05 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

Of course this is just annoying... I would have loved the regular computer style interface of WinCE on my phone about 2 years back. Now we have Android, so stuff Windows altogether.

11 August 2009, 11:48 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The Mad Hatter (New user):


I'm waiting for the 12.0 inch ARM/MIPS netbooks running Linux to hit the streets. At that point Intel and Microsoft will both be panicking.


12 August 2009, 5:12 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Me In Oz (User):

Quoting The Mad Hatter:
At that point Intel and Microsoft will both be panicking.

LOL! How often and how long has this prediction been proven to be WRONG.
MS and Intel have resources enough to be one step ahead of everyone else for long time to come.




14 August 2009, 9:29 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (New user):

Quoting Me In Oz:
How often and how long has this prediction been proven to be WRONG.

As far as we can tell THIS prediction has not been disproved. :>

Although to be fair a few historical checks will soon prove you to be on the money, with revolution viv 12" netbooks alone particularly unlikely.


Quoting Me In Oz:
MS and Intel have resources enough to be one step ahead of everyone else for long time to come.

Resources alone are not the answer, while they surely will fight off or quash rapid threats, you need more than simple resources to fight the erosion of failing to be market responsive.
Revolutions are not likely to happen gradual changes in the balances of power and influence are inevitable, history says I'm on the money with that.


14 August 2009, 9:40 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The Mad Hatter (New user):

Quoting Me In Oz:
Quoting The Mad Hatter:
At that point Intel and Microsoft will both be panicking.

LOL! How often and how long has this prediction been proven to be WRONG.
MS and Intel have resources enough to be one step ahead of everyone else for long time to come.

Ah, but they aren't one step ahead right now, they are several steps behind:

Linux vs Windows - better security, better power consumption, better hardware support, better stability, wider range of higher quality software available, lower total cost of ownership, lowered chance of patent infringement lawsuit, wider CPU support, etc.

Intel vs ARM - lower power consumption, lower cost, better chipset integration, smaller main board, quicker time to market, etc.

Microsoft is in worse trouble than Intel, which is to be expected. Microsoft is terrible at execution. They don't understand who their customers really are, and they are working with limited resources.

Microsoft is where GM was ten years ago. Since things move quicker in the computer industry (unless you are trying to RTM Vista) maybe it will happen quicker. I wouldn't buy Microsoft stock.


16 August 2009, 3:14 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

Quoting The Mad Hatter:
Microsoft is where GM was ten years ago.


Exactly true. GM was the biggest automotive manufacturer in the world 3 years ago. Due to failing to notice the shift in buying patterns, they came very close to closing their doors worldwide 6 months ago.

16 August 2009, 5:36 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

NetR@nger (New user):

Quoting The Mad Hatter:
At that point Intel and Microsoft will both be panicking.


Do you really believe what your saying ?,intel or/and microsoft could call it quits today and they would still be dominant in 10 years time,such is the might of these 2 companies.

17 August 2009, 7:04 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (New user):

Quoting NetR@nger:
intel or/and microsoft could call it quits today and they would still be dominant in 10 years time

People said that about GM a year ago.


Quoting NetR@nger:
such is the might of these 2 companies.

Such was the might of GM.


Quoting Tin:
Due to failing to notice the shift in buying patterns

More due to decades of government interference and neglect and their desire to milk local industry for all it's worth, although change in buying patterns is the official white house line.


17 August 2009, 9:48 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

NetR@nger (New user):

Quoting Raindog:
People said that about GM a year ago


Fair comment but GM has a lot of competition,and in my opinion microsoft and intel have not a single company thats even close.

18 August 2009, 1:48 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (New user):

Quoting NetR@nger:
Fair comment

Naturally! :>



Quoting NetR@nger:
but GM has a lot of competition,and in my opinion microsoft and intel have not a single company thats even close.

One eyed Holden Fans in Peter Brock 05 red pyjamas held/hold similar beliefs in the superiority and strength of GM!

GM is not going to disappear tomorrow and neither is Microsoft, but history has proven that the lifespan of empires is finite, and that crumbling empires seldom recover.


18 August 2009, 1:58 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

NetR@nger (New user):

Quoting Raindog:
One eyed Holden Fans in Peter Brock 05 red pyjamas


I guess time will tell,and just for the record there is only 1 holden in this country that could outrun my 1200hp HKS GTR R32(yes the ones they had to kick out of the touring car championships because it chewed them up and spat them out),thats cost me to date over $200K-and thats john Zappias.

18 August 2009, 2:11 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (New user):

Quoting NetR@nger:
I guess time will tell,

It will! Time is accurate, and time has a habit of showing the authors of the wild predictions of imminent failure and perpetual dominance to be equally foolish.


Quoting NetR@nger:
and just for the record

which record is this?


Quoting NetR@nger:
there is only 1 holden in this country that could outrun my ..

Number one outrunning Holdens isn't something all that difficult.. , but its hardly relevant to any topic here.

Number two claims of I've done this or that to Nanna's car and now it's a weapon, are a dime a dozen. (Vim Diesel has a lot to answer for)


Quoting NetR@nger:
yes the ones they had to kick out of the touring car championships

You mean the one that somehow won a race by running off the track and pranging into a wall half a lap behind the lead car when the race was declared. Pointless statistics from a pointless formula now revised fully for the purposes of in house fried chicken advertising.


Quoting NetR@nger:
thats cost me to date over $200K

Is this the bit where folks are supposed to swoon and be impressed? Its not unlike the tiresome claims we get to hear of how much some spotty Herbert has spent to gain some marginal increases from a desktop PC.


Quoting NetR@nger:
and thats john Zappias

And there enters the distinction Mr Zappia's highly modified and purpose built blown alcohol racer has a cupboard full of silverware and published time-slips. Where are yours?

Where's the printed tickets to suport the claims of this super datsun you speak of? Choock cookers and giggle boxes are scarce to non existent when we begin looking through the low ETs.
And I don't see the name netr@nger appearing in any ANDRA or NHRA stats.
Sorry to say but without that time-slip, yours is just another spurious claim, and a claim with little relevance to Microsoft's attempts to secure embedded market share.

But I'm quite happy to wait for publication of your numbers and respond accordingly. :>




18 August 2009, 9:23 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The master (New user):

I can't recall how many times Microsoft has resurrected Win CE to put into consumer devices.. I developed for Windows CE 1.0 (codename OAK). This was in the early-to-mid 1990's. Then WinCE 2.0 and then WinCE 3.0 then Windows Mobile (4.0?) and now the Current 5.0. Now we are back to Win CE again?? Whenever MS gets threatened on the "low-end" device market they pull out CE, dust it off and try to pawn it off on the world. Because Windows X2K/XP/Vista/W7 are so specific to x86, they can't be ported to anything else, so MS is forced to fall back on CE, yet again. Maybe someday they will hire real embedded engineers/developers and allow them to design CE so that it actually can work and compete as a true embedded OS. This hasn't happened yet.

14 August 2009, 10:37 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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