Christchurch Embedded .NET User Group: EDNUG Announcements

Microsoft spins next-gen Windows 6.5.3 Mobile emulators, & SDK

Andrew Leckie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:42:34 GMT

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Microsoft is poised to release a Windows Mobile 6.5.3 SDK with emulators. The kit will be compatible with the Visual Studio 2008 IDE... http://www.windowsfordevices.com/c/a/News/Windows-Mobile-653-SDK/

.NET Micro Framework Version 4.0 ships

Andrew Leckie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:41:55 GMT

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.NET Micro Framework 4.0 features:

· HTTP and HTTPs: An object model is now provided for handing both HTTP clients and servers, similar to the .NET Framework, with the new types System.Net.HttpWebRequest, System.Net.HttpWebResponse, and System.Net.HttpListener from assembly System.Http.dll

· Multi-touch: Basic support for multi-touch events, such as moving two fingers on a touch screen, is now provided in the object model and the emulator. Gesture support has been redesigned to be faster and more flexible.

· Versioning: Versioning has been implemented to strictly identify assemblies by the version number at build time and on the device, and eventually re-deploying missing assemblies. Side-by-side load and bind for types belonging to the same assemblies with a different version number is supported. Support has also been added for assembly naming which includes the version number.

· Emulator support for SSL and HTTPS: The emulator now explicitly supports SSL and HTTPs emulation.

· Native XML Parser: The XML parser has been moved to native code for better performance.

· Native collections: The collection classes have been moved to native code for performance, and have been enriched with Queue and Stack types.

· Time sync: Devices can use the new Time Sync API to sync the system time with a specified server's time, automatically or manually.

· Arbitrary display size: A custom heap and allocation area is now provided to support bitmaps larger than 760KB.

· Large buffers: A new type, Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.LargeBuffer, is provided for allocating buffers larger than 760KB, which would not fit in the managed heap. This type is located in assembly Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.

· Watchdog and Power Level control: The power level and the watchdog behavior can now be controlled from the managed application using types Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.PowerState and Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.Watchdog from assembly Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.dll.

· Thick pens and gradient fills: A richer graphic model is now provided for designing widgets and controls.

· TinyCore performance improvements: TinyCore performance has been enhanced in the area of event dispatching and layout.

http://blogs.msdn.com/netmfteam/archive/2009/11/15/net-micro-framework-version-4-0-ships-open-source-community-development-and-more.aspx

Just Released! Windows Embedded Enterprise launches Windows 7 for Embedded Systems

Andrew Leckie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:34:21 GMT

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Windows 7 for Embedded Systems

Windows 7 for Embedded Systems is the next generation in a long line of operating systems. The product line offers two choices:

Windows 7 Professional for Embedded Systems

Windows 7 Professional for Embedded Systems operating system provides infrastructure improvements that enable you to spend less time on the day-to-day maintenance of embedded devices and more time adding value to applications. Build in a familiar environment while improving existing or creating new embedded devices.

Based on the new design introduced with Windows Vista, Windows 7 was designed to improve the deployment and management of the operating system, Windows 7 Professional for Embedded Systems provides manageability, reliability, and security features to ensure your embedded devices are always up-to-date, more secure, and running smoothly. New enhancements introduced with Windows 7 allow OEMs to build more flexible devices that allow for greater differentiation from other vendors devices.

Windows Touch - enables new exiting user experiences interactive with Windows 7 devices

Sensor and Location Platform - makes devices smarter and more energy efficient by responding to environmental conditions

Virtual Windows XP Mode - enables legacy application based on Windows XP technologies to continue to run on modern device hardware

Windows 7 Ultimate for Embedded Systems

Combining the advanced infrastructure of a business-focused operating system and the digital entertainment features of a consumer-focused operating system.

Windows 7 Ultimate for Embedded Systems provides new levels of protection against theft of important business data stored on the embedded device and access to Multilanguage support. It also helps reduce application migration and compatibility costs, making your Windows-based embedded device more versatile, as well as providing a safety net for operating-system migration.

Windows BitLocker and BitLocker to Go Drive Encryption - Prevents a thief from breaking Windows 7 file and system protections or performing offline viewing of the files stored on the protected drive

Multi-Lingual UI - Offers the ability to install multiple languages and switch between them as required with the availability of all worldwide language packs supporting embedded devices with multilingual requirements.

AppLocker - prevents any unauthorized application from execution on an AppLocker protected device.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-nz/windowsembedded/dd940302(en-us).aspx