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Microsoft Hardware Technology

Spotlight On Windows-Powered Gadgets And Gizmos 321

Posted by timothy from the door-ajar-detectors dept.
An anonymous reader writes "WindowsForDevices has published a big article showcasing seventy-three consumer devices that were on display in Microsoft's device expo at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Each device runs Windows CE, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC, Smartphone, etc.), or Windows XP Embedded. A photo and brief description are provided for each. Some cool stuff!"
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Spotlight On Windows-Powered Gadgets And Gizmos More

Spotlight On Windows-Powered Gadgets And Gizmos

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  • But the important question is... (Score:4, Funny)

    by B1ackDragon ( 543470 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @09:43PM (#8038904)
    Does it run linux?

  • Coincidence? (Score:5, Funny)

    by pardasaniman ( 585320 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @09:44PM (#8038916) Journal
    Now the worlds most hated technology item. [slashdot.org] can be combined with world's most hated OS!

  • max uptime... (Score:4, Funny)

    by MMHere ( 145618 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @09:46PM (#8038938)
    Each device should be spec'ed with its estimate of MTBR (mean time between reboots).

    • Re:max uptime... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by EmbeddedJanitor ( 597831 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:24PM (#8039212)
      Uptime is definitely not a WinCE strength. Compare

      One of the contributors over at The Register uses (or did) a Psion. He did an upgrade which required a reboot. Even though he'd had the device for years, and is tech savvy, he did not even know about the little recessed reset switch.

      I recently spoke with someone doing fieldwork using an ipaq. They were working in streams etc so decided to use one of those waterproof pods to protect the device. Whenever the unit crashed they'd need to pop the ipaq out of the case to reboot it. Eventually this became such a chore that they tossed the waterproof pod and just took their chances with splashes etc.

      • Whenever the unit crashed they'd need to pop the ipaq out of the case to reboot it. Eventually this became such a chore that they tossed the waterproof pod and just took their chances with splashes etc.

        You'd think the makers of the waterproof pod would have taken that into consideration and made it so you could reset the ipaq without opening it. Assuming that MS would make their OS so it would crash less seems naive.
    • actually in micrsofts defense, i have a Pocket PC (compaq aero ) machine that i have been using since 2001 .. thats about 3 years of uptime. Everything works. Ignoring al lot of the BS that people have to say about microsoft, their hand held OS is great. Mostly becsaue they regualry break binary compatability and tailor it tohardware.
  • Especially the MobilePro 900c. It says it has a "nearly full size keyboard", so it must really look like half a laptop, with a really shitty screen. The point is...?

  • XP Enabled Advertisement at my school (Score:3, Funny)

    by agent oranje ( 169160 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @09:49PM (#8038963) Journal
    Dunno if this was one of the amazing devices shown, but recently an LCD display was installed outside of a food court at my school. All it seems to do is go through a powerpoint-like slideshow, telling us all of our lovely options in eating. For the past two days, however, all it has displayed is the Windows XP default screen saver.

    Oh, I'm glad the money I'm paying for my education is going somewhere useful. Though this Windows-based LCD advertisement probably cost thousands of dollars, it's worth every penny in its ability to cause me to ignore the dining halls and make my own food.

    Somehow, an advertisement running Windows seems to enhance my ability to ignore it - I'm ignoring two birds with one stone!
    • Anythign that Can Run Windows CE can Run Linux... I am pretty sure You would be pretty hard pressed to find a Platform that Runs Windows CE that allready doesn't have a good working port of linux.

      • Anythign that Can Run Windows CE can Run Linux... I am pretty sure You would be pretty hard pressed to find a Platform that Runs Windows CE that allready doesn't have a good working port of linux.

        How about an Epods One (a.k.a. Ezex Polaris)? Nice little CE box, color LCD touchscreen, decent battery life, even CF and PCMCIA slots. Available for less than a $100 barely used from lots of us who thought there might one day be Linux or BSD for it. If there was a candidate worth pursuing, you'd think this wo
    • I was in a building once where the lifts had an LCD display above the door saying what level you were on.
      Found out that these displays were running windows.
      How I found out - got into a lift and saw 'this program has executed an invalid instruction'.

      The Blue Screen of Death does not inspire confidence when stepping into a metal cage hundreds of feet above the ground! :)
    • Slashdot is now advertising mostly for Microsoft, so what? It doesn't stop up using Slashdot. Yet.

  • How about a phone that is a phone first... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Fortunato_NC ( 736786 ) <verlinh75@msn. c o m> on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @09:53PM (#8038998) Homepage Journal
    ...and a computer second?

    My wife has a Samsung SPH-i700 wireless phone from Verizon Wireless [verizonwireless.com] (motto: I am your father, Luke), and while it is a great tool to retrieve email remotely, it is an absolute JOKE as a wireless phone. To make a call, you must tap the start menu, then select "Phone" from the menu. My wife, a relatively small woman, finds the handset clunky and impossible to hold for more than a few minutes, so she uses speakerphone for almost every single conversation. The thing also loves to be tethered to an electrical outlet at every opportunity, battery life is dismal.

    People who want to create features for wireless phones need to realize that ringtones in the workplace or in the presence of anyone over 14 make the owner of a ringing phone look asinine [reference.com], camera phones are for perverts [mobog.com], and that anything that chews batteries generally makes my phone less useful.

    Give me a phone that is lightweight, gets decent talk time off a single charge (I'd LOVE to be able to carry my phone an entire work week without charging), and that has features I'll actually use, and I'll be a customer for life.

    Give me a PDA with a sorry excuse for a phone built-in, and I'll go find another vendor.

    • To make a call, you must tap the start menu, then select "Phone" from the menu.

      There are many ways to make a call and that's probably the most complicated. Have you tried pressing the green call button? Or just start dialing a phone using the keypad?

      If you are going to bash some product it's best to spend more than two minutes with it.

      • There is no keypad on her phone...launching the phone application brings up a picture of a keypad, and you tap the screen to use it.

        Even if there is a shortcut to the phone functionality, I know for a fact that the people at my wife's company who use this phone daily (and have for over four months) don't know where it is. I've watched people with multiple college degrees pull this device out, tap the start menu, and tap phone every time they want to make a call, then put the call on speakerphone, because they don't like holding the damned thing to their heads (especially in the convenient leatherette binder thingy that comes with it).

        Windows-based "smartphones" have serious usability issues. They're too complicated, and they don't do their #1 job (that is, be a phone) very well. Hell, while you're in a call, if you do hold the phone up to your head, your ear keeps tapping the screen, and the person you're calling wonders why you keep punching out touch tones.

        The issues I raise are real, and they're legitimate concerns. It's easy to bash me, since, yes, I pointed out that it is my wife's phone, and I don't use it every day. But the fact of the matter is that I *listen* to my wife every single day, and she and her co-workers complain about these phones constantly. It would be foolish of a phone manufacturer to ignore these issues if they want to succeed in the marketplace.

        Ultimately, however, I think smartphones solve a problem that no one asked for a solution to. I'll steal a line from "The Daily Show" and ask, who really wants a device that combines the battery life of a digital camera with the image processing capability of a cell phone?

        • Your wife has a Pocket PC Phone, not a Windows Powered Smartphone. The Windows Powered Smartphone:

          - Has no touch-screen
          - Has hard buttons like a regular phone
          - Operates similarly to other phones

          Some Pocket PC Phones:

          - Do have hard buttons
          - Have a door that covers the screen to prevent unwanted taps

          Has your wife considered:
          - Assigning a hard-button to launch the phone application? Most Pocket PC Phones (e.g. the XDA) have a button specifically for this purpose; on other phones you can assign one of the a
        • Sorry, I was confused by your use of the term phone and I thought you were talking about the i600 which is indeed a smartphone available from Verizon. The i700 is a PDA with an integrated radio. Totally different products. The i700 was never designed to be a primary phone.
    • The samsung A-460 is a great phone that doesn't do much else. It's small and easy to use. Mine broke and was replaced with a N-400 that is much larger and has a color screen that I don't care about.

      -B

    • Re:How about a phone that is a phone first... (Score:4, Informative)

      by Kris_J ( 10111 ) * on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:19PM (#8039175) Homepage Journal
      Phone first and computer second describes the Symbian-based phones fairly well. If you never bother to take advantage of the ability to install thrid-party software, or the calendar function, or whatever, you can still just dial a number by typing it on the pad and you can view your contacts by clicking the function button with "Contacts" written on the screen beside it. The phone side of the interface for my N-Gage is basically just an expanded version of what's in my 8810 and you need never explore any of the rest of it.

    • How about the right tool for the job? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by xswl0931 ( 562013 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:22PM (#8039196)
      The difference between a PocketPC Phone Edition and Smartphone is the later is phone first, pda second, the former is pda first, phone second. So do your research and buy the righ tool for the job.

    • Treo 600 (Score:4, Informative)

      by Rufus211 ( 221883 ) <rufus-slashdotNO@SPAMhackish.org> on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:29PM (#8039241) Homepage
      I just got myself a Treo 600 [handspring.com] for Christmas and I think it balances pretty well. True it is a Palm first with a phone built into it, but it works. One of the palm applications buttons is a phone button. Once on the phone screen you can make a call either by using the direction-pad thing to scroll to a contact / favorites list or by dialing on the keyboard. True it has a built-in camera, but I'll probably end up ignoring it. The battery life's great from what I've found so far (couple of days easily). The only downside to it is the keyboard buttons are a little small untill you get used to them.
      • Sorry bud, the SPH-i500 [com.com] dominates the Treo 600 for "balance". It does a good job as a PDA but doesn't feel really awkward to use as a phone. The Treo 600 is far better than a piece of turd like the SPH-i700 (which as far as I can tell looks like an iPAQ you hold next to your head), but it still doesn't match up to the sleek form factor and phone-like feel of the i500. I guess if you really need a thumb keyboard, then the Treo has that going for it.

        I have used my friends' i500, and it rocks - he is alwa

    • ringtones...make the owner of a ringing phone look asinine

      Or dead. [kill-bill.com]
    • Heh [theforce.net].

    • How about a phone that is a phone first and a computer second?

      If you wanted that why did you purchase a Pocket PC based phone then?

      If you'd have done your research, you'd have discovered there are Microsoft "phone first" devices, based on Windows Smartphone. They're only just coming out in the US, us backward Europeans have had a couple of a few years now. I got an E200 [orange.co.uk] a few months back.

      They are, by no means, perfect. Battery life still sucks, bluetooth is crippled (no DUN profile support), S/SMTP

  • oh my god.. (Score:4, Funny)

    by way2trivial ( 601132 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @09:54PM (#8039009) Homepage Journal
    an actual quote from one of the devices
    "They also wanted to reduce the footprint of their OS image to further harden their OS image from viruses & hackers, just another reason they chose Windows XP Embedded for their device. "

  • Has anyone used this (Score:3, Insightful)

    by $exyNerdie ( 683214 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @09:55PM (#8039013) Homepage Journal
    Has anyone used the Poma Wearable PC [windowsfordevices.com] ??

    Description: The Personal Optical Mobile Assistant (POMA) Wearable PC is a small wearable PC in a headset form factor for browsing the Internet. There is no boot time and gives the wearer the ability to privately view websites and access information...

    I would like to see a review of this and any similar device posted on /.

  • xbox? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by a.koepke ( 688359 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @09:56PM (#8039018)
    The X-Box is not in the list, doesn't it run a version of windows too?

    • Re:xbox? (Score:2, Informative)

      by redmond ( 611823 )
      The article lists devices running Windows CE, Windows Mobile, or Windows XP Embedded. The XBox is based on a version of Windows 2000 [xbreporter.com], not XP.

  • I'm not suprised... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Spike Spiengel ( 660622 ) <tasnyderNO@SPAMcharter.net> on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @09:58PM (#8039036) Homepage

    While everyone (here at least) would rather see *nix running on these devices, I'm none too suprised that Microsoft is pushing embeded Windows.

    Their basic strategy from their inception has been to throw money at a problem untill someone finds a fix. Look at the X-Box (the lack of a Japanese market) or any number of their other projects.

    Since Microsoft already has strong ties with most of the vendors, and plenty of money to throw at promoting embeded Windows, it only follows that they will continue to grow in that market.

    • MS are throwing money at WinCE. Their revenues are only half their expenses. Still, it is not apparent that they are really growing in these markets.

    • Re:I'm not suprised... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by bonch ( 38532 )
      Actually, Embedded Windows spawned from the technology of the NT kernel, which was componentized in 2000, and continued even further in XP. Microsoft is now able to push stripped-down versions of Windows, and in Longhorn, you will even be able to write XML-based installation scripts that will let you determine what exactly you want installed with Longhorn and how--great for OEMs and power users.
    • Since Microsoft already has strong ties with most of the vendors, and plenty of money to throw at promoting embeded Windows

      I think its more a from product name recognition for customers than vendors. AFAIK, most vendors would not prefer to deal with M$ because its a slippery slope.

      Also, the term "Windows" does not mean anything specific as far as a product that comes from M$. Its just a generic term for a generic OS from Microsoft (using a generic term for one aspect of a GUI). For example, I used to
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Bullshit??? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by EmbeddedJanitor ( 597831 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:01PM (#8039058)
    I doubt some of of these are real products: Symbol PD7265 uses an Elan SC400 whish is obsolete. This product has been superceded by an ARM-based design. Intermec 5020. SH3? get real. Anything that is only SH3 is obsolete

    Some products (eg the XPDA-9) must be real sincve they appear on the list more than once.

    Many of these are more development/experimental devices than real products. Quite a few, eg. Cerfcube run WinCE or Linux.

    What is most interesting with WinCE is to see the number of "design losses", rather than design wins. Many products went first generation on WinCE and then were redone on Linux. I have not heard of the reverse, but I expect there might be a few cases.


    • Not to mention that this was submitted by an AC, which just screams "Astroturf". Although if MSFT has gotten desperate enough that they have started trying to astroturf /., it's probably time to sell their stock. :)

  • Runs windows or will run Windows? (Score:5, Informative)

    by wilko11 ( 452421 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:01PM (#8039059) Homepage
    I note that a bunch of these items are not yet shipping, including the Phantom Gaming System [phantom.net] that came in 3rd in this years Vaporware Awards [wired.com]

  • /. works for MS! (Score:3, Offtopic)

    by AstroDrabb ( 534369 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:14PM (#8039145)
    Seriously, I posted a little while ago about a new Linux based Mulimedia PC from InterVideo [intervideo.com] and it got rejected, yet a topic about MS and their evil ways gets through?

    Intervideo is the company that makes WinDVD, InterVideo Home Theater, and a bunch of others. The story is at New Scientist [newscientist.com]. Basically it is an "InstantOn" PC with LinDVD (which is developed by InterVideo) that fits on a read-only memory chip. Linux handles TV, DVD, CD, MP3, radio. The twist to this product is that it also has a bootable MS Windows XP OS so you can run any of the MS Windows app that you still want/need.

    /. has turned to the dark side and I am running for my tinfoil hat!

    • " Basically it is an "InstantOn" PC with LinDVD (which is developed by InterVideo) that fits on a read-only memory chip. Linux handles TV, DVD, CD, MP3, radio. The twist to this product is that it also has a bootable MS Windows XP OS so you can run any of the MS Windows app that you still want/need."

      arrggghhh... the worst of both worlds... Linux on read only chip so you can't add anything to it or improve it and XP... I just hope the default accounts aren't admin level and the admin account has a passwor

  • Funny that! The Phantom is on the list.

    Phantom game console
    Device type: PC Gaming Console

    Manufacturer: Infinium Labs

    Embedded OS: Windows XP Embedded with Service Pack 1

    Processor: Pentium IV 800 MHz or AMD Athlon 333 MHz

    Description: Phanton enables you to play PC games on your TV, without the hassles of installing and running computer programs. Infinium Labs benefited from full Win32 app compatibility in Windows XP Embedded, enabling PC games to be played on a device just as they would on a PC.

    • Now we know why the Phantom's not in production yet -- they've had a problem securing a reliable supply of P4-800 or Athlon XP 333MHz.

      (No, the above was not a transcription error -- the original article does actually refer to 800MHz P4s and 333MHz Athlon XPs)
  • They list the InFocus LiteShow and then have a description of something else (some projector, maybe?). And they refer to "The Infocus is...". Hello, InFocus is the manufacturer, not the product name.

    LiteShow is a wireless projection system that attaches to any InFocus projector with an M1 adapter (i.e. any recent model they make). It allows you to use an 802.11b/g card in your computer to wirelessly project (i.e. no cable). You don't have to attach anything to your computer. The thing in the picture attach

  • Apparently this is a tough market for Microsoft (Score:5, Informative)

    by mauriatm ( 531406 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:28PM (#8039237) Homepage
    According to Computerworld [computerworld.com.au] MS is losing big in the embedded sector.
    "To the tune of US$1.6 billion in fiscal year 2003, Microsoft bled money from its Business Solutions, Mobile and Embedded Devices, MSN, and Home and Entertainment divisions."
    "The Mobile and Embedded device division remains Microsoft's smallest business unit after historic failures such as the collapse of a $5 billion deal with AT&T Corp. Despite years of development and some success in Europe, October was the first time a Windows Smartphone was introduced in North America."
    So these devices maybe cool, but I guess no one buys them. The alternatives are probably better.
    • The Motorola MPX200 (which runs the MS Smartphone 2k2 OS) is actually really cool. It's a hell of a lot better than the Danger Hiptop I had before. My only beef with the device is that it doesn't support the .Net Compact Framework (although the rumor sites say that support for this is due out this spring).
  • Seventy-three

    - new reasons to hate Bill Gates.

    - new songs to watch Steve Ballmer dance to on stage.

    - new areas of significant exploit vulnerability.

  • hmm (Score:3, Funny)

    by DrLZRDMN ( 728996 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:35PM (#8039272)
    I wonder why he chose to be anonymous?
  • Look here. [windowsfordevices.com]

    Quotes that stuck out for me;

    1. Under the new scheme, Windows CE .NET will be licensed according to three runtime alternatives -- "Windows CE .NET 4.2 Core," which includes a basic subset of CE .NET components and will be available at an estimated retail price (ERP) of $3; a "Windows CE. NET 4.2 Professional" version priced at $15 (ERP), which includes the balance of CE .NET other than image, PDF, and Office file viewers; and a "Windows CE. NET 4.2 Professional Plus" version, which adds the view
  • XPDA-9 POS terminal .. $US1500
    Credit cards to skim .. Free

    Holidays in the Caribean, paid for by some unsuspecting dupe .. Priceless!!!!!
    • >> Holidays in the Caribean, paid for by some unsuspecting dupe .. Priceless!!!!!

      Some things money can't buy. For everything else there's Microsoft, used in financial institutions nationwide.

  • You must be new here (Score:3, Funny)

    by ganhawk ( 703420 ) on Tuesday January 20, 2004 @10:45PM (#8039348)
    For posting news about windows on slashdot.
    Okay now mod me up ;)
  • It looks to me like Motorola's i.MX Reference Design PDA is running Linux and the Qtopia embedded windowing system from TrollTech. The device is about halfway down the page.

    Or, the (crappy) picture can be found here [windowsfordevices.com].
  • Did they mention the scary devil car [baselinemag.com], otherwise known as the BMW 745i [bmwusa.com]? You know, the kind of car that occasionally attempts to kidnap the Thai government [cnet.com]?

    • Quote from the article:

      "Reports have speculated that the famously glitchy BMW 745i car, and its Windows CE-powered iDrive car computer, may have been the vehicle in the incident.

      But when contacted by CNETAsia, a spokeswoman from BMW Thailand said the car at fault was a 10-year old BMW 520i that had suffered a simple electronic failure. She declined to reveal if the firm received identical reports from other users in the country. "
  • We were looking at using the X86 version of Windows CE for a kiosk application. I tried to explain why this was a bad idea to the less technically inclined with the following metaphor:

    Picture a Steam Locomotive. Its big, robust, kind of ugly, but purely functional. It requires a lot of finesse to operate one, and if you are not careful, you can blow yourself up. On the other hand, it has a rugged, simple design, being mostly a network of pipes. As such, anyone with a pipe wrench and a basic understand
  • Please take me seriously. The electriconic engineers which design these products are no idiots. They choose the right tool for the job, and I'm certain that almost all of them are well acquainted with Linux.

    However, it seems that embedded Windows CE is winning the embedded devices race - by quite a good margin. Now, there is no big reason for embedded devices to share a common operating system (as 95% of the PCs in the world now do), but Windows still comes out on top.

    Let this be a lesson. There is a
  • What's up with the Bally's casino machine, it claims to have a Pentium IV 4 GHz... typo probably (2.4 GHz?)
  • The Bernina Artista 200E sewing system enables you to do a variety of things not normally seen on a standard sewing machine. These include the ability to download video and design files directly into the machine without the use of a computer.

    Phhbt. Get real, mine's been playing(not just downloading) video for years.

    Oh, and nominee for "worst named product" of the bunch: "Beetle iPOS." Visions of a mid 60's beetle in a junkyard...

  • So I'm here attending LinuxWorld in NYC and was wandering around Mid-town. Came upon a Fossil watch store. They have this watch that gets all it's info from MSN, called Wrist Net.

    I gave in to impulse and bought one ($199 plus $59 per year MSNDirect service).
    It's actually pretty cool (and I'm no Mircosoft fan). If I could have found one that didn't rely on MSN for the content it would have been better, but it works pretty well. I only wonder if it will turn out to be the bomber that was Fossil's Wris

  • Is it possible to buy one of these devices and put Linux on it? Any of them? Would a new distribution need to be made for each, or is there one distribution for a particular CPU family that would work on many devices using that CPU?
  • People, this is an article that talks about Microsoft in a good light. How did this ever slip through Slashdot's filters?

    Nothing to see here...move along.
    </sarcasm>

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