Windows Embedded NavReady 2009

imageYou certainly have heard about the Windows Embedded family renaming. If not, take a look at this post.

Part of the Windows Embedded Ready sub-family (specific verticals offerings), here is a new born: Windows Embedded NavReady 2009. By the "Nav" prefix, you certainly have guessed that this new product is not about being ready to run some well known anti-virus ;-)... but is more about portable navigation devices, aka PNDs or GPS.

So imagine the scenario: you are driving and need to get info like the weather, traffic, or the best and newest points of interests near you like a restaurant or a gas station with best prices... The only thing you have is your PND and a cell phone, let's be more precise, a Bluetooth cell phone. Why not leverage your cell phone connectivity and link it using Bluetooth to your PND, you would then not only be able to make phone calls from the PND (using it as an hand free kit), but also get your PND connected to services on the Internet. Then, bringing your PND back home, you could also want to leverage its large LCD screen for some... Sideshow usage...

Ok, I hear some of you saying: "What is the big deal here? Some PND already provide this kind of functionality or kind of...". Let me answer that: think it the OEM way... The PND manufacturers need integration, they need to be able to leverage up-to-date connected technologies, and they need to integrate these technologies quickly, easily, and for an optimum cost...

Here are all the features Windows Embedded NavReady adds to the Platform Builder 5.0 catalog:

  • the ability to perform Live Search on the device via the Internet and get up-to-date point of interest (POI) information.
  • key Bluetooth technologies (profiles) enabling PNDs to provide rich hands-free scenarios to end-users and managed dialup networking services to applications on the device when used together with compatible Bluetooth capable phones (and for data when the end user has a compatible data plan activated on the phone).
  • enabling OEMs to integrate MSN Direct technologies. These technologies can reduce end users commute time while enhancing the travel experience by providing up-to-date information such as traffic alerts and fuel prices.
  • Inside the home, GPS devices will be able to function as a Windows Sideshow device to Windows Vista, allowing the device to interact with various Windows Vista gadgets to receive, send or display information important to the end-user.

You are smart and attentive enough, so you noticed I mentioned Platform Builder version 5.0... You'd probably want to ask why this new offer is based on Windows CE 5.0 and not on the latest CE version which is 6.0. The answer is quite simple: today, many PND manufacturers are using CE 5.0 in there devices, and Microsoft's first focus is to provide these OEMs with the right features that will make it possible for them to bring their devices to market fast with these new capabilities... and without having to licence any third party technology on top of their actually running OS.

If you want to learn more about Windows Embedded NavReady 2009, visit the Web site :https://www.microsoft.com/windows/embedded/products/navready/default.mspx

If you want to get started and to download NavReady, then go there.