Windows Embedded is a part of Microsoft

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I’d like to blog about my new gig, but I don’t really know very much. But maybe you know less than I do? So I’ve decided to share tiny, semi-accurate nuggets of Windows Embedded-related information with you.

Nugget 1. Windows Embedded is a part of Microsoft.

It is the part that makes operating systems for devices.

It is not the same part that makes mobile O/S. Some people think that it is the same part, but it is not. We used to be Mobile and Embedded Devices. But now, there’s Windows Embedded (that’s what I do) and Mobile (I do not do this).

Nugget 2. Embedded operating systems are in devices that need little operating systems!

Devices like:

  • Check-out systems at the grocery store or a department store
  • Manufacturing things like remote controllers or monitoring devices
  • Robots*
  • Bits that control your fridge, or other stuff in your house
  • Fancy printers
  • Thin clients
  • ATM machines or any other kind of kiosk (like at a tradeshow booth or remote village payment processing station or anything else)
  • Music players—from little ones to digital juke boxes
  • GPS or nav devices
  • Medical things like a portable sonogram machine or medical implants (this is different than breast implants, which, as far as I know, do not need operating systems)
  • Digital picture frames
  • Digital pants (good point, Tim!)

Nugget 3. My cousin is an embedded engineer.

He lives in California and he’s real, real smart.

Talk to you soon. Your friend,
Trika

*Last weekend I went to a bridge tournament and a 14 year old, who is likely a better player than YT, was telling me about his robotics challenge thing he’s in where they’re building robot carts or something as part of some state contest. Because of my new job I knew to ask, “What platform are you building on?” and he said, “Windows” and I nodded and asked a few intelligent follow-up questions (this was a “win,” since it is really important to me to look good in front of adolescents I’ve never met before nor will ever meet again). After the robots exchange, I took off quickly lest he start talking about bridge and endanger my feeling of superiority.