Windows CE for Automotive Gets the Green Light

Microsoft’s Car.NET initiative transforms cars into information portals

Microsoft’s Automotive Business Unit is currently presenting its Car.NET initiative as part of the wider Microsoft .NET project. The new concept is based on the idea of creating an integrated, networked environment that includes comprehensive solutions of every kind – instead of regarding individual websites or web-enabled devices as isolated information sources.

The flexible Windows CE for Automotive (WinCEfA) 3.5 platform, which enables in-car telematic solutions to be developed, is an integral component of Car.NET. Top priority, however, is given to passenger safety: hands-free speech control is implemented for every function. In addition, the Driver Distraction Control feature integrated in WinCEfA only permits drivers to activate services that will not distract them while driving – mobile phones and the navigation system, say, but not videos. All Windows CE for Automotive services and tools are independent of the car’s on-board electronic systems and do not interfere with these in any way.

While mobility is becoming ever more important, simply being able to get around is no longer enough: people also want to make good use of their time on the road. Which is why location-based services are rapidly establishing themselves in automobiles: in the near future, email, Internet access and MP3 will be standard issue. In the form of WinCEfA, Car.NET from Microsoft lays the foundation for this development – but also supplies the necessary tools. The result? An open platform which allows developers to pick and choose exactly the hardware, interfaces and tools they need. This gives automakers the guarantee of solutions that are cost-efficient, easy to use and quick to implement. Car.NET’s open architecture can integrate with all commercially available mobile devices – personal digital assistants (PDAs), notebooks, mobile phones, navigation systems, CD players, whatever. Moreover, thanks to its XML-based structure, a wide range of services also work with Car.NET.

Driver Distraction Control, an intuitive graphical user interface and a highly scalable platform are just some of the highlights of WinCEfA 3.5. Power management provides an “instant-on” feature to ensure rapid startup and shutdown. The Mobile Explorer, a compact version of the Microsoft Internet Explorer, provides motorists with valuable access to the information highway. WinCEfA 3.5 supports both DirectX and the powerful, high-performance GDI-Sub architecture. Optimized for embedded technologies, this library now draws graphics (e.g. maps) even faster and more accurately, ensuring genuine real-time navigation.

“Our partnership with Microsoft is a very strong one,” says Dr. Klaus Dieterich, Managing Director at Bosch Blaupunkt. “The improvements in version 3.5 of Windows CE for Automotive come as further evidence of the commitment and technology leadership of Microsoft’s Automotive Business Unit. Power management and faster boot times figured prominently on our wish-list – so Microsoft gave us that functionality. Which explains precisely why we opted for the Windows CE for Automotive platform: we want to be able to offer innovative services and in-car computing.“

EyeForAuto/ Telematics Update