14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software company Microsoft announced on Tuesday the RTM of new Windows Embedded solutions, including Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R3 and Windows 7 technologies for specialized devices (Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows Server 2008 R2 for Embedded Systems), but also announced the launch of a new competition aimed at embedded hobbyists and academic communities globally. Called embeddedSPARK 2010 Challenge, it is based on the Sparks will Fly competition, and offers participants the possibility to showcase their innovative thinking within the “Fun and Games” theme.
“Windows Embedded is excited to emphasize our commitment to the embedded market by introducing the embeddedSPARK 2010 Challenge and rewarding the innovation of the global academic, hobbyist and developer communities,” Scott Davis, senior marketing manager for Windows Embedded at Microsoft, said. “Windows Embedded is committed to driving the specialized devices of the future, and the embeddedSPARK 2010 Challenge provides an excellent opportunity for embedded developers to showcase their skills. We are enthusiastic to see the innovation that will result from this contest.”
According to Microsoft, the new competition will deliver rewards to those participants who come up with pioneering, next-generation, specialized devices, and who will have the opportunity to demonstrate the skills they master on the Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 platform through the embeddedSPARK Challenge. All people around the world who are eligible to participate in the competition according to U.S. laws can enter the embeddedSPARK 2010 Challenge, the company has added.
The program has been designed as a three-round competition, and it will offer over $20,000 (U.S.) worth of prizes. Launched yesterday, Sept. 22, 2009, the embeddedSPARK 2010 Challenge will end on April 2, 2010, at 8 p.m. EDT. There will be three finalists who will receive “an all-expense-paid trip to present their devices onstage during Microsoft’s industry address” at ESC Silicon Valley (April 26–29). The final winner will be voted by the attendees at the conferences. The awards will be of $15,000, $5,000 and $1,000, respectively, in prize money. More details can be found here.
“In Round 1, contestants will submit a one- to three-page entry at http://www.embeddedspark.com that details their original idea for the 'Fun and Games' theme, which includes games, home entertainment and other fresh ideas for specialized devices that grab attention and bring smiles to the faces of users. The first round will close on Jan. 9, 2010, and the 75 contestants selected for Round 2 will be announced on Jan. 15. All Round 2 participants will receive a target development board, Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 and Visual Studio Professional Edition 2005 at no cost to help them develop their devices. Round 2 will close on April 2, and the three finalists will be announced on April 9.”