Mar 18, 2011 11:22 GMT  ·  By

New resources available for download from Microsoft are designed to make it easier for customers running the evolution of Windows Embedded CE to use Office documents.

Less than a month ago, the software giant launched Windows Embedded Compact 7, the successor of Windows Embedded CE, which is now available worldwide.

This week, the Redmond company also released the Office Viewers for Windows Embedded Compact 7, which are now live on the Microsoft Download Center.

Of course, Viewers for Windows Embedded Compact 7 - Microsoft Office 97, 2000, 2003, XP and 2007 file format support are available for download free of charge.

“Viewers are a 3rd party component for Windows Embedded Compact 7. This release provides viewing capabilities for documents created using PowerPoint, Word, and Excel in Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007,” Microsoft explained.

The Redmond company underlined that in addition to Office 97, 2000, 2003, XP and 2007 file format support, the Viewers also make sure that Windows Embedded Compact 7 plays nice with documents in PDF file formats.

At the bottom of this article users will be able to find the download link for Windows Embedded Compact 7 Evaluation Edition, a free copy of the operating system designed to be run in testing environments.

Windows Embedded Compact is considered the seventh iteration of Windows Embedded CE, which explains the presence of the number “7” in the official moniker.

However, despite the “7”, Windows Embedded Compact is not based on Windows 7 per the model used with Windows Embedded Standard 7.

“Windows Embedded Compact 7 uses the familiar tools OEMs already know to help create the next generation of devices with attractive, intuitive user experiences,” Microsoft explained.

“Compact continues the history of embedded innovation started with the first release of CE, providing new technology to OEMs for building devices that stand apart from the competition.”

Viewers for Windows Embedded Compact 7 - Microsoft Office 97, 2000, 2003, XP and 2007 file format support  are available for download here.

Windows Embedded Compact 7 Evaluation Edition is available for download here.