14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is hard at work building a number of next-generation operating systems, including Windows 8 and Windows Server 8, but also future iterations of its Windows Embedded platforms.
Case in point: the successor of Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 is under development already, the software giant confirmed officially.
Since there’s no public codename or leaked internal moniker, it’s only appropriately to label the upcoming OS: Windows Embedded Handheld vNext.
There are little details available at this point in time on the Redmond company’s strategy for Windows Embedded Handheld vNext, other than a hint from Dion Hutchings, an engineer in the OEM division at Microsoft focusing on Windows Embedded Handheld, that Windows 7 technologies might be ported to the platform.
“Windows Embedded has a consistent history of bringing Microsoft technologies to the embedded market, modified specifically for embedded use cases for example Windows 7 technologies inside Windows Embedded Standard 7,” Hutchings said.
“So what does all of this have to do with you, someone who cares about the enterprise mobile space? Well, I’m glad I asked myself that question. Windows Embedded is working on the next generation Windows Embedded Handheld as I’m typing this. Also the Windows Embedded engineers have been working hard on regular update releases and will continue to release updates for Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 to our OEM partners.”
Personally, I know that the Windows Embedded team is already looking beyond Windows 7 for their next-gen operating systems, namely to Windows 8.
But I don’t want in any way to imply that Windows Embedded Handheld vNext will feature Windows 8 technologies.
After all, the current iteration, Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 is on par with Windows Embedded Compact 7, still supporting Windows Mobile 6.5 apps, and having little to do with Windows 7, unlike Windows Embedded Standard 7 for example.
But with the Windows Phone team no longer doing any embedded work and focusing exclusively on Windows Phone, the Windows Embedded team is bound to take a different approach to pushing to the next level the future releases of Windows Embedded Handheld and Windows Embedded Compact, perhaps in line with Windows Embedded Standard.
“Never before has there been more focus on your industry, enterprise handheld, at Microsoft. Now and in the future the Windows Embedded team and Microsoft are very committed to providing a purpose built embedded operating system and services for the handheld space,” Hutchings added.