HP’s acquisition of Palm for $1.2 billion to get Palm’s WebOS seems to indicate that Windows 7, as wonderful as it is for PCs, doesn’t cut the mustard when it comes to tablets. Critics turn palms down on Windows 7’s high power usage, lack of suitability for touchscreen operation and paucity of tablet-centric apps.
Google is developing its Android OS for connected devices from tablets to media players to TV sets. Nokia and Intel are jointly developing an operating system called MeeGo for mobile devices.
Now there are reports that Microsoft is developing a new version of Windows to replace the outdated and failed Windows CE. Code named Menlo, the new OS can be embedded in connected devices and compete with the likes of WebOS, Android, MeeGo and iPhone OS.
Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley of ZDnet said Menlo will be the basis of a post-Windows OS called Midori that will be optimized for ARM and Intel x86 processors and mobile devices such as tablets. It’ll be a few years before it’s ready, according to Foley. A job posting referred to it as a project “exploring the future of computing when mobiles become users’ primary PCs.”
A goal for Microsoft is to have an OS that combines browsers and open Web tools, is heavily oriented on the user interface layer and makes it easier for Windows PC applications (of which there are thousands) to be easily ported to the new mobile devices.
In the near term, Microsoft is pushing Windows Phone 7; its Zune OS in its Kin phones and a newly unveiled Windows Embedded Standard 7 (WES7). WES7 is aimed at thin clients, digital signage, industrial controls, set-top boxes and televisions. It has a multitouch interface for non-phone consumer devices and APIs for smart power management applications.
Microsoft extended the reach of Windows Media Center to support these embedded gadgets, allowing them to be linked in a common content network, and for their media content to be integrated and viewed in a unified format across all screens.
Windows Embedded, first introduced last fall, has far better connectivity with other Windows variants than its Windows CE predecessor. This enables Microsoft to target the multiscreen world where content and data are moved seamlessly between the cloud or local server, and a whole range of end points from PCs to TVs to cars to phones.
“The addition of the Windows Media Center feature in Windows Embedded Standard 7 is driving the set-top box, connected media device and TV markets by providing OEMs with opportunities to develop uniquely branded experiences and service providers with capabilities to explore additional revenue streams with unique content through a centralized media hub in the home.” said Kevin Dallas, general manager of the Embedded Group at Microsoft, in a statement.
The first supporters for the new OS include HP and Wyse Technology, for thin clients, and Heber for industrial controls. Applications and drivers for Windows 7 work on the embedded version. WES7 supports Active Directory and Windows management software. Other features include Internet Explorer 8, Windows Media Player 12, Remote Desktop Protocol 7, Silverlight 3 and .Net Framework 3.5 SP1.