Second Windows XP Embedded Beta Released

Quickly following the recent release to manufacturing of Windows XP, Microsoft has released the second beta of Windows XP Embedded. In the past, betas for embedded versions of Windows NT were conducted with partners and a select group of testers, but Windows XP Embedded Beta 2 is being released as part of a public Windows XP Embedded Technology Preview Program. Windows XP Embedded is designed for rapid development and deployment of connected client devices based on Windows XP Professional, such as advanced set-top boxes, thin clients, residential gateways, retail point-of-sale devices, and kiosks. An embedded operating system (OS) based on Windows .NET server will be available next year.

Strategic Importance and Features

The embedded market is important to Microsoft because the smart devices built on embedded OSs will be key consumers of XML-based Web services, which are an important part of .NET. Windows XP Embedded offers embedded system developers a highly configurable version of Windows XP, allowing them to build a custom embedded OS image that contains only those Windows XP features and services that their devices need. (For details on the Microsoft’s embedded strategy and its importance to .NET, see “.NET Puts Focus on Embedded Strategy” on page 6 of the July 2001 Update.)