Windows Embedded CE 6.0 (Win Embedded Compact)

The operating system for innovative and small-footprint devices. Designed specifically for embedded developers who need to bring new devices to market quickly and at the lowest possible cost. Windows Embedded CE 6.0 provides a 32–bit native hard real-time, small footprint operating system, a re-designed kernel, and powerful embedded development tools.

CE 6.0 interoperates with industry standards and existing Microsoft desktop and server technologies to help you create differentiated devices for a broad range of device categories, from commercial devices to consumer electronics products.
Find here an Overview Datasheet about Microsoft Embedded CE 6.0.

Visit the secured download section for an Overview Presentation about Microsoft Embedded CE 6.0 as well as for the actual Windows CE Roadmap.
This product is end of license (EOL) since 28.02.2022. Please contact Avnet for downgrade information.
 

What's new in Windows Embedded CE 6.0?

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R3

What is R3?

R3 ist a add on pack for Windows Embedded CE 6.0. It can be installed on the development machine (platform Builder). It is NOT an update for images in the field. Visit the secured download section for the R3 download for your Evaluation and Full version of Platform Builder CE 6.0
 
New features comming with R3

  • Silverlight UI Framework
  • Updated IE Browser
  • Adobe Flash Lite 3.1.0 support
  • Gesture Input
  • Connenction Manager
  • Office and PDF viewers
  • QQ Messenger client

New Licensing Structure

  • CE 6.0 licenses Core, Core Plus and Professional remains the same.
  • The vertical SKus like GPS and STB converts into one vertical SKU only for consumer devices: C6G.
  • New R3 features are only available in Professional and C6G licenses.

What’s New in Windows Embedded CE 6.0

Naming and Branding

  • The name is now Windows Embedded CE 6.0
  • Changing branding colour from orange to blue

Redesigned Architecture

  • Redesigned unified Kernel.
  • Support now up to 32'000 processes
  • 2 GB of Virtual Memory per process
  • Kernel-mode drivers for performance
  • User-mode drivers for robustness
  • Device Emulator now ARM-Code based

New Licensing Structure

  • CE 6.0 licenses are now downgrade capable for same SKU (i.e.: CE 6.0 Prof for CE 5.0 Prof and CE 4.2 Prof)
  • No more file-viewers and Pocket-IE components
  • No more IEEE1394, P2P and Remote DCOM support
  • No more Professional-Plus licenses
  • Active Sync can now be distributed with CE 6.0

Better Tools

  • Platform builder designed as a plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio® 2005. Use your existing development skills to build both an operating system and an application. A full Visual Studio 2005 Professional is now included in the Platform-Builder package with no price increase!
  • Updated catalogue functionality
  • Updated compilers
  • New integrated device emulator

 
Better Support

  • Ten-year extended support
  • Worldwide partner base and community collaboration
  • Free evaluation kit to evaluate and test your system for 180 days

Faster Development

  • End-to-end development portfolio to help you easily configure, build, and ship new devices
  • Integrated development emulator eliminates having to use multiple tools from various sources
  • Several hundred test components ready to use
  • More source code access to help you debug, test, and make changes to an operating system image

Enabling New Business Opportunities

  • The Cellcore Stack component helps devices establish data and voice connections over cellular networks
  • The Windows Media Connect and Digital Video Recording components help devices consume media from Windows XP-based PCs and record, pause, and rewind live video streams
  • The Windows Network Projector component will make it easier for meeting attendees to give a presentation from a Windows Vista based PC

New Windows Embedded CE 6.0 System Architecture

  • Unified Kernel
  • Critical OS components moved into kernel space
  • Improved system performance
  • Increased security features and robustness
  • High degree of backwards compatibility

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Development Tools and Process

Platform Development Tools

Platform Builder for CE 6.0 (a plug-in for Visual Studio 2005) is an integrated development environment (IDE) for building customized embedded operating system designs. Platform Builder comes with all of the development tools needed to design, create, build, test, and debug your project.

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 tools

The integrated ARM based Emulator helps you easily to test your CE image without having a hardware platform.

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 screen

Application Development Tools

To write applications for CE 6.0, Microsoft offers a familiar set of programming languages that use managed or unmanaged code. Visual Studio 2005 takes full advantage of the .NET Compact Framework, which uses public Internet standards to enable integration with new and existing applications running on any platform. Supported languages include Visual C++, Visual C#, and Visual Basic.
 
Windows CE Development Process

We can divide between the device OS development and the application development. To start with the device development, you need a BSP (Board Support Package) from a board manufacturer or start with a built in standard BSP. All needed drivers, configurations and settings are stored in the BSP. The more complete a BSP is, the less work you have to do! You can test your image via the device emulator. Don't forget to choose the emulator BSP as well in your project. After you have finished the OS design, you can export a SDK (Software Developmet Kit). The SDK contains the API-Set (Programmer Interface) supported through your CE Image. An application developer can now install this SDK to write applications for your CE Image and test it as well on the emulator first.

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 scheme

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Key Features

Key Facts

Description

Real-Time

Windows Embedded CE is the only operating system from Microsoft with native real-time capabilities. Of course, the latency times vary with the speed and architecture of the processor.
Visit the secured download section for an  document about CE.net (4.2) and real-time from 3SOFT.

Low Cost

Low upfront capital investment through free evaluation tools, low cost development tools and lowest cost licensing to reduce total cost of development.
Visit the secured download section for a document about a summary of total cost of development for Windows Embedded CE vs. Embedded Linux.

Processor Architectures

The following four 32-bit CPU architectures are supported: ARM, MIPS32, SH4, and x86.
Find here a list of over 400 supported processors for Windows Embedded CE.

Modular

More than 500 components to select. There are 2 different licenses with different component sets: Core and Professional.
Find here a list of all components and the difference between the Core and Professional licenses.

Shared Source

Get with the Shared Source Program over 3.9 million source code lines. Use the shared source code to document, debug, test, and modify the OS image to create differentiated features. You are allowed to use and change this source code.
Visit the secured download section for a  summary presentation about the shared source program.

Small Footprint

The kernel use around 700kB of the footprint. Normal industrial CE devices use around 4-6 MB, a full featured Mobile build around 20 MB. The application is not included.

Mobile Devices

Special functionality for mobile devices is included. I.e. power management, instant-on and small footprint for flash usage. Of course, all new communication stacks and media capabilities are included in Windows Embedded CE 6.0

Time-To-Market

Windows CE provides embedded developers with a unified set of tools to build, debug, and deploy customized Windows CE-based devices. This fully integrated development environment (IDE) also includes emulation technology to enable simultaneous hardware and software development. Platform-Builder designed as a plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. Use your existing development skills to build both an operating system and an application.

Industry Standard

CE 6.0 interoperates with industry standards and existing Microsoft desktop and server technologies to help you create differentiated devices for a broad range of device categories, from commercial devices to consumer electronics products. Microsoft committed to a ten-year extended support for Windows Embedded CE.

Application Development

To write applications for CE 6.0, Microsoft offers a familiar set of programming languages that use managed or unmanaged code. Visual Studio 2005 now takes full advantage of the .NET Compact Framework, which uses public Internet standards to enable integration with new and existing applications running on any platform as well as native code development. Supported languages include Visual C++, C#, and Visual Basic.