Microsoft last week released a preview of Windows CE 5.0, the forthcoming update to its embedded operating system. The preview showcases improvements such as support for a wider range of hardware, better security, and greater multimedia capabilities.

Windows CE 5.0, which is set to be available in August or September, is the latest version of Microsoft's embedded platform for devices such as thin client terminals, industrial handhelds and intelligent peripherals.

The software is also the core code on which Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform for Pocket PC and Smartphone devices is based. Changes to Windows CE therefore indicate features that are likely to appear in the next generations of such devices.

The new version, previously codenamed Macallan, will help device makers speed up development, Microsoft said, and will enable devices with a wider range of features. "The next version of Windows CE will deliver componentised technology that will help (vendors) save time in the development process and will enable a wide range of innovative devices, from gateways and gaming devices to set-top boxes," said Microsoft's head of Mobile and Embedded Devices, Ya-Qin Zhang.

Improvements have been made to the integrated development environment for CE 5.0, including a command line interface. This will speed up operating system image development time and time to market, Microsoft argued. A new feature, Windows Error Reporting, enables quality and performance monitoring for in-field devices.

Windows CE 5.0 will ship with all software components automatically set to the highest possible security setting, though product vendors will be able to customise settings for particular devices.

New multimedia capabilities will be supported. Among these is Direct3D Mobile, a version of Microsoft's desktop graphics system that allows embedded devices to support better-quality displays.

This will fit well with new products being readied by mobile chip suppliers.

Last week, Philips Semiconductor said it would integrate Imagination Technologies' PowerVR MBX graphics system with an ARM processor core for its next-generation mobile chip.

Power VR MBX is derived from the desktop PowerVR graphics chips, but optimised for low-power mobile apps, while ARM-compatible chips are widely used in PDAs and phones with Windows Mobile.

The Technology Preview Kit for Windows CE 5.0 is available for download from Microsoft's Windows Embedded web site.