LAS VEGAS—Microsoft Corp. today released a beta version of its redesigned Windows CE operating system, making it available to application developers worldwide. The OS is the basis for Windows Mobile, used in mobile phones, raising the possibility that a revamped Windows Mobile OS could be in the near future.
In a statement, the company said that its redesigned Windows CE had no implications for Windows Mobile, but that it indeed is at work on a future version of Windows Mobile.
The Redmond, Wash.-based behemoth said it had redesigned the OS to expand the capacity for simultaneous processes so that developers can incorporate large numbers of complex applications into devices to accommodate advanced multimedia and Web-based applications.
Under Microsoft’s Shared Source Initiative—an effort to meet the challenge of open-source competitors such as Linux—developers and device makers may access some Windows CE source code, to allow customization of devices’ user interface for product differentiation.
