SAE World Congress
The SAE World Congress, which occurred March 6-9 of this year was the place to be to get the latest on developments in the world of Windows CE for Automotive (WCEfA). "What's that?" you may ask. That's the new name Microsoft has given their software for the Auto PC platform.

I was told by those who attended that all the well-known WCEfA players were there, as well as a few major new ones. Perhaps the most significant new player was Denso Corporation. Denso is a global supplier of advanced technology systems and components for the automotive market. Here is a clipping from the press release:

Today at the SAE 2000 World Congress, Microsoft Corp…. announced it is working with DENSO Corp., a worldwide leader in automotive navigation, to create next-generation devices for navigation and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications. Microsoft and DENSO will deliver powerful navigation and ITS products that will assist motorists in avoiding traffic jams, preserving the environment, and increasing safety.

DENSO and Microsoft agree that as navigation systems evolve, the industry will benefit from an open platform environment like Microsoft Windows CE for Automotive. The current lack of standardization severely limits manufacturers from sharing development costs and leveraging technological advances that could benefit all consumers.

"Our automotive teams based in Redmond, Wash. and Japan have been working closely with DENSO to better understand what the automotive industry wants from its technology partners," said Bob McKenzie, product unit manager in the Automotive Business Unit at Microsoft. "As a result, Windows CE for Automotive is gaining momentum, and manufacturers now have an automotive operating system designed to meet their current and future development plans."

Furthermore, Lear Corporation was present at the SAE World Congress showing its Auto PC-related offerings based on WCEfA. Yazaki, a major player in automotive electronics, has also been working on its own WCEfA based offerings.

This makes a total of six major players in the WCEfA based Auto PC arena. These folks make up what is essentially a who's who in the automotive electronics-manufacturing world. Microsoft's WCEfA team has really done a good job of listening to customers, meeting their needs, and promptly responding. They are really starting to reap the benefits now.