Although Windows CE has been in the tech news a great deal lately, the actual penetration of these devices into everyday life is still a new idea. Especially in Canada (where I am), Windows CE is virtually unknown -- taking out my Vadem Clio illicits "ooh's" and "ahh's" from people who haven't seen a device like it before.

One question I'm often asked is "Will Windows CE devices grow beyond the confines of toys for the uber-geeks?" Honestly, I believe it will. In five years, Windows CE will be a much more well-recognized name because, by that time, the OS will be in a remarkable number of home electronic devices. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at the future together…

Baby steps
When Microsoft decides to enter into a certain market, they seem to do so quite carefully. They test, release beta products, and generally get a feel for the market. Lastly, they establish key partnerships with important players in the field--and Windows CE is no different. In the past few weeks, there have been a flurry of announcements for Windows CE related products and directions.

12:00 - blink - blink
There's an entire segment of the population that doesn't know how to get rid of that flashing 12:00 on their VCR, how to program it to tape a show, or how to program the alarm on their new stereo. Is there something wrong with these people? Not really. It's simply that most electronic devices created today don't have a user interface that is easily comprehended. There is no set of common rules: pressing the "Function" button three times on your VCR will do something completely different than on your stereo, and trying to set the time on my car stereo tries even my patience.

Part of the problem is that custom making a graphical front-end for an electronic device is an expensive and time-consuming step, usually only reserved for very specific and very expensive devices. Newer large-screen television sets will have a built-in set of functions that functions like a mini-OS, but learning to use it is always tricky. No two TV sets are the same, and your VCR will have a different set of controls to learn.

Worse, they're rarely compatible with each other. I have three remote controls sitting in my living room. There are ways around the remote problem with "all in one" remotes, but these never work quite as well as you'd hope. And why are my clocks all different times on the VCR and stereo? Humanity can put a man on the moon and map the human genome, but we can't get clocks to show the same time automatically? What's missing?