Design News for Mechanical and Design Engineers

Bosch selected Windows CE as the platform for several reasons, according to Andreas Eppinger, the managing director of development at Blaupunkt. "Windows CE for Automotive allows us to accelerate development cycles and speed up rollout of an intelligent software platform for telematics applications," he says.

The software provides a common platform for powering telematic devices, which integrate vehicle control and monitoring with location tracking and wireless communications. "Our goal is giving automotive manufacturers the choice of offering any service from any device, anytime, anywhere," says Microsoft's Bruce Johnson, an engineer and the group manager of Windows CE for Automotive.

An integral part of the package is Microsoft's Car.NET framework, an infrastructure technology that works with audio, video, telephone, navigation, and vehicle monitoring systems. It enables motorists to use laptop computers, telephones, and personal digital assistants from their cars.

You, your car, and the Internet

Americans spend more than 500 million commuter hours per week in their cars, according to the US Department of Transportation.

Subscription services such as Internet access for telematic devices is expected to become a $20 billion industry by 2005, according to Westwind Research Group.

Fifty percent of all new cars will have telematics-capable appliances by 2006, according to Strategy Analytics.