Major automaker adopts Microsoft Auto

Microsoft has announced a new design win for its Windows CE-based automotive technology, Microsoft Auto. The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group (HKAG) will use the product in a voice-controlled infotainment system to be available in its 2010 vehicles, the companies announced.



HKAG has primarily been associated with economy cars, but recently introduced a flagship, rear-wheel-drive sedan, the Genesis (shown above), in which Microsoft Auto-based technology is likely to make its debut. Calling HKAG's forthcoming infotainment system "comparable to a mini PC," Microsoft said the system will boast firmware updates via USB storage devices, a claimed first for in-car systems.

The as-yet-unnamed HKAG system will be based on Microsoft Auto, recently quietly updated to version 3.0. The software now allows a USB device to be brought into a car as a means of updating installed programs. Uninstallation of applications is another new feature, according to Microsoft.

Other features listed by the company for Microsoft Auto 3.0 include:

• Bluetooth integration, allowing music streaming and Internet access via a mobile phone
  
• Control of media players such as the Microsoft Zune, Apple iPod, and Creative Zen, along with multiple audio zones
  
• Cellular phone control, including conferencing, call waiting, and text-to-speech reading of SMS messages
  
• The .NET Compact Framework
  
• Internet Explorer-based web browsing
  
• GPS

Microsoft Auto technology has had many names (Click image for further information)

Microsoft Auto was originally referred to by Microsoft as Windows Automotive (2003) and Windows Mobile for Automotive (2006). Rebranded by auto manufacturers, it first made its debut in Europe and South America on Fiat vehicles, where it is known as Blue&Me. More recently, it has been offered in the U.S. by Ford as Sync, on passenger cars, and as Ford Work Solutions on pickups and vans.

According to data sheets published by Microsoft, a key part of the Microsoft Auto reference design is the i.MX31 SoC (system-on-chip), first shipped in 2006. The i.MX31 integrates an ARM1136 processor core along with a Java accelerator, a vector floating point math coprocessor, and a video processing engine that supports full-motion (30 frames/sec) VGA video. It also contains a host of system functions and peripheral interfaces .

Freescale says its automotive-grade versions of the i.MX31 have achieved the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) Q-100 qualification. Among the parameters required to achieve this rating, operating temperature is said to range from -40 degrees to 85 degrees C temperature range.

A Microsoft Auto reference platform offered by Microsoft is said to include:

• Windows CE 6.0 core operating system
  
• 256 MB NAND flash memory, 64 MB DDRAM
  
• Bluetooth connectivity
  
• Vehicle bus interface
  
• Microphone for voice interaction with system
  
• Support for multiple audio zones
  
• USB 2.0 host connections
  
• JTAG, Ethernet, and serial debug interfaces
  
• DVI output
  
• Cell phone module compatiblity
  
• GPS receiver capable

In-car applications using Microsoft Auto are not likely to start resembling desktop editions of Windows. The technology offers a "clear separation of the human-machine interface from the core application logic," allowing automakers to easily differentiate their systems, says Microsoft.

Martin Thall, general manager of Microsoft's automotive business unit, said "These new systems will redefine consumer experiences in the car. Since the spring of 2006, HKAG and Microsoft have been sharing their vision for the future of in-car technology. We're now aligned to develop the next generation of in-car infotainment systems."

ARM ICE gains Windows CE support

ARM says its in-circuit emulator (ICE) can now be used from within Microsoft's Visual Studio toolsuite. The feat is possible thanks to a new driver that ARM developed for the RealView ICE with support built in for Microsoft's eXDI (extended debugging interface).



ARM bundles a "RealView" software debugger with the RealView ICE. However, it says some developers wished to use the tools within the familiarity of Visual Studio. So, ARM developed eXDI drivers to make that possible.

The RealView ICE hardware supports "all ARM processors," including the Cortex A9 released last year, the Cortex A8, and a variety of ARM7-, ARM9-, and ARM11-based processors. The device permits developers to communicate directly with a target ARM processor, "dramatically improving hardware visibility and enabling debug scenarios that would be impossible with just a software-based debug monitor," says ARM.

Features listed by ARM for the RealView ICE include:

• Direct code image download over JTAG, with no need for a working Ethernet or USB bootloader
  
• Setting hardware breakpoints within the processor core
  
• Direct viewing and modification of:
  • Standard registers r0 to r15
    
  • Program status register
    
  • Co-processor registers (including CP15)
    
  • External memory
• Debugging new hardware bring-up and bootloaders before an operating system kernel starts

The RealView eXDI drivers extend the Platform Builder software in Microsoft's Visual Studio
The RealView ICE features USB 1.1 and 2.0 compatible connections, 10/100 Ethernet remote and local host connections. It also supports ARM's CoreSight serial wire debug interfaces. Serial wire debug reduces the number of debug port pins on a device from 5 pins to 2 pins, for severely pin-limited packages and where pin count can be the controlling factor in device costs, ARM notes.

Kim Chau, a silicon vendor partner marketing manager for Microsoft's Windows Embedded business, said, "By leveraging the RealView ICE unit for hardware assisted debug from the Microsoft Visual Studio debug environment, our customers now have an increased level of debug visibility. This is a natural fit that enables our mutual customers to reduce both time-to-market and overall project risk."

ARM's eXDI drivers, enabling Windows CE 5.0 support for the RealView ICE, are freely downloadable now from the company's website, here. Windows CE 6.0 support will be a free download available during the second quarter, the company adds.

Pricing for the RealView ICE was not cited, but the unit is available now.