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Windows Embedded Management TAP Announced
Microsoft today announced a new Technology Adoption Program (TAP) designed to get product development feedback on managing Windows Embedded-based devices.
The TAP is open to organizations and Microsoft equipment partners that use Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 with Service Pack 2 (or a later service pack), according to Jeff Wettlaufer, a senior technical product manager for Microsoft System Center.
Nominations for the new TAP are being accepted by Microsoft through Aug. 23, 2010 (Monday). Wettlaufer's blog post includes an e-mail link to apply. The TAP will be broadly available across the "Americas, EMEA and APAC regions," Wettlaufer stated.
The TAP will explore using System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to manage four types of Windows Embedded-based devices. The categories include thin-client devices, digital signs, hand-held equipment and point-of-service equipment. TAP participation will be limited, as Microsoft is allotting just eight participants per device category.
The versions of Windows Embedded to be tested under the program will include Windows XP Embedded, Windows Embedded Standard 2009 and Windows Embedded Standard 7, along with POS versions.
Microsoft's TAPs aren't testing opportunities open to the general public. Instead, the programs are designed to get "early feedback on which features are most important to customers," according to Paul DeGroot, an analyst with the Directions on Microsoft consulting business. DeGroot added in an article describing Microsoft's TAPs that only a select few are chosen to participate.
"[TAP] participants, who include both end customers and partners, get an unparalleled opportunity to influence the direction and feature sets of new software, and competition to get into pre-beta programs is often stiff," DeGroot states in the article.
The TAP is beneficial for Microsoft's partners because they can gain competitive advantage by testing their technologies, DeGroot adds.
About the Author
Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.