Chris Tacke

When most Windows programmers think of embedded development we typically think of the .NET Compact Framework running under Windows CE. While CE and Windows XP Embedded have been the staples of Microsoft's embedded business for years, there's a new entrant known as Smart Personal Object Technology or SPOT. Most people, if they're aware of SPOT at all, think that it simply equates to the watches available from a handful of watchmakers, but it's actually much more. SPOT is, in a nutshell, any device based on "Ollie" - a 32-bit ARM7 processor core that runs a very, very stripped down Windows OS. What's exciting about it is that right in the processor is a very scaled-down Common Language Runtime (CLR) known as TinyCLR. This means that hobbyists and developers can write man... (more)