Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC) today announced its new reference platform for Microsoft Windows® CE-based Web-enabled telephone applications. The new hardware reference platform will enable developers to quickly create a next-generation Web-enabled telephone, based on the Microsoft Windows CE, Web Telephone Edition, which is designed to provide consumers a low-cost and convenient means of accessing the Internet.
The new reference platform is built on Toshiba's high-performance Pallas™ motherboard, which utilizes the TMPR3922 RISC microprocessor, from Toshiba's MIPS®-based TX SystemRISC™ processor family, and a newly designed telephony card. Toshiba partnered with Spyglass, a leading provider of software and services for Web-compatible devices, to co-develop both the telephony card and Windows CE-based software contained in the reference platform. The reference platform includes everything developers need to build next-generation Windows CE-based Web-enabled telephones.
"The new reference platform offers OEM manufacturers a complete solution for developing products that target the growing consumer market for Internet appliances. Toshiba's all-inclusive reference design allows developers to speed their time to market and gain a competitive edge," said Chong-Ho Choi, senior business development manager of Windows CE-based products for TAEC. "Through our close working partnership with Spyglass, we are able to offer developers the benefit of Spyglass' experience in Web-enabled telephony applications based on Windows CE."
"Our work with Toshiba demonstrates our commitment to providing solutions to customers seeking to use the Windows CE platform in their Internet devices," said Doug Rodgers, Spyglass OEM Manager. "Spyglass continues to strengthen its ability to leverage key Internet-enabling technologies and Internet device platforms to help customers like Toshiba deliver Web-enabled products and services."
"Windows CE provides a robust and flexible platform on which developers can innovate to create new market opportunities in the Internet appliance arena," said Jonathan Roberts, general manager of the Productivity Appliances Division at Microsoft Corp. "We're excited that Toshiba has embraced the familiar development environment and the customizable nature of Windows CE, Web Telephone Edition, to create a compelling solution for developers to quickly and easily bring Web-enabled telephones to market."
Web-Enabled Telephone Designed to provide a low-cost means of accessing the Internet for consumers, the Web-enabled telephone is part of a growing trend in simple, affordable Internet access appliances for the home. The Web-enabled telephone design is easy to use -- even for users who may be unfamiliar with computers. Integrating the traditional phone handset and numeric keypad with a touch-screen display and keyboard, it features simple one-touch screen menus for retrieving messages or accessing the Internet.
Toshiba's new reference design includes all of the hardware and development support software needed to evaluate the TMPR3922 microprocessor's performance and to quickly adapt user-specific hardware to produce a complete Web-enabled telephone based on Windows CE, Web Telephone Edition. The reference platform is built with the high-performance 129/148 megahertz (MHz) TMPR3922 microprocessor, as well as the TC35143F analog front-end chip which provides the interfaces for audio, touch screens, and software modems.
In addition to the hardware, Toshiba supplies the Pallas Toshiba Adaptation Kit (TAK), which includes the Windows CE-based device drivers for the TC35143F, as well as the OEM Adaptation Layer (OAL), the platform-dependent interface to the Windows CE-based kernel. This support software is necessary for the development of Web telephone hardware-specific device drivers with the Pallas board. For OEMs developing commercial products, Toshiba offers expert technical support and training.
The Web telephone reference design, including all of the tools necessary to develop the Web telephone such as schematics, design documentation, and software drivers, will be available in December 1999.
About TX System RISC TX SystemRISC is a family of Toshiba RISC processors, reference platforms, and related products designed for a wide range of embedded applications. Toshiba provides an excellent selection of peripherals, software drivers, and processor cores for standard products, as well as custom integration. Toshiba TX SystemRISC products provide customers with one-stop shopping and quick time-to-market.
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