Today at Embedded World 2008, Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of the Microsoft .NET Micro Framework version 2.5. This latest release provides developers and device-makers with support for Web Services on Devices and a native Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) stack, bringing powerful new options for network discovery and connectivity to smaller resource-constrained devices. Introduced a year ago at Embedded World 2007, the .NET Micro Framework now has over 40 companies leveraging the .NET Micro Framework porting kit license to build custom hardware designs.

�The .NET Micro Framework extends Microsoft�s embedded offerings to an even smaller world of connected devices,� said Colin Miller, product unit manager of the .NET Micro Framework at Microsoft. �With version 2.5, we�ve made significant updates to the platform in response to partner feedback. Our partners continue to validate the platform. The .NET Micro Framework is already being used in a variety of current hardware offerings in the home and industrial automation markets, the automotive industry, in PC peripherals, and in a wide variety of innovative consumer devices.�