Steve Ballmer, president and CEO of Microsoft Corp., today kicked off the Microsoft� Windows� Embedded Developers Conference (DevCon) with a keynote address describing the progress the company has made in the last six months and what embedded developers can expect next. Ballmer told the approximately 1,000 embedded developers attending the show about the strides the Embedded and Appliance Platforms Group has made since its inception last April, and outlined the company's expanding commitment to the embedded industry and the key role smart devices will play in enabling the greater Microsoft .NET vision.

In the three months since the launch of the Windows Embedded Partner Program, its base has grown over 125 percent and now comprises more than 450 embedded partners in 37 countries. The Windows CE and Windows NT� Embedded operating systems are also experiencing strong customer demand, with over 780 design starts during the first half of fiscal year 2001. In his keynote, Ballmer also demonstrated several of the many innovative design wins that Microsoft garnered over the last year: the Scanz Scannor, a Windows CE-based device manufactured by Cadence Design Systems Inc., which will be rolled out to deliver real-time video replay to officials on the field for the XFL football league; a Bally Gaming and Systems gaming machine based on the Windows NT Embedded operating system; and a device by Symbol Technologies which the Vail Ski Resort uses to scan lift tickets.