Annasoft Systems' Jump Start Platform Library Kit Simplifies Windows CE Integration for StrongARM Platforms.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 1999--

Annasoft Systems today announced the Jump Start(TM) Platform Library Kit (PLK) for Intel's StrongARM(R) SA-1100 RISC processor.

The kit simplifies the integration of Windows(R) CE with SA-1100-based hardware, using the Brutus microprocessor evaluation platform as a base system. Included with the kit is preconfigured OAL (OEM Adaptation Layer) adaptation software, a Windows CE boot loader, a basic suite of drivers, source code and a build tree for creating an image that is ready to run using Microsoft Platform Builder v.2.11.

"Microsoft did not intend Windows CE to be a shrink-wrapped operating system," said Richard Eppel, president of Annasoft Systems, "but rather for it to be adapted to different microprocessors and hardware platforms. We now have a family of Jump Start PLKs that makes it easy to integrate Windows CE with a range of hardware platforms, including those based on the StrongARM architecture. Annasoft Systems also offers turnkey Windows CE integration services for designers who want to outsource the CE adaptation process and focus their precious engineering resources on creating value-added application code."

The PLK greatly speeds time to market and reduces development costs when integrating Windows CE with new StrongARM platforms by eliminating the need for OAL adaptation and streamlining the driver development process. The PLK provides an out-of-the-box solution for the Brutus evaluation board.

Included is a Kyocera LCD driver, which supports a resolution of 320 x 420 at 8 bits per pixel, a Dynapro touchscreen driver, a serial driver for the serial UART debug port, and a keyboard driver. The PLK's drivers, available with full source code, can also be readily modified for other StrongARM platforms.

To further reduce development time and cost, the PLK provides a ready-to-run build tree for Microsoft's Platform Builder. With this build tree, the driver DLLs (dynamically loadable libraries) are placed in the proper Platform Builder subdirectories, the platform and project files are modified appropriately, and the registries and binary image builder are ready to go.

All the developer needs do is copy the build tree into the platform and public directories of Platform Builder and create a shortcut to the board-specific image. Once this is done, developers can begin downloading and debugging the application. They can also add or remove drivers from the build tree, as needed.

Development system requirements for the StrongARM SA-1100 Jump Start PLK include Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 (SP3), Microsoft Visual Studio v6.0, Microsoft Windows Platform Builder v2.11, and the ARM Software Developers Toolkit v2.11.

The Jump Start v2.11 PLK costs $4995 and is available immediately.

More on Annasoft Systems

Annasoft Systems engineers embedded Windows solutions. It supplies development tools, enabling technologies, platform services (custom adaptation and device driver development), and Microsoft operating system licenses aimed at the embedded Windows development community.

For more information on Annasoft Systems, its products, or the Embedded Initiative, please contact the Annasoft headquarters at 11838 Bernardo Plaza Court, San Diego, CA 92128. Phone [phone], Fax [phone] or visit the Annasoft Web site at www.annasoft.com.

Jump Start is a trademark of Annasoft Systems. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. StrongARM is a registered trademark of Intel Corp.