Advantech Announces Full Support for Microsoft Windows 8
Delivering the Ultimate User-Friendly Solution in the Industrial Automation Market

Advantech, a global leader in the industrial platform computing and automation device market, is pleased to announce their full support for the new Microsoft® release of Windows 8. There are several powerful functions added into this release, including Natural User Interface (NUI), cloud connectivity, Windows to Go, and Secure Boot. Windows 8 gives power to different kinds of devices with advanced technologies that deliver premium user experiences—all on a solid and more secure platform.

As a long-term Gold Partner with Microsoft, Advantech offers a complete product lineup which fully supports Windows8, featuring Touch Panel Computers, Open embedded controllers, Data Acquisition & Control Cards/ Modules and so on. The application of Microsoft Windows Embedded software products on Advantech platforms offers the most effective support to the embedded computing community, in scenarios such as environmental monitoring & facility management, power and energy, machine automation, building automation.

Windows 8 Key Features:

• Natural User Interface (NUI)
  On touch-enabled devices, the things you can do with a mouse and keyboard are just as easy to do as with touches. Switch between apps, organize your start screen, and pan and zoom. With the touch keyboard, you can navigate, type, and interact on the go.
• Cloud Connected
  Sign in and your Windows 8 device becomes yours because your personalized settings, desktop background, and information are all there. Whether you set it up just the way you want it, or change it often,when you sign in, your cloud syncronised device fires up with everything that makes Windows yours. And, anyone you share your Windows 8 device with can now have their own personalized, cloud-connected access by signing in with their own Microsoft account.
• Windows To Go
  Windows To Go enables enterprises to provision a full corporate environment – that people can boot and run from on multiple computers – on a USB drive.
• Secure Boot
  Secure Boot is the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware feature that replaces the BIOS and can verify the integrity of operating system files using public-key cryptography, preventing unauthorized OS and applications from running at boot time.

Microsoft extensively designed the User Interface on Windows 8 withoptimizations for touchscreens as well as keyboards and mouse. The new “Start Screen” is similar to Windows Phone family of mobile operating systems and includes application tiles. The Start Menu has been replaced by the Start Screen and is triggered by the Windows key. Clicking on a "hot corner" in the bottom left (replacing theStart button), shows the Start Screen on launch, or the user can go to the regular desktop via a tile on the Start Screen, or by launching a desktop application.

Device Examples:

• Machine automation
• Facility management
• Power and energy
• Building automation
• Transportation system
• Water & Wastewater treatment

Runtime SKU
In Windows 8, there are two SKUs, Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.

Windows Embedded Standard 8
“Cassini”,the next release of Windows Embedded Standard, enables embedded OEMs to leverage MicrosoftWindows 8 technologies to build smart, connected and service-oriented device solutions.

Advantech supports Windows 8 in the following H/W platforms: