On Wednesday, Microsoft announced it had released to manufacturing the version of its Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) for embedded devices. Called "Windows XP Embedded With SP2," the new release contains many of the same features and security fixes as the full Windows XP SP2 product that Microsoft delivered on August 6.
The embedded version includes a new Windows Firewall component, Bluetooth support, generic device drivers, and support for Software Update Services and System Management Server distribution. The target audience for the embedded version includes embedded developers, OEMs, system integrators and independent software vendors developing products for Windows XP Embedded devices, including point-of-sale terminals, medical systems and thin-client devices.