Gas: A Windows CE powered gas pump!

Besides the new possibility that you have to reboot your car after a bluescreen, it's now also possible with the gas pump at your favorite filling station!
Is this really the future?

A new member of the Microsoft Windows(R) Embedded Partner (WEP) Program, Dresser Wayne will showcase its new Ovation(R) iX dispenser. Powered by the iX(TM) Technology Platform, which is the only open architecture solution in the retail fuel dispensing industry, the dispenser will offer consumers an unprecedented level of convenience and choices that extend far beyond simply selecting regular or premium fuels.

"Very soon," says Dan Harrell, Dresser Wayne's senior director of marketing and product management, "you'll be able to stop for gas on your way to work and -- without ever leaving the pump -- buy a cup of coffee and a lottery ticket, download an MP3, and check up-to-the-minute traffic reports. The dispenser itself will be able to run a quick diagnostics report on your car, alert you when it's time for an oil change, and even print out coupons for the lube shop down the street."

If it sounds far-fetched, Harrell says, think again. iX Media, a standard offering in the Ovation iX dispenser, allows consumers to watch full-motion, site-specific video commercials right on a dispenser-integrated 10.4-inch color display, with built-in speaker. Fuel customers can print customized coupons at the dispenser for in-store specials and other retail promotions.

And that's just the beginning, says Neil Thomas, president of Dresser Wayne, one of the largest business units of Dresser, Inc.

"The future of the fueling industry will most likely be dictated by the concepts surrounding retailing," says Thomas. "Every day, tens of millions of Americans spend five minutes filling their tanks. If we can make those five minutes their most productive of the day, we not only add significant value to the consumer experience, we also help fuel retailers maximize the return on their technological investment. That retail focus is already beginning to shape a new vision of what fueling can -- and should -- be."

The heart of the Ovation iX dispenser is Dresser Wayne's iX Technology Platform. Built on the Microsoft Windows CE operating system and utilizing the Microsoft .NET Framework, the iX Technology Platform offers field-proven stability, scalability and adaptability across a wide range of applications.

"The need for a hard real-time embedded operating system with exceptional TCP/IP networking and XML support capabilities made the combination of Windows CE and the .NET Framework the best choice for the Ovation iX dispenser," said Jane Gilson, director of Mobile and Embedded Devices Division of Microsoft Corp. "In addition, Windows CE and .NET were able to provide a system resilient enough to keep the dispensers up and running dependably, at the same time offering an enormous number of tools for integrating current applications and developing new ones."

Foursprung, Gas Pump, Windows CE

Source: Business Wire via Engadget

Read more

Read what others are saying about it: Bloglines, Feedster, Technorati