So Microsoft shifted gears and developed the Extender model which put a CE device at each TV with the real brains of the operation on a PC hidden away back in an office -- where PCs belong.

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"The automakers want a new version of the OS every fall so that they have a test bed over the winter and can offer it in their cars for the next model year, " said Keith Weintraub, product manager for Windows CE for Automotive.

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