Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas

OK, it’s not strictly Embedded, but it may open the way for a new class of Embedded devices.  Office is opening their formats to be XML based, which in and of itself is very cool (side note: this will make publishing extra info about Embedded security updates much easier).  But what if someone were to come up with a way, outside of Office, to consume these new formats and put it on an Embedded device.  I’m thinking of a service-based business with a document kiosk available to walk-in customers, with documents stored on the device.  XML attributes could provide user-viewable info before they print the doc, and a network connection allows it to be updated live.

Or maybe an XPE-based projector with slide decks stored right on the projector.  Give it to your sales force on tours to present standard slide decks to prospective customers, or load it with lessons for a substitute teacher to present to a class in your absence.

Maybe a SAN/NAS or printer device with some XML processing that can report on the documents that pass through it with some intelligence on the the documents.

There are possibilities in the embedded space foe this, all made possible by three things – the richness of the Windows API in XPE, XML processing power, and new, open Office document formats.

Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas