Microprocessor-based consumer products such as alarm clocks, coffee machines, televisions, cars, air conditioners, and phones are referred to as embedded devices because the small computers inside them have a very focused operation. While a personal computer can run a wide-range of applications for various purposes, an embedded device runs a very focused set of applications. For example, a cell phone would run only cell phone applications and a personal organizer would run only calendar and date book applications. However, a personal computer can run calendar, date book, fax, scanning, word processing, and spreadsheet applications-to name only a few. |
