Device creation framework combines simplicity & efficiency

An integrated touchscreen infotainment system demonstrated the power and versatility of Qt in automotive applications, and a weather station proof-of-concept revealed the scalability and flexibility of Qt when deployed across a range of Cloud connected devices in an IoT model. Visitors were also treated to a preview of Qt 5 applications running on Wind River’s VxWorks 7, featuring one-click embedded deployment directly from the Qt Creator IDE.

Qt 5.4 is the latest version of the leading cross-platform application and UI development framework. It enables the creation of connected devices and applications with native C++ performance regardless of platform. As the Internet of Things grows, this allows companies to future proof their product development strategy and preserve software engineering investment.

Qt 5.4 introduces significant advances for device creation crucial for a variety of industries, most notably automotive, STB/DTV, medical and industrial. The addition of a Chromium-based browser engine, Qt WebEngine, supports HTML5 hybrid development, future-proofing the integration of web technologies. There are improvements to device creation development with several updates and features, most notably the Qt Quick 2D Renderer plugin, which enables Qt Quick graphics to run without OpenGL allowing Qt Quick to run on low-end devices without a GPU, as well as the Qt Quick Compiler 2.0 reducing device boot-up time and securing against reverse engineering.

Reflecting the growth in development of wearable devices and the IoT, a technology preview of BLE support is included. Qt 5.4 also includes an update to its Qt Creator IDE to version 3.3, which introduces a Qt Quick Designer and many other productivity enhancing features.

Qt combines simplicity of development and efficient performance - even on platforms with constrained processing capabilities – with fluid modern UIs. The framework delivers these benefits not only on the initial target platform or device but on all other supported platforms too. Developers can work secure in the knowledge that their investment will be repaid when they wish to support other operating systems or deploy on additional device hardware.

Qt’s existing support for creating applications for devices includes powerful C++ libraries, a full embedded tool chain and a pre-built software stack for instant prototyping. Qt 5.4 also introduces a professionally designed Flat Light style for Qt Quick Controls that covers traditional and industrial enterprise controls and provides a more polished look-and-feel for application and device UIs.

The company has also announced the ‘Qt World Summit’, the global Qt event that will take place in Berlin, on 6^th to 7^th October 2015. During the two-day event, developers, business and product managers will be able to learn first-hand how Qt can support their entire technology strategy and quickly adapt to future application development and device creation trends. The event will include various presentations and workshops on how the Qt cross-platform application and UI development framework can be used to enhance, simplify and accelerate development for desktop, embedded and mobile platforms.