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A typical Windows Mobile 50 for Pocket PC Today Screen
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Microsoft
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Windows CE
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Closed Source
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50
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May 2005
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Current
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Microsoft EULA
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wwwmicrosoftcom/windowsmobile
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is a compact
Operating System combined with a suite of basic applications for mobile devices based on the
Microsoft Win32 API . Devices which run Windows Mobile include
Pocket PC s,
Smartphone s, and
Portable Media Center s. It is designed to be somewhat similar to
Desktop versions of
Windows .
Windows Mobile for Pocket PC carries these standard
Features in most of its versions:
- Today Screen shows the current Date , owner information, upcoming appointments, E-mail Messages , and Tasks . It also includes the notification bar which includes Icons to notify the status of Bluetooth and also includes the New button. Programs can be Installed which adds extra items to the Today screen. One of these is Microsoft Money for Pocket PC. The Background Image can be customised directly through the Pocket PC, or Theme s can be created and syncronised onto the Pocket PC.
- The taskbar shows the current Time , the Volume , and the Connectivity status. When a program or message box is open the blank space after the clock is filled with an OK or close icon. The main feature of the taskbar is the Start Button , which is designed similarly to the Start Button which features on Desktop versions of Windows. The Start Menu features recently opened programs at the top, nine customisable menu entries, and links to the program, settings, find (search), and help.
- Pocket PC versions of Microsoft Office Applications are included in Windows Mobile. These include Pocket Word and Pocket Excel . In Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PowerPoint has been included. These versions include many of the features which are used in desktop versions, but some other features like inserting Tables and Images have not been included in pre 5.0 versions. ActiveSync has capabililites which convert desktop versions of files to Pocket PC compatible versions.
- Outlook mobile comes with Windows Mobile. This includes Tasks , Calendar , Contacts , and inbox that can be sync'ed either with Outlook or direct with an Exchange Server (internet connection is required for this method). Microsoft Outlook for desktop versions is sometimes included in a value-added CD-ROM which is included with the Pocket PC Hardware manufacturer.
- Windows Media Player for Windows Mobile is bundled with the Windows Mobile software. Currently, all Pocket PCs include Version 9 of the player, but Version 10 has been included with newer hardware and newer versions of Windows Mobile. For existing devices, Version 10 is available for Download for only specified Device s — these include devices from the Dell Axim range. The player supports .WMA , .WMV , .MP3 , and .AVI files. Currently MPEG files are not supported file types, and a Third-party program must be downloaded to play these, and WAV files are played in a separate player. Some versions are also capable of playing .M4A audio.
Windows Mobile 2002, powered by Windows CE 3.0, is the first release under the Windows Mobile banner. Targeted specifically at QVGA Pocket PC (keyboardless) devices, Windows Mobile 2002 was, like the original Pocket PC release, a stand-alone entity in the Microsoft Embedded device range.
With future releases, the Pocket PC and Smartphone lines would increasingly collide as the licensing terms were relaxed allowing OEM's to take advantage of more innovative, individual design ideas.
The second version, named Windows Mobile 2003, was released on '' and ''Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition'', which is designed especially for Pocket PCs which include phone functionalities (as
HTC 's Himalaya, distributed in many countries as
Qtek ,
XDA ,
MDA or
VPA ).
The third edition is named ''Windows Mobile 2003 for
Smartphone '', which — despite several similarities with Pocket PC — is a substantially different platform that also requires software applications to be specifically targeting this device type. To name a few specifics, Windows Mobile powered Smartphone devices do not have touchscreens, have lower display resolution, have a regular phone keypad, and are specially designed for single-handed use.
Windows Mobile 2003 is powered by Windows CE 4.20.
Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, also known as Windows Mobile 2003SE, was released on
March 24 2004 and first offered on the
Dell Axim X30 . It includes a number of improvements over its predecessor, such as:
- The option to switch from Landscape to Portrait screen layout. This is not available in the Smartphone version.
- Pocket Internet Explorer (otherwise known as PIE) includes the option to force a page into a single-column layout, making reading easier since one now only has to scroll vertically.
- VGA (640×480) Screen Resolution is now supported in addition to the previous 320×240 resoution. Also supported is a new ''square'' Form Factor (240×240 and 480×480 for VGA screens), which is ideally suited for manufacturers wishing to include a hardware Keyboard . Although it wasn't originally slated to contain this feature, Microsoft decided to add it due to pressure from Pocket PC manufacturers.
- Support for Wi-Fi Protected Access .
Windows Mobile 2003SE is powered by Windows CE 4.21.
Windows Mobile 5.0, originally codenamed "Magneto", was released on
May 9 ,
2005 . It is powered by
Windows CE 5.0 and uses the
.NET Compact Framework 1.0 SP2 — an environment for programs based on .NET to be used.
Features include:
- A new version of Office called " Office Mobile "
- ---PowerPoint Mobile has been added
- ---Excel Mobile adds graphing capability
- ---Word Mobile adds tables and graphics insertion
- Windows Media Player 10 Mobile
- Photo Caller ID
- Picture and Video package, which converges the management of videos and pictures
- Bluetooth support with fewer features than prior Broadcom/Widcom alternatives
- Global Positioning System (GPS) management interface to all navigation programs installed
- Microsoft Exchange Server "push" functionality improvements - Improvements only function with Exchange 2003 SP2 installed: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2003/sp2mobility.mspx. The "push" functionality also requires vendor/device support: http://www.palmblvd.com/articles/2005/10/2005-10-19-Microsoft-Looks-to.html, with the Palm Treo and Motorola Q scheduled to receive support with Q1 2006 firmware updates.
- QWERTY keyboard-support is included by default
- Error reporting facility similar to that present in desktop and server Windows systems
- ActiveSync 4.0, promising 10–15% increased speed on synchronization
- Persistent storage (PS) is now supported in Pocket PC's allowing devices increase battery life. Previously up to 50% (enough for 72 hours of storage) of battery power was reserved just to maintain data in volatile RAM. Windows-based devices are moving from using RAM as their primary storage medium to the use of flash memory.
Windows Mobile 5.0, was released at Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Developers Conference 2005 in Las Vegas,
May 9 –
May 12 ,
2005 .
Current speculation indicates that Microsoft is working on an update to Windows Mobile 5.0, which will be released in 2006 as "Windows Mobile 5.0 Second Edition" or perhaps "Windows Mobile 2006".
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Photon is the next major revision to the Windows Mobile platform, and will likely be called Windows Mobile 6.0. In December 2005, Microsoft announced that the Smartphone and Pocket PC platforms will be merged for Photon but that the release is still several years away. Very little is currently known about Photon other than is it expected to have special design improvements and greatly improved battery life.
