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,
Portable Media Center s, and on-board computers for certain
Automobiles . 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 . Users can customize the screen by selecting what information they wish to be displayed. It also includes the notification bar which includes Icons to notify the status of Bluetooth , etc. 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 synchronized 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 customizable menu entries, and links to the program, settings, find (search), and help.
- Office Mobile a suite of Mobile versions of Microsoft Office Applications is included in Windows Mobile. it includes Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and PowerPoint Mobile (included since Windows Mobile 5.0). 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 capabilities which convert desktop versions of files to Office Mobile 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 or Kerio MailServer (internet connection is required for this method). POP3 or IMAP4 access can also be used. 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 new Windows Mobile 6 Devices include Version 10.3 (Build 15342) of the player. For Older 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, 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.
- Client for PPTP VPNs .
Windows Mobile runs on multiple hardware platforms including
Pocket PC ,
Smartphone ,
Portable Media Center , and
Automobiles . These hardware platforms did not always exist from the inception of Windows Mobile.
See Also: Pocket PC
The
Pocket PC was the original intended platform for the Windows Mobile operating system. These devices consisted of both standalone Pocket PC devices without
Mobile Phone capabilities, and those that included mobile phone capabilities. The most current name of Windows Mobile intended for use on Pocket PCs is officially "Windows Mobile 6 Professional" for devices with mobile phone capabilities, and "Windows Mobile 6 Classic" for devices without mobile phone capabilities.
The . The current name of Windows Mobile intended for use on Smartphones is officially "Windows Mobile 6 Standard".
See Also: Portable Media Center
The
Portable Media Center was a device that focused on integration with Microsoft's
Windows Media Center and
Windows Media Player to allow users to carry their media libraries with them on the go. The Portable Media Center was officially introduced in 2004, and ran a modified version of Windows Mobile. These devices became the predecessor to Microsoft's
Zune , and after 2006 Microsoft discontinued the project in favor of the latter.
"Windows Mobile for Automotive" is the name for Microsoft's operating system that facilitates multiple functions in
Automobiles including communication, entertainment, information systems.
Windows Mobile for Automotive 1.0 . Microsoft. Retrieved 6 September 2007. Windows Mobile for use in automobiles is the latest platform for the operating system, and was introduced by Microsoft in February of 2006 at the Geneva International Motor Show.
''Microsoft Windows Mobile for Automotive Launches with Fiat System'' . Geekzone. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
Pocket PC 2000, originally codenamed "Rapier"De Herrera, Chris.
''Windows CE/Windows Mobile Versions'' . pocketpcfaq.com. Retrieved 6 September 2007., was released in April of 2000, and was based on
Windows CE 3.0. It was the debut of what was later dubbed the Windows Mobile operating system, and meant to be a successor to the operating system aboard
Palm-Size PCs . Backwards compatibility was retained with such Palm-Size PC applications. Pocket PC 2000 was intended mainly for
Pocket PC devices, however several Palm-Size PC devices had the ability to be updated as well. In addition, several Pocket PC 2000 phones were released, however the
Smartphone hardware platform was not yet created. The only resolution supported by this release was 240 x 320 (
QVGA ). Removable storage card formats that were supported were
CompactFlash and
MultiMediaCard . At this time Pocket PC devices had not been standardized with a specific CPU architecture. As a result, Pocket PC 2000 was released on multiple CPU architectures;
SH-3 ,
MIPS , and
ARM .
Features/Built-in applications for Pocket PC 2000 included the following:
Pocket PC 2002, originally codenamed "Merlin", was released in October 2001. Like Pocket PC 2000, it was powered by 6 September 2007. These Pocket PC 2002 Smartphones were mainly
GSM devices. With future releases, the Pocket PC and Smartphone lines would increasingly collide as the licensing terms were relaxed allowing OEMs to take advantage of more innovative, individual design ideas. Aesthetically, Pocket PC 2002 was meant to be similar in design to the then newly released
Windows XP .
New Features/Built-in Applications included the following:
''Announcing the New Pocket PC 2002'' , Microsoft, Retrieved from the
Internet Archive 6 September 2007.
Windows Mobile 2003, originally codenamed "Ozone", was released on Premium Edition", "Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Professional Edition", "Windows Mobile 2003 for
Smartphone " and "Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition". The last was designed especially for Pocket PCs which include phone functionalities (like
HTC 's
Himalaya , distributed in many countries as
Qtek ,
XDA ,
MDA or
VPA ). The Professional Edition was used in Pocket PC budget models such as the
IPAQ rz1700 series. It lacked a number of features that were in the Premium Edition, such as a client for
L2TP/IPsec VPNs.
Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphone is — despite several similarities with Pocket PC — 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 2003 SE", 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 Portrait to Landscape 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 resolution. 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 stated to contain this feature, Microsoft decided to add it due to pressure from Pocket PC manufacturers.
- Support for Wi-Fi Protected Access .
Windows Mobile 5.0, originally codenamed "Magneto", was released on
May 9 ,
2005 , and first offered on the Dell Axim x51. 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
- DirectShow Support
- Picture and Video package, which converges the management of videos and pictures
- Bluetooth support with fewer features than prior Broadcom/Widcomm alternatives, although some users reportedly have managed to replace the default stack with the legacy Broadcom/Widcomm stack.
- 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.1 The "push" functionality also requires vendor/device support2, with the Palm Treo and Motorola Q scheduled to receive support with Q1 2006 firmware updates. With AKU2 software upgrades all WM 5.0 devices support DirectPush
- QWERTY keyboard-support is included by default
- Error reporting facility similar to that present in desktop and server Windows systems
- ActiveSync 4.2, promising 10–15% increased speed on synchronization
- Persistent storage (PS) is now supported in Pocket PCs allowing devices to have increased 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.
- updates are released as Adaptation Kit Upgrade . AKU3.5 is the most current release.
Windows Mobile 5.0 was released at Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Developers Conference 2005 in Las Vegas,
May 9 –
May 12 ,
2005 .
Windows Mobile 6, formerly codenamed "Crossbow", is the latest version of Windows Mobile platform and has been released on
February 12 ,
2007 3 at the
3GSM World Congress 2007. It comes in three different versions: for Smartphones (phones without touchscreens), '''Windows Mobile 6 Professional''' for PDAs with phone functionality (Pocket PC Phone Edition), and '''Windows Mobile 6 Classic''' for plain PDAs without cellular radios.
4
Windows Mobile 6 is powered by
Windows CE 5.0 (version 5.2) and is strongly linked to
Windows Live and
Exchange 2007 products.
Windows Mobile 6 Standard was first offered on the
Orange's SPV E650 ,
5 while Windows Mobile 6 Professional was first offered on the O2's Xda Terra.
6
- Supports 800x480 (WVGA) resolution.
- The ability to create and edit Office documents on the Smartphone platform.
- Operating System Live Update Operating System Live Update
- Improved Remote Desktop access Improved Remote Desktop access . It should be noted though, that the Remote Desktop Client is not a default application and does not appear in most distributions of Windows Mobile 6 RDP Client is not included in many WM6 devices
- VoIP (Internet calling) support with AEC ( Acoustic Echo Cancelling ) and MSRT Audio Codec
- Windows Live for Windows Mobile. Windows Live
- Customer Feedback option. Customer Feedback Option
- Microsoft Bluetooth Stack greatly improved.
- Storage Card Encryption - Windows Mobile 6-based Pocket PC and Smartphone devices support encryption of data stored in external removable storage cards.
- ''Smartfilter'' to search faster through emails, contacts, songs, files, etc.
- Improved Internet Sharing to easily setup your device as a Laptop Modem.
- Outlook Mobile now supports viewing HTML email.
- Ability to search for contacts in an Exchange Server Address Book.
- Support for AJAX , JavaScript and XMLDOM on Internet Explorer Mobile
- Set Out of Office Replies from the device (requires Microsoft Exchange 2007).
- Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) support for selected Operators (like BT in the UK ).
- ''Server Search'' to Search your entire Exchange mailbox from the device (requires Exchange 2007).
- .NET Compact Framework v2 SP2 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition pre-installed in ROM.
- Office Mobile 2007 was announced in June 2007 and will be launched in Q3 2007. It will provide support for Office 2007 file formats and will be released as a free update for WM5 and WM6, but will ship pre-installed in ROM for all WM6 devices launched after that date.8
Microsoft is currently working on an upgrade to the Windows Mobile platform which is codenamed ''Photon'' and will be powered by
Windows Embedded CE 6.0 . It's said that ''Photon'' will finally merge the Smartphone and Pocket PC versions in one unified Windows Mobile Version.
The successor to Windows Mobile 6 is scheduled for release in the first half of 2008.
9
;Summary of Specs:
- Q4 ‘07 Release to manufacturers
- Based on Windows Embedded CE 6.0 .
- New, Flexible Shell
- Modular Containers
- Q1/Q2 ’08 Marketing Launch
