Learn Windows Mobile: Overview

Here you'll find answers to basic questions regarding the Windows Mobile development platform:

What is a Windows Mobile powered device?

A Windows Mobile powered device is a handheld device powered by the Windows Mobile platform. It allows you to make phone calls, retrieve e-mail, keep track of your schedule and your contacts, browse the Internet, send and receive text messages, read and compose Microsoft Word Mobile files, make Microsoft Excel Mobile charts, and view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.*

Windows Mobile is a rich developer platform that allows you to build or purchase third-party software to customize your device. You can develop or download e-books, games, maps, business software, and more.

Businesses use Windows Mobile powered devices to help their employees keep in touch while out of the office. Employees may use the devices to check e-mail, track sales, check inventory, place orders, communicate with students, route transportation, and accomplish other tasks by using a variety of custom line-of-business applications.

The Windows Mobile platform is available on a variety of devices from a variety of wireless operators. You will find Windows Mobile software on Dell, HP, Motorola, Palm, and i-mate products. You can purchase a data plan for your Windows Mobile powered device from Cingular, Orange, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and others. Windows Mobile powered devices are available on GSM or CDMA networks. To find out more about which Windows Mobile powered devices are available from your mobile operator, read about devices in our buyer's guide.

Visit the end-user FAQ for more info.

What's the difference between a Pocket PC and a Smartphone?

Windows Mobile powered devices come in three flavors: Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and Smartphone. While there are several differences between the three, the most visible difference is touch-screen support: Pocket PC and Pocket PC Phone Edition powered devices have touch-screens, while Smartphones do not.

Pocket PCs come with mobile versions of Office applications in addition to Microsoft Outlook Mobile. Though there are different Pocket PCs, many come with Wi-Fi to enable you to connect to the Internet when you are in a wireless hotspot. With a Pocket PC, you'll be able to use Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile and browse the Internet if you have a device with Wi-Fi and are in a wireless hotspot. You can compose e-mail messages and send them by synchronizing with your desktop computer or wirelessly when you’re in a hotspot.

You can do everything with a Pocket PC Phone that you can do with a Pocket PC with the addition of wireless access to the Internet and cellular phone capabilities. If you have a Pocket PC Phone, you can access the Internet through your wireless connection—you won't need to find a wireless hotspot. Internet access incurs data charges from your wireless provider.

A Smartphone has phone capabilities and comes with a smaller set of applications. Though you can add third-party software titles to your Smartphone, the smaller keypad and screen are designed to give you quick one-handed access to important data. A Smartphone is a good choice for business users who need to check e-mail, keep track of their calendars, and take voice notes, but who don’t need the added functionality of Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile.

You can add a wide variety of software titles to your Windows Mobile powered devices. Find third-party software at Handango or Pocket Gear. You can also visit our Mobile Application catalog, which lists certified applications for Windows Mobile powered devices.

If you're a software developer, you’ll be happy to know that with Windows Mobile 5.0, nearly 90 percent of the APIs are consistent between the Pocket PC and Smartphone platforms. In addition, they share common installer, security, and storage models—making it easier for developers to build applications that run across both platforms.

What are the different versions of Windows Mobile?

Pocket PCs come with mobile versions of Office applications in addition to Microsoft Outlook Mobile. Though there are different Pocket PCs, many come with Wi-Fi to enable you to connect to the Internet when you are in a wireless hotspot. With a Pocket PC, you’ll be able to use Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile and browse the Internet if you have a device with Wi-Fi and are in a wireless hotspot. You can compose e-mail messages and send them by synchronizing with your desktop computer or wirelessly when you’re in a hotspot.

You can do everything with a Pocket PC Phone that you can do with a Pocket PC with the addition of wireless access to the Internet and cellular phone capabilities. If you have a Pocket PC Phone, you can access the Internet through your wireless connection—you won’t need to find a wireless hotspot. Internet access incurs data charges from your wireless provider.

Windows Mobile 5.0 is the latest version of the Windows Mobile platform. Previous versions include: Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, Windows Mobile 2003, Pocket PC 2002, Smartphone 2002, and Pocket PC 2000.

The vast majority of the Windows Mobile installed base is comprised of Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition and Windows Mobile 5.0 powered devices.

How do I develop applications for Windows Mobile powered devices?

Visual Studio 2005 is the recommended tool for Windows Mobile application development.

You should consider the application requirements and target devices when choosing when to use native, managed, or server-side code:

Use native code for high performance, if you need direct hardware access, or if you require the smallest footprint. For native development, use Visual C++ to access Windows Mobile’s native APIs, as well as the Win32, ATL, and MFC frameworks.
Use managed code with the .NET Compact Framework for user interface-centric applications that require fast time-to-market or rapid application development. You should also use managed code if you want easy access to Web services or data held in SQL Server or SQL Server Mobile/Everywhere Edition. With .NET Compact Framework, you can use Visual Basic .NET or C# to access a healthy subset of the.NET Framework libraries, as well as the managed APIs that ship as part of the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform.
Use server-side code for targeting a wide variety of devices with a single code base and where there is guaranteed data bandwidth to the device. With ASP.NET, you can easily build browser-based Web applications that support multiple Web browsers, mark-up languages, and screen sizes/resolutions.

Whether you are developing using native, managed, or server-side code, Visual Studio 2005 is the single tool for Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, and Windows Mobile 5.0 application development.

Visual Studio 2005 includes the SDKs and emulator images for Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition. To target Windows Mobile 5.0, you need to download and install the Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK for Pocket PC and the Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK for Smartphone, which also include the emulator images.

See the Tools page and this whitepaper for more info.

If you need to support older versions of Windows Mobile, such as Pocket PC 2002, Smartphone 2002, and Pocket PC 2000, you can use eMbedded Visual Tools.

What is the .NET Compact Framework?

The .NET Compact Framework brings the powerful programming environment of the .NET Framework to Windows Mobile powered devices. The .NET Compact Framework is a hardware-independent environment for running programs on resource-constrained computing devices.

The .NET Compact Framework is a subset of the .NET Framework class library and also contains classes exclusively designed for it. It inherits the full .NET Framework architecture of the common language runtime and managed code execution. The .NET Compact Framework supports Visual Basic and Visual C# development. C++ development is not currently supported. The .NET Compact Framework uses the same class library documentation as the full .NET Framework.

Windows Mobile 5.0 also includes managed APIs, making it easier for developer to target the underlying Windows Mobile platform directly from within the .NET Compact Framework.

>> More Info

How do I develop browser-based applications for mobile devices?

ASP.NET is a technology for building powerful, dynamic Web applications and is part of the .NET Framework. With ASP.NET, you can easily build browser-based applications that support multiple Web browsers, mark-up languages, and screen sizes/resolutions. Visual Studio 2005 supports ASP.NET 2.0 development.

For more information, visit the ASP.NET Developer Center on MSDN.

What is SQL Server 2005 Everywhere Edition?

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Everywhere Edition offers essential relational database functionality in a compact footprint ideal for embedding in mobile and desktop applications, including a new generation of occasionally connected dynamic applications. Everywhere Edition is an update to SQL Server 2005 Mobile Edition—successor to SQL Server CE.

Sharing a familiar SQL syntax and common ADO.NET programming model with other SQL Server Editions, and management via SQL Server 2005 Management Studio, SQL Server Everywhere allows developers and administrators to apply their existing skills and be immediately productive.

The SQL Everywhere engine exposes an essential set of relational database features, such as an optimizing query processor and support for transactions and assorted data types, while maintaining a compact footprint that preserves system resources. Remote data access and merge replication ensure that data from SQL Server databases is delivered reliably, can be manipulated offline, and can be synchronized later to the server, making SQL Server Everywhere Edition ideal for mobile and wireless environments.

What is Windows CE?

Windows CE is Microsoft’s real-time embedded operating system for a wide variety of small-footprint devices, including industrial controllers, communications hubs, point-of-sale terminals, and consumer electronics.

The Windows Mobile platform is built on top of Windows CE. Windows Mobile developers should familiarize themselves with Windows CE if they’re interested in lower-level OS specifics, such as the kernel, memory management, driver architecture, etc.

If you’re a device builder, visit the Windows CE Developer Center for more information.

I’m an IT Pro. Where do I get information on managing devices and deploying mobile solutions?

Organizations worldwide are deploying mobile business solutions to increase productivity, reduce operating costs and extend their enterprise infrastructure. On TechNet’s Windows Mobile Center, you’ll find resources and information designed to help you deploy, maintain and support Windows Mobile devices. Key mobility topics covered include security, wireless technologies, device management, and deployment of mobile solutions in the enterprise.

posted on 2007-02-09 11:16 天马行空（笨笨）阅读(343) 评论(0) 编辑收藏举报