In this e-Guide, we recap Windows Mobile OS's evolution and look at the wide array of Windows Mobile-powered devices available to untethered today's workforces. We'll explore where and why Windows Mobile OS devices are used to support a wide range of mobile apps, from vertical business automation to knowledge worker access. Finally, we'll examine the appeal of ready-to-roll apps like Office, Outlook, and Communicator Mobile that integrate seamlessly with enterprise and in the- cloud Windows services.
E-GUIDE
Windows Mobile 6.5:
Enabling business
mobility, today and
tomorrow
Windows Mobile: a phrase that embodies on-the-go business initiatives.By marrying today's dominant office computing environment withincreasingly compact-but-powerful handheld devices, Windows MobileOS makes it possible for millions of workers to conduct business ontheir feet and from the road. According to market research firm iSuppli,Windows Mobile OS already powers more than 27 million smartphones,expected to double and more by 2013.
In this e-Guide, we recap Windows Mobile OS's evolution and look atthe wide array of Windows Mobile-powered devices available to unteth-er today's workforces. We'll explore where and why Windows Mobile OSdevices are used to support a wide range of mobile apps, from verticalbusiness automation to knowledge worker access. Finally, we'll exam-ine the appeal of ready-to-roll apps like Office, Outlook, andCommunicator Mobile that integrate seamlessly with enterprise and in-the-cloud Windows services.
Sponsored By:Windows Mobile 6.5: Enabling business mobility, today and tomorrowTable of Contents
E-GUIDE
Windows Mobile 6.5:
Enabling business mobility,
today and tomorrow
Table of Contents:
Windows Mobile OS evolution
Mobilizing business operations
Enabling on-the-go business applications
Resources from Microsoft
Sponsored by: Page 2 of 11Windows Mobile 6.5: Enabling business mobility, today and tomorrowWindows Mobile OS evolution
Windows Mobile OS evolution
Windows Mobile OS began its journey as a compact edition of Windows for small devices in 1996, before Symbianor BlackBerry were even conceived. Originally Pegasus, Windows CE (WinCE) was created as an industry-standardoperating system for early handhelds from Casio, HP/Compaq, LG, NEC, and Philips. Right from the start, WinCEwas designed to satisfy requirements like portability, internationalization, and data synchronization that are stillessential today.
In those days, handhelds were just personal information managers (PIMs). WinCE nudged this nascent marketbeyond that niche by running other kinds of applications - in effect, putting a Handheld PC (H/PC) in your pocket.For example, WinCE 1.0 not only synchronized PIM data with Microsoft Outlook, it supported third-party appsdeveloped using a WinCE platform toolkit.
By 1997, H/PCs had taken root and WinCE continued to mature. Over the next three years, Microsoft releasedupdates that extended WinCE 2.x to other kinds of devices. Many new products, from consumer electronics toautomotive computers, incorporated WinCE as compact-but-scalable embedded operating system. "Smart" featurescould now be implemented by easily updated software, running on inexpensive microprocessors like MIPS,StrongArm and SH3.
During the WinCE 2.x era, H/PCs - aka Palm-sized PCs - capitalized on hardware advances such as color displaysand network adapters. By 1998, an H/PC running Windows CE 2.11 (marketed as Handheld PC Pro) could browsethe Internet with Explorer and open Microsoft Word, Excel and Access files using included "Pocket" versions offamiliar Office apps.
In 2000, WinCE 3.x separated the core operating system that powered diverse devices from the graphical userinterface and apps that made mobile handhelds usable. At this point, Microsoft Pocket PC 2000 (today's familiartouch-screen form factor) split from Microsoft Handheld PC 2000 (the old clamshell form factor). As Pocket PCbecame increasingly popular, it was joined by a new little brother: Smartphone 2002.
By 2003, wireless was hot - from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to GSM and CDMA. WinCE 4.x .NET let app developers tapinto this mobile connectivity, leading to a new generation of Pocket PCs and smartphones sporting a graphicalinterface christened Windows Mobile 2003. This "mobile" moniker resonated with users, which is why WinCE 5.xand WinCE 6.x-based Pocket PCs and smartphones ran Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 6.0, respectively.
Along the way, Pocket PCs (which focused on apps) and smartphones (which focused on telephony) began tomerge. For example, Pocket PCs could create and edit Office documents, while smartphones could only view emailattachments. But phones "got smarter" and mobile broadband voice and data grew ubiquitous. By Windows Mobile6.0, this differentiation was reduced to Pro (for touch-screen s... [download for more]
