Pocket Pc

A term for the computing hardware that fits into a shirt pocket, and increasingly with various connectivity options seen in MobileInformationDevices.

Prior to 2003, the term refers to both a shell with additional features and a specific form factor for MicroSoft WinCe-based devices. Now it refer to hardware of either PersonalDigitalAssistant or SmartPhone types, and generally use a Microsoft WindowsMobile OS variant. PocketPc debuted with WinCe 4.2 (aka Windows CE.NET).

The PocketPc shell was developed when MicroSoft realized that the standard, Windows 95-like Explorer shell used by WinCe was a poor fit for HandHeld devices. As of 2005, most consumer-based WinCe devices use the PocketPc shell, although some industrial devices still use the Explorer shell.

The PocketPc hardware platform won the Product of the decade award from the Mobile Data association in October 2004: http://www.mda-mobiledata.org/mda/Page_10Anniversary_Review.asp.

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Upsides:

• True (printed and cursive) handwriting recognition
• Pocket-sized versions of MicrosoftWord, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, MicrosoftInternetExplorer, and WindowsMediaPlayer
• Freely available SDK with free development tools (http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/developer/default.asp)
• ClearType and MicrosoftReader
• Greater system stability than PalmOs

Downsides:

• Can only synchronize with MicrosoftWindows PCs without additional software
• Free-form handwriting recognition is fairly inaccurate; block (letter-by-letter) recognition is still the most accurate method
• Shorter battery life than PalmOs devices

Hardware:

• VademClio
• HpIpaq?
• DellAxim?
• SharpZaurus
• SymbolTechnologies? industrial handhelds

Languages:

• CeePlusPlus
• VbClassic is being phased out, check VbClassic page for eMbedded VB3 info
• VbDotNet
• PythonLanguage: bottom of page at http://www.python.org/download/download_windows.html
• SmalltalkLanguage: Squeek: SqueakAndClio (more of a wish than a fact, it seems)
• J (see JayLanguage): http://www.jsoftware.com
• Forth: http://www.delosoft.com
• CsharpLanguage and VisualBasicDotNet for the DotNetCompactFramework
• Perl: http://perlce.sf.net
• Ruby
• Lua: http://www.uoam.net/lua.html
• SchemeLanguage: PocketScheme

Alternative OperatingSystems:

• SymbianOs
• Pocket Linux -- archived site http://web.archive.org/web/20020802121503/http://www.pocketlinux.com/

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Alternatives

Some years ago, if you had a deep and large pocket, you could buy one of the first $2000+ subnotebooks. However, now that the new generation of netbooks -- 8-10" laptops with power-saving CPUs and often sporting solid-state drives -- is storming the market, you can buy one of these for the same price of a PocketPc, and maybe get a special vest with a custom-made pocket. The AcerAspireOne?, for example, has been pretty much conquering the laptops market thanks to its small size, its decently sized 120 GB HDD, and its equally great price of $400. You will lose the advantage of the PocketPc's total portability, but you will gain in return a fully IBM-compliant computer that can in theory run anything a desktop computer could.

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My target PocketPc

Late 05 - An Oxygen model 2i, or the newer one (with HTC Universal core) running WM5. Around 1000US.

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Most who have tried the new PocketPcs like them, and have no desire to go back to their last PDA, whether it's the PalmOs or Newton or what not.

Marketing alert! You got numbers to back that up?

No, but in this page's ThreadMode incarnation, there were a few who swore to that assertion. It seemed like a fair summary.

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CategoryHardware CategoryHandheld