What is a Pocket PC?
A Pocket PC is a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) that runs the Microsoft Windows CE operating system (OS) that is referred to as the Windows Pocket PC Operating System. There are several manufacturers that sell hardware platforms running this OS, e.g., Hewlett-Packard/Compaq, Casio, Dell, Toshiba, Symbol Technologies, and others. The Pocket PC OS is different the Palm OS and therefore the PEAC-WMD software application will not execute on the Palm OS based platforms.
A Pocket PC is a scaled down version of the full sized computer you use in the home or office. Although they are the size of a small diary, Pocket PCs are proper computers. They have many of the capabilities of full size computers and can run sophisticated software applications. They are compact enough to fit in your shirt pocket and usually weigh around four to six ounces (113-170 grams). An early version of the Pocket PC first originated in the 1990s. This was a small hand held device, called the Palm Pilot, that had basic organizer facilities. In 2000, Microsoft introduced a pocket version of its Windows operating system. The term Pocket PC is unique to personal digital assistants (PDAs) using Microsoft systems. A Pocket PC is a very sophisticated organizer. It can function as an extension to your Microsoft Outlook software on your desktop PC. It can also access and update all data from your desktop Outlook data, including emails and appointments. You can buy Pocket PCs in a variety
Pocket PC is the operating system produced my Microsoft for PDA’s. Pocket PC is based on Windows CE 3. Pocket PC is a robust mobile operating system that features built in MS Office Pocket products as well as Media Player. Pocket PC is built not to be an organizer, but instead your whole Office right in your hand.
A PDA (personal digital assistant), commonly called a Pocket PC, is a small and powerful hand-held computer. A stylus, rather than a mouse, is used to tap a miniature touch-sensitive screen to enter commands, open menus and files, and use applications. A Pocket PC can access special versions of applications written for the Pocket PC environment to play music files and access calculators, word processing, and spreadsheet software, among other applications. With a Pocket PC, you can even read and send e-mail and surf the Internet when a modem or wireless Internet connection is available and the PDA is synchronized with a desktop or laptop computer. Teachers use Pocket PCs to accept, check, and return classroom assignments. Families and professionals may use them in conjunction with GPS (Global Positioning System) software to route trips and locate lodging, restaurants, and services. Teens use Pocket PCs to communicate with friends some more often than they use telephones. People synchron
Now that we have Pocket PC devices and Pocket PC–like devices, just what denotes a real Pocket PC from a Pocket PC–like device? First and foremost, a Pocket PC device is a Windows CE–based PDA with a custom shell and a set of customized applications written by Microsoft but sold by OEMs such as Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, ViewSonic, and others. Pocket PC branded devices are certified by Microsoft to conform to a specific set of standards in both hardware and software. Pocket PC–like devices are Windows CE–based devices that include a set of base components that expose most of the Pocket PC APIs. The implementation of these functions, as mentioned earlier, is dependent on the OEM so there isn’t a guarantee that one Pocket PC–like device will look or operate like another Pocket PC–like device. Still, these devices will most likely be implemented to act as closely as possible like a Pocket PC. Pocket PC applications must conform to a rather strict set of requirements that enforce the look a