Windows CE
Microsoft's work on handheld portable devices began with research projects in 1990, with the work on Windows CE beginning in 1992. Initially, the OS and the user interface were developed separately. With Windows CE being based on Windows 95 code and a separate team handing the user interface which was codenamed WinPad (later Microsoft At Work for Handhelds). Windows 95 had strong pen support making porting easy; with some saying "At this time, Windows 95 offers outstanding pen support. It is treating pens right for the first time." WinPad was delayed due to price and performance issues, before being scrapped in early 1995 due to touchscreen driver problems relating to WriteTouch technology, made by NCR Microelectronic Products. Although WinPad was never released as a consumer product, Alpha builds were released showcasing many interface elements. During development of WinPad a separate team worked on a project called Pulsar; designed to be a mobile communications version of WinPad, described as a "pager on Steroids". This project was also canceled around the same time as WinPad. The two disbanded groups would form the Pegasus project in 1995. Pegasus would work on the hardware side of the Windows CE OS, attempting to create a form factor similar to a PC-esque PDA like WinPad, with communications functionality like Pulsar. Under the name Handheld PC, a hardware reference guide was created, and devices began shipping in 1996, although most of these devices bore little resemblance to the goal of a pen-based touchscreen handheld device. A specification for a smaller form factor under the name Palm-size PC was released in 1998.[13][14][15][16][17]
Pocket PC 2000
Pocket PC 2000, originally codenamed "Rapier", was released on April 19, 2000, and was based on the Windows CE 3.0 kernel.[18][19]
Pocket PC 2000 was the debut of what was later to become the Windows Mobile operating system, and was 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. Furthermore, several Pocket PC 2000 phones were released (under the name Handheld PC 2000), however at this time, Microsoft's "Smartphone" hardware platform had not yet been created.
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, such as SH-3, MIPS, and ARM. The only resolution supported by this release was 240 x 320 (QVGA). Removable storage card formats that were supported were CompactFlash and MultiMediaCard. Infrared (IR) File beaming capability was among the original hardware features.
Pocket PC 2002
Pocket PC 2002, originally codenamed "Merlin", was released on October 4, 2001, and was based on the Windows CE 3.0 kernel, like with Pocket PC 2000.[18][19] Although targeted mainly for 240×320 (QVGA) Pocket PC devices, Pocket PC 2002 was also used for Pocket PC phones (Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition).[22]
Aesthetically, Pocket PC 2002 was meant to be similar in design to the then newly released Windows XP. Newly added or updated programs include[23][24][25][26]
Smartphone 2002
Smartphone 2002, originally codenamed "Stinger", was released in 2002.[28] Based on Windows CE 3.0 like Pocket PC 2002 and Pocket PC 2000, Smartphone 2002 was built for GSM cell phones with standard keypad-based form factors, as opposed to Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition which targeted standard touch-based PDAs.[3][29] The first device that was supposed to ship with Smartphone 2002 was the Sendo Z100 which was canceled after Sendo sued Microsoft.
Windows Mobile 2003
Windows Mobile 2003, initially named as Pocket PC 2003 and originally codenamed "Ozone", was the first release under the Windows Mobile banner, released on June 23, 2003, based on the Windows CE 4.2 kernel.[18][19]
It came in four editions: "Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC 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. The Professional Edition was used in Pocket PC budget models. It lacked a number of features that were in the Premium Edition, such as a client for L2TP/IPsec VPNs. All versions of Windows Mobile 2003 were powered by Windows CE 4.20.
Communications interface were enhanced with Bluetooth device management, which allowed for Bluetooth file beaming support, Bluetooth headset support and support for Bluetooth add-on keyboards. A pictures application with viewing, cropping, e-mail, and beaming support was added. Multimedia improvements included MIDI file support as ringtones in Phone Edition and Windows Media Player 9.0 with streaming optimization. A puzzle game titled Jawbreaker is among the preinstalled programs. GAPI was included with this release to facilitate the development of games for the platform.
Windows Mobile 2003 SE
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 was based on the Windows CE 4.x kernel. This was the last version which allowed users to back up and restore an entire device through ActiveSync.
This upgrade allows users to switch between portrait and landscape modes and introduces a single-column layout in Pocket Internet Explorer. It includes support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and new screen resolutions: 640×480 (VGA), 240×240, and 480×480. It was powered by the same OS as with Windows Mobile 2003, which was Windows CE 4.20.
Windows Mobile 5
Windows Mobile 5.0, originally codenamed "Magneto",[18] was released at Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Developers Conference 2005 in Las Vegas, May 9–12, 2005, and was based on the Windows CE 5.0 kernel. It requires at least 64 MB of RAM and an ARM compatible processor.[32] Microsoft Office Mobile and Windows Media Player 10 Mobile were pre-installed.
Windows Mobile 5.0 included Microsoft Exchange Server "push" functionality improvements that worked with Exchange 2003 SP2.[33] The OS used the .NET Compact Framework 1.0 SP3, an environment for programs based on .NET. New software features included an enhanced battery-saving capability called persistent storage capability, which was designed to seamlessly move data between RAM and flash memory to avoid data loss. New hardware features included enhanced Bluetooth support, default QWERTY keyboard-support and a management interface for Global Positioning System (GPS).
OS updates were released as adaptation kit upgrades, with AKU 3.5 being the final released. Mainstream support for the OS was offered through October 12, 2010, and extended support through October 13, 2015.
Windows Mobile 6
Windows Mobile 6, formerly codenamed "Crossbow",[18] was released on February 12, 2007[35] at the 3GSM World Congress 2007 and was based on the Windows CE 5.2 kernel. Three different versions were released: "Windows Mobile 6 Standard" for smartphones without touchscreens, "Windows Mobile 6 Professional" for Pocket PCs with phone functionality, and "Windows Mobile 6 Classic" for Pocket PCs without cellular radios.[36]
Windows Mobile 6 was strongly linked to the then newly introduced Windows Live[37] and Exchange 2007 products, and was meant to be similar in design to the then newly released Windows Vista. Functionally, it works much like Windows Mobile 5, but with improved stability.
Along with the announcement of Office Mobile 6.1[38]
Windows Mobile 6.1
Windows Mobile 6.1 was announced April 1, 2008, and was based on the Windows CE 5.x kernel.
It is a minor upgrade to the Windows Mobile 6 platform with various performance enhancements and a redesigned Home screen featuring horizontal tiles that expand on clicking to display more information, although this new home screen is featured only on Windows Mobile Standard edition. This was not supported in the Professional edition.[39] Several other changes such as threaded SMS, full page zooming in Internet Explorer and 'Domain Enroll' were also added, along with a "mobile" version of the Microsoft OneNote program and an interactive "Getting Started" wizard. Domain Enroll is functionality to connect the device to System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008, a product to manage mobile devices.[40] Windows Mobile 6.1 also had improved bandwidth efficiency in its push-email protocol ActiveSync up to 40%;[41] this considerably improved battery life in many devices.
Aside from the visual and feature distinctions, the underlying CE versions can be used to differentiate WM 6.0 from WM 6.1. The version of Windows CE in WM 6.0 is 5.2.*, where the third and final number being a four-digit build ID (e.g. 5.2.1622 on HTC Wing). In WM 6.1, the CE version is 5.2.* with a five-digit build number (e.g. 5.2.19216 on Palm Treo 800w).
Windows Mobile 6.5
Windows Mobile 6.5 is a stopgap update to Windows Mobile 6.1, based on the Windows CE 5.x kernel, intended to bridge the gap between version 6.1 and the then yet-to-be released Windows Phone 7, which arrived in 2010. It was released to manufacturers on May 11, 2009; the first devices running the operating system were released in late October 2009.[42] Several phones that officially shipped with Windows Mobile 6.1 can be officially updated to Windows Mobile 6.5.[43]
This update includes some significant new added features, such as a revamped GUI, a new Today screen resembling that of Microsoft's Zune player with vertically scrollable labels (called 'Titanium') in terms of functionality with a styling similar to that of Windows 7.[44] WM 6.5 also includes the new Internet Explorer Mobile 6 browser, with improved interface.[45] Along with Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft announced several cloud computing services codenamed "SkyBox", "SkyLine", "SkyMarket".
