PPC-PE and Smartphone

[spokrie]

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is the differance between PPC-PE and Smartphone? :?

[Mike Temporale]

You have the MPx220, so that's a Smartphone. No touch screen, smaller foot-print, focused on being a phone first and a data device second. Smartphones are a one-handed device, in that you can do everything with one hand.

The JAM, KJAM, PDA2K, Treo 700w, etc... are all PPC-PE devices. Typically they are a little bigger and more power hungry. They have a touch screen, and are meant as a "connected" data device. So they are better suited for data duties first, and act as a phone second. The PPC-PE devices are not that good at being one-handed. You'll find that you have to use the stylus or your thumb to tap things out on the screen at times.

The line is getting blurry, and the next major release of Windows Mobile - code named Photon will merge the two platforms. So there will no longer be a difference. There will only be Windows Mobile.

[Sven Johannsen]

The line is getting blurry, and the next major release of Windows Mobile - code named Photon will merge the two platforms. So there will no longer be a difference. There will only be Windows Mobile.

I don't think it will that cut and dried. There will still be touch screen and non-touch screen devices. I expect there will still be applications (or app programmers) that will not take the trouble to ensure that their app is fully operable without a stylus (or touching the screen). I expect there may be limitations in the 'phone' version of some software just because of the lack of input options on a touch screen. Unless they are all going to be with or without touch screens, I think that will still be a differentiator, and other differences will stem from it.

[Mike Temporale]

I don't think it will that cut and dried. There will still be touch screen and non-touch screen devices. I expect there will still be applications (or app programmers) that will not take the trouble to ensure that their app is fully operable without a stylus (or touching the screen). I expect there may be limitations in the 'phone' version of some software just because of the lack of input options on a touch screen. Unless they are all going to be with or without touch screens, I think that will still be a differentiator, and other differences will stem from it.

Fair enough. But those are more third party developer issues. They need to make sure that their application can handle any type of hardware that it might be installed on.

[spokrie]

Thanks for your responces. So is the 2125 software different from the 8125. They both have WM5. I'm playing with the 8125 right now.

Thanks again!!

[Mike Temporale]

Pocket PCs and Smartphones are both based on Windows Mobile, which is based on Windows CE 5. So there is a lot of common code, but there are differences.

If you're talking 3rd party applications, then it's hit and miss. Some developers make one app for both platforms and some don't. In general, I would say you can't take a Smartphone app and install it on the Pocket PC.

[spokrie]

Thanks again!!!