Software Compatibility Questions

[Ben]

This may be the wrong forum for this question, but maybe the brilliant people here can help me out anyway:

I have the Cingular 3125, which is the first WM5.0 device in a clamshell. I am realizing, though, that I do not really understand software compatibility for phones. Can someone explain the basics? I am a big fan of games, and pdamill, for example, created a huge number of games that are supposed to be compatible with "WM5.0" devices, but none of them work with my machine. Are there different processors for different WM5.0 devices, such that software compatibility is still not universal? What is J2ME? Do most commercial games for Java work on the 3125? It does not show up on any compatibility lists, but I thought that was because it is still a relatively new phone. Any help or ideas out there? Why is compatibility such a nightmare with phones?

[Mark Kenepp]

Others may have more detailed information for you but applications written for Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone are what will run on a Microsoft Smartphone. Pocket PCs running Windows Mobile 5.0 are another animal, though I think I have heard some people post that some applications are cross platform compatible, but I could be mistaken.

[Jerry Raia]

When you say a lot of applications don't work are you referring to display issues? Many applications don't work on QVGA screens and haven't been upgraded to do so. Are your issues display issues?

[Ben]

I'm not really having display issues, just lots of games and things that I install that are WM5.0, that say they "aren't designed for my system" when I install them. I had assumed that one of the reasons MS went with the WM5.0 nomenclature was to eliminate the compatibility divide between PPC and smartphone software. I guess that was my mistake, as it sounds like from Mark Kenepp's post that WM5.0 PPC is still very different from WM5.0 Smartphone.

Thanks for the answers everyone.

[Jerry Raia]

WM5.0 PPC is still very different from WM5.0 Smartphone.

Yes correct. The naming can be misleading. Why MS still gets schizophrenic about naming things after all these years is beyond me.

[Mike Temporale]

Right, you have to make sure that it's a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone game. Windows Mobile 5 for the Pocket PC is similar, but not close enough that you can ignore the difference. You can usually take a Smartphone app and it will run on a Pocket PC - Usually. However it doesn't tend to work the other way around and that's due to the lack of touch screen on the Smartphone - for the most part.