David McNamee
05-04-2004, 03:00 PM
Microsoft has combined the groups responsible for the Windows CE and Windows Mobile operating systems into a single division. The new Mobile and Embedded Devices division will continue to focus on delivering new versions of these mobile operating systems. <br /><br />Windows Mobile, the software that powers the Pocket PC and Smartphone devices, is derived from Windows CE. In the early days of the Pocket PC there was a significant lag between releases of Windows CE and the Pocket PC OS. The time it has taken to get new features of Windows CE into Windows Mobile has improved over time. Having both OS groups in the same division should help get new features into Windows Mobile even faster.<br /><br />The next release of Windows CE, version 5, is due sometime this summer and includes improvements to multimedia and overall system reliability. Hopefully, these will make their way to Windows Mobile very quickly.