Pocket PC 2003 Screen Shots

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://akiba.sorobangeeks.com/news_2946.html' target='_blank'>http://akiba.sorobangeeks.com/news_2946.html</a><br /><br /></div>New screen shots continue to leak...

[Sheynk]

looks almost exactly the same............

[isilver]

There isn't much difference with it's appearance. I thought it was suppose to look more like Windows XP.

[Ramis]

Will I be able to upgrade my Ipq 3850 to PocketPC2003.

Rami,

[entropy1980]

looks almost exactly the same............
The changes are really where it matters .... under the hood.... we jump from CE 3.0 to CE 4.2 (.NET) we should see not only performance increases but more unified support for wireless (Bluetooth and 802.11b) besides they finally have people switching from Palm, which is already a slight learning curve you wouldn't want to rock somebody's world again would ya with a complete overhaul?

[Jason Dunn]

There isn't much difference with it's appearance. I thought it was suppose to look more like Windows XP.

I think you'll find that, as usual, many of the rumours floating around are completely false.

[sponge]

It's looking more and more likely by now that the 3900 and 5400 will be upgradable, nothing more, nothing less.

[Kiyoshi]

The connection screenies look like WinXP's Network Setup Wizard, a great tool for setting up simple networks. I'd love to have that on my PDA, I hate using Pocket File Explorer to access networked drives, to fuddling.

[thomas1973]

The changes are really where it matters .... under the hood.... we jump from CE 3.0 to CE 4.2 (.NET)
Is Pocket PC 2003 really buildt on .NET technology?? I thought .NET was a whole new way of building an OS? I'd be glad if someone would bother to clarify the PPC .NET thing.

Thomas.

[entropy1980]

Is Pocket PC 2003 really buildt on .NET technology?? I thought that was a whole new way of building an OS? Not that I'm the big OS guru, but I'd be glad if someone would bother to clarify the PPC .NET thing.

Thomas.

Straight from MS site:

Windows CE .NET is the successor to Windows CE 3.0. The latest version, Windows CE .NET 4.2, provides a new and enhanced user experience with features such as Internet Explorer 6, Windows Media® 9 Series codecs, and support for gateways and IP telephones. Because embedded systems are highly customized by the manufacturer and especially because many devices running Windows CE are not upgradeable by the end user, it is not possible for Microsoft to provide an upgrade for devices running Windows CE. If you are looking for a software upgrade for your device, please contact the device manufacturer. If you are a device developer interested in evaluating Windows CE .NET 4.2 for your next design, visit the Windows CE .NET Product Information page.

The linked screen shots show PPC 2k3 is based on CE 4.2

[rosettaZ]

HP should make the h1910 upgradable, even if it is 3-4 month later after the launch of h1930 and consumer has to pay $30-40 bucks for it. HP just need to be forth coming about it. Consumer will understand that they prefer to introduce PPC2k3 in thin and low end class with 1930/30 models. But leaving h1910 in the cold is bad move.

If HP ruin the h1910 experiance by not giving upgrade option at all, people will think harder about buying low end device in the future.

Upgrade is the difference between disposable organizer and a true pocket computer.

[Jason Dunn]

HP should make the h1910 upgradable

It's a little too soon to make decisions about this, but if you look at Compaq's track record, they've been very good about offering upgrades. We'll just have to wait and see!

[ddwire]

My main wish is for more usb drivers. I have aCasio E200, if Casio does not offer an upgrade will one work from another MFG?

[GO-TRIBE]

I'd be glad if someone would bother to clarify the PPC .NET thing.
The problem is that .NET is a marketing word; so explaining what it means technologically is sometimes difficult. Let’s assume that our definition of .NET is the .NET framework, development tools, and the software developed to run on top of the .NET framework (i.e. managed code, running on top of the Common Language Runtime or CLR). It could certainly be said (by a Microsoft marketing person) that this is a far to limited definition, but hey we’ve got to start somewhere. By this definition, Windows CE 4.2 .NET has nothing to do with .NET. The .NET compact framework can run on CE 4.2, but it can also run on CE 3.0, and not all PPC 2003 devices will include the .NET framework (due to space limitations). So, in summary it’s hard to explain what .NET is, in a technical sense, because it encompasses so many things, and CE 4.2 .NET is labeled .NET for marketing purposes only.

Hey, don't get me wrong though, CE 4.2 is a HUGE technology jump for PPC and will prove to be a tremendous advance for the platform. This is very typical of the way Microsoft develops operating systems, staggering quantum leaps in technology with major changes to the user interface (Windows 2000 = big technological jump, Windows XP = mostly same technology, radically new user interface).
0X

[egads]

Hope its free, cause I don't see much anything that screams "Upgrade me !!!". I know there are under the hood additions that just a few pictures can't show. What I'd like to hear is the upgrade is twice as fast and takes up the same amount of memory :wink:

[dollardr]

Has anyone heard if PPC 2003 supports 802.1x with PEAP? It looks like it supports certificates via EAP/TLS but I'm hoping it supports PEAP authentication like XP and the W2K patch.

The lack of a wireless security standard is really getting annoying.....

[Foo Fighter]

I haven't yet sampled the new OS yet (for obvious reasons), but here is my take so far:

From a technical standpoint...PPC 2K3 is a significant update. It features a wide array of improvements and architectural revisions, most notably the new underlying WinCE 4.2 core....improved wireless connectivity ...speedier IE....Windows Media 9 support....and various other tweaks.

However, from an end-user perspective, this release is unexciting and less than noteworthy. Very few changes, other than the new Media player and IE are perceptible to the average PPC user.

It really surprises me that Microsoft didn't make at least a few minor changes to distinguish this release from the earlier PPC 2K2. Like a new Today theme for example. As it is, I wouldn't know this is PPC 2K3 unless someone pointed it out to me. That's not to say this new OS is unimportant or insignificant in the least, but it is quite boring. In fact, if Dell charges a fee for the upgrading earlier Axims, I doubt I'll even bother with it.

Very disappointing. :(

[heov]

so i guess the brighthand article was right on when they said more of a bug fix... Earlier everyone said it was supposed to be really cool. It just seems as if they just filled the holes of PPC2k2 (and hoefully they didn't make new ones :)). Oh well, I'm fine w/ the way PPC2k2 is now, so PPC2k3 can only be better :)

[TawnerX]

Well, they can't give out every thing all at once can they? what are they going to do next november for PPC2K4? :lol:

I would speculate they are pulling same trick as PPC2K and PPC2K2. the 2k was mainly implementing the foundation, then the 2K2 is a UI make over.

Personally I want Dashboard 2.0 be integrated to PPC2K3.


[quote=heov]so i guess the brighthand article was right on when they said more of a bug fix... Earlier everyone said it was supposed to be really cool. It just seems as if they just filled the holes of PPC2k2 (and hoefully they didn't make new ones :)). Oh well, I'm fine w/ the way PPC2k2 is now, so PPC2k3 can only be better :)

No brighthand said the PPC2k3 will use ce 3.0 instead of 4.2, that might mean a minor tweak. BUt ppc 2k3 with 4.2 is total kernel rebuilt. The UI and built in app on the other hand doesn't seem to get major make over. The only known major tweak so far is the networking set up wizard. UI and apps seem to be the same.

but who knows...

[The Half-Ling]

The 5400 and the 3900 are multilingual upgradable, while the 3800 will be able to upgrade in english. Also, I love how they took that connected icon on the start bar from battery pack lol...

Jake

[Sedwo]

Here's the real kicker though (and we all know how much Jason loves this topic), "have they improved ActiveSync"?!??

[Kati Compton]

It really surprises me that Microsoft didn't make at least a few minor changes to distinguish this release from the earlier PPC 2K2. Like a new Today theme for example.
Don't forget that the text in the Start menu can now be white... ;)

[TawnerX]

The new Bliss theme will now show a pinguin instead of four blocky colors that doesn't resemble window.

I think that upgrade alone is worth a million buck. :lol:

[Bob Anderson]

I'm very excited about this upgrade. As I've been saying in posts all along, I had hoped MSFT would spend it's time working on building a solid platform, without annoying "issues", so that we could enjoy our mobile environment better!

The screenshots seem to indicate "Connection Mangler" is dead, and that, from my vantage point is worth any kind of upgrade! If the devices can more easily handle networks of any "flavor" (i.e., 802.11, dial-up, hard wired ethernet, & Bluetooth) then this will make the whole "experience" more seamless, and will make more and more people realize just how powerful of a tool a PPC can be.

Finally, a better WM player and something more akin to IE 6 will be a blessing as well. Maybe I can really begin to enjoy my wireless internet browsing with my iPaq 5455! Way to go MSFT!

I think these changes are going to be solid improvements for the PPC platform and will make it easier to gain more market share.

[Mike Wagstaff]

I wonder if alarms will work...? :twisted:

[johncruise]

My main wish is for more usb drivers.

It should be. Here is the .NET hardware driver list taken from MS Japan Site. If you notice, most of the generic usb drivers (printer, mouse, mass storage device, keyboard, etc) are included on .NET 4.2 (4.1). They even have firewire support (not that any pocket pc's have it... to my knowledge... but it sure nice to have them in --- peer to peer connections vs usb's host/client)

http://www.microsoft.com/japan/windows/Embedded/ce.NET/evaluation/hardware/drivers.asp#USB

[Sven Johannsen]

...most of the generic usb drivers (printer, mouse, mass storage device, keyboard, etc) are included on .NET 4.2 (4.1). They even have firewire support (not that any pocket pc's have it... to my

But that doesn't mean they are included in the PPC build. Just as there was network support in WinCE 3 which didn't appear in PPC2000 but showed up in PPC2002. I would think periperal drivers would be the responsibility of the OEMs that include Host USB capabilities, until MS specs host USB as a requirement for all PPCs.

[TawnerX]

I wonder if alarms will work...? :twisted:

yupe, complete with built in human like artificial intelligence tempramental persona. It also have built in feature 'my alarm didn't go off' excuse just for that perfect ocassion to evade boring meeting.

hey if you show documentation, it'll hold in court too! :P

[johncruise]

But that doesn't mean they are included in the PPC build. Just as there was network support in WinCE 3 which didn't appear in PPC2000 but showed up in PPC2002.
That's true. But according to .NET definition, this environment will allow inter-language (programming) and inter-machine interoperability. If that's the case, we could just easily port 1 software from a different platform and run it on another. This may not be true with drivers because they are hardware specific. We are hoping for the best though.

I would think periperal drivers would be the responsibility of the OEMs that include Host USB capabilities, until MS specs host USB as a requirement for all PPCs.
The drivers specified are generic implementations. So as long as the OEM's go along with that generic implementation of their hardware, it should then work with this drivers (just like we had on our mouse or other storage card readers... some will work because they conform to the standards, and some will not because they don't which then requires OEM specific drivers). :)

[CoreyJF]

I am looking forward to a Media player that is more like the desktop version. That with improved connectivity makes upgrading desirable.

[CoreyJF]

I am looking forward to a Media player that is more like the desktop version. That with improved connectivity makes upgrading desirable.

[Ed Hansberry]

Is Pocket PC 2003 really buildt on .NET technology?? I thought that was a whole new way of building an OS? Not that I'm the big OS guru, but I'd be glad if someone would bother to clarify the PPC .NET thing.

Straight from MS site:

Windows CE .NET is the successor to Windows CE 3.0.
Keep in mind that CE .NET does not equal .NET technology. In fact, CE 4.0 (the first .NET version) was not .NET compliant. 4.1 is, as is 4.2 and beyond. It supports .NET, just as windows 2003 Server does or Windows 2000/XP do with the 23MB+ .NET framework.

[echo]

Personally I want Dashboard 2.0 be integrated to PPC2K3.



where can i find this dashboard 2.0? i thought the latest is at 1.51a or something like that.

[heov]

so when is ppc going to be revamped? or is it ever going to be?

It just seems to be slowly evolving... from PPC to PPC2k2 and now PPC2k3.

Where's the innovation :lol: i don't want bug fixes, i want a cool new UI and w/ pretty xp graphics :) when's the osx or xp of PPC going to come out?

i remember people criticizing palm that the palmOS (pre os5) had been pretty much the same since the pilot days... and when you come to think about it, the first ppc os in the jornada/ipaqs are pretty much the same as this expected ppc2k3 release.

[huangzhinong]

The new Bliss theme will now show a pinguin instead of four blocky colors that doesn't resemble window.

I think that upgrade alone is worth a million buck. :lol:

I can sell you one, charge $500 only. What a deal! :D

[huangzhinong]

BUt ppc 2k3 with 4.2 is total kernel rebuilt. The UI and built in app on the other hand doesn't seem to get major make over. The only known major tweak so far is the networking set up wizard. UI and apps seem to be the same.

but who knows...

PPC2k3 building on wince 4.2 doesn't mean the kernal need to be rebuild. Unfortunately PPC2K3 didn't get rebuild at all, they fixed some bugs, add some xscale codes and replaced some appications. That's it, don't expect too much. A completely new PPC OS is still 2~4 years away.

[Tom W.M.]

The new Bliss theme will now show a pinguin instead of four blocky colors that doesn't resemble window.

I think that upgrade alone is worth a million buck. :lol:
A penguin? Isn't that a Linux thing? :lol: (or are you wishing you had Linux on your PPC? I'm confused. :( )

[Solarix]

I remember people criticizing palm that the OS (pre os5) had been pretty much the same since the pilot days... and when you come to think about it, the first ppc os in the jornada/ipaqs are pretty much the same as this expected ppc2k3 release.

I thought there was a good amount of change inbetween PPC2K and 2K2. But alas do not forget that PPC2K is only about 3 years old, look how old the Pilot is? And who could ever forget what PPC's were before they were PPC's (Palm-Sized PC's). All the glory of WinCE 2.0, Navigation nearly identical to Win9x/2K, and this thing Palm siad no one would ever want to do on a PDA, MULTIMEDIA (Ah that Jornada 430, How I miss the days)

[Duddy]

AAHHH!!! Has anyone sat down and thought about what REALLY matters about the upgrade? SPEED!!!!

Pocket PC 2003 is optimized for the Xscale. And that means it IS worth buying. Don't you people want a faster handheld?

[Kevin Daly]

PPC 2002 had a lot of work that needed to be done under the hood, and it's appropriate that MS have addressed those issues before adding flashing lights and brightly coloured decals.
And addressing the horror of Connection Manager is a huge improvement.
There is a consistent theme to many of the changes and improvements: making it easier for people to connect to other devices or the internet.
This dovetails nicely with the provision in ROM of the .NET Compact Framwork, which should kickstart the market for .NET CF applications.
Those applications are likely to include a healthy number of web service clients (I've written a couple for the CF already)...in fact I suspect there'll be a feedback loop, with web services being created specifically to work with mobile devices.
The upshot is that with PPC 2003 we can expect a growing emphasis on working with resources on the Internet, which means your little device will have more bang than you could ever fit in your pocket. 0X

[thomas1973]

AAHHH!!! Has anyone sat down and thought about what REALLY matters about the upgrade? SPEED!!!!

Pocket PC 2003 is optimized for the Xscale. And that means it IS worth buying. Don't you people want a faster handheld?
No. Why on earth would I want a faster PPC? :mrgreen:

I guess the X-scale optimization of PPC2k3 and the new (old) Samsung ARM processor for the iPaq 1900's raises a big :confused totally: about their speed... And the X-scale optimization is also why I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 2k3 for the 1910 :roll: .

Thomas.

[HTK]

Look exactly the same to me
no difference, and I doubt that the performance will be better...
Developers should boycott tjat crap and develop for Pocket PC only, not ppc2003(2004?) neither ppc2002 ( had almost no difference too from the origal ppc ).. :evil:
I want new fresh features, I want bigger resolutions ( with adequate support.. If a app is old, let it run fine on 240x320 ), I want D-Pads made right, I want bigger memory, and better suport for the processor.....

disappointing :(

[huangzhinong]

AAHHH!!! Has anyone sat down and thought about what REALLY matters about the upgrade? SPEED!!!!

Pocket PC 2003 is optimized for the Xscale. And that means it IS worth buying. Don't you people want a faster handheld?
No. Why on earth would I want a faster PPC? :mrgreen:

I guess the X-scale optimization of PPC2k3 and the new (old) Samsung ARM processor for the iPaq 1900's raises a big :confused totally: about their speed... And the X-scale optimization is also why I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 2k3 for the 1910 :roll: .

Thomas.

X-scale optimization of PPC2k3 ?

Any evidence? As I read the chat transcript with Pocket PC team last month, PPC2K3 is optimized for strongArm with some new codes for xscale. The guy(Mike? I don't remember) confirmed that all buildin appications will run the same speed as PPC2K(word, excel, PIE and MSN, reader), no speed boost.

Anybody still has the link to the chat transcript?

[mc_03]

A few people who claim to have gotten their hands on the new OS say that it siginificantly increases speed on their Xscales... including this guy, who has written a detailed review on running Pocket PC 2003 on his h5450:

http://www.inges-pda.net/blogg.html

Just scroll down the list of "Pocket PC 2003" articles in his blog, to find updates about what's hot and what's not.[/url]

[thomas1973]

X-scale optimization of PPC2k3 ?

Any evidence? As I read the chat transcript with Pocket PC team last month, PPC2K3 is optimized for strongArm with some new codes for xscale. The guy(Mike? I don't remember) confirmed that all buildin appications will run the same speed as PPC2K(word, excel, PIE and MSN, reader), no speed boost.

Anybody still has the link to the chat transcript?
OK, I agree with you (from what I've read :lol: ) that PPC2k3 is possibly still mainly an ARMv4 OS, but it has some code that makes better use of the X-scale processors. I guess that's what I meant by X-scale 'optimization' - that it's better at it than PPC2k2. But then again I don't really know, and those who do cannot tell - so we'll have to wait and see :D !

Thomas.

[TawnerX]

The only way to test 2k2 vs 2k3 is to run test on same iPAQ 39xx if not the h5450.

I guess we just have to wait for this.

[Quee]

The new Bliss theme will now show a pinguin instead of four blocky colors that doesn't resemble window.

I think that upgrade alone is worth a million buck. :lol:

:mrgreen: http://www.pdagold.com/themes/detail.asp?ThemeID=4445

[TawnerX]

lol, now it would be very funny if Linux Bliss will get shipped as default theme.

[ipaq38vette]

If it is optomized for Xscale, does that mean it will run slower on StrongArm, because SA is an older version?

[Palmguy]

Look exactly the same to me
no difference, and I doubt that the performance will be better...
Developers should boycott tjat crap and develop for Pocket PC only, not ppc2003(2004?) neither ppc2002 ( had almost no difference too from the origal ppc ).. :evil:
I want new fresh features, I want bigger resolutions ( with adequate support.. If a app is old, let it run fine on 240x320 ), I want D-Pads made right, I want bigger memory, and better suport for the processor.....

disappointing :(

Because you've seen proof that the performance won't be better... :roll: This is better support for the processor! Not sure by what measure, but it is better support!

No one knows for sure what the improvement will be, don't jump the gun everyone.

Quality of d-pads and more memory don't have a whole lot to do with Microsoft by the way...might want to complain to the OEM on that one.

No difference between 2k2 and 2k? Ok...

[jage]

AAHHH!!! Has anyone sat down and thought about what REALLY matters about the upgrade? SPEED!!!!

Pocket PC 2003 is optimized for the Xscale. And that means it IS worth buying. Don't you people want a faster handheld?

Uh, sorry, but this update is not going to improve the bus of your Pocket PC in any manner whatsoever. If it is speedier, it's entirely because of optimizations totally unrelated of XScale.

X-Scale sluggishness is a hardware problem.

[szamot]

wow, do the latest ROM update to my 5450 or wait for new OS, I can't keep up anymore.
T

[Cortex]

how do i get a job with the microsofts pocket pc OS team?

i would love to sit on my ass for 2 years and get paid to make minimal improvements in the OS.

why doesn't someone actually do something useful like MAKE LETTER RECOGNIZER STOP PUTTING PERIODS "." OUTSIDE THE PUNCTUATION MARGINS?!?!?!?!

or make Pocket Word or Pocket Explorer USEFUL!!!

.net = .hype

yawn :zzz:

Wont be long before Palm is back on top yet again....

I'm getting tired of rooting for MicroStink

[ipaq38vette]

There is no one else to root for. (Unless you turn to the dark side, but at least the dark side can edit a doc without trashing it beyond usability)

[krisbrown]

Here's the difference.
It will be larger, take up more RAM, it will run slower on your machine and will crash more often.

And it will make you go out and upgrade your machine so you end up with the same level of performance you had before.

Hasn't anyone figured this out yet?

I was playing better games on my desktop 100mhz 486 10 years ago , than I can on the latest PPC.

[jeffmd]

2002 already has optimizations for xscale. Idiots thought that just because they saw 2002 released before xscale didn't mean intel and MS weren't already working with each other for future cpu support.

[adamz]

so when is ppc going to be revamped? or is it ever going to be?

It just seems to be slowly evolving... from PPC to PPC2k2 and now PPC2k3.

Where's the innovation :lol: i don't want bug fixes, i want a cool new UI and w/ pretty xp graphics :) when's the osx or xp of PPC going to come out?


Processor intensive graphics like those found in OS X and Win XP reduce usability and performance. At least in XP, you can shut off the eye-candy and regain a noticable performance improvement. It's a bad idea to force useless eye-candy GUI's on current Pocket PC hardware since they don't have the resources to make for a pleasant user experience.
By sticking to a consistent GUI, developers can ensure that people will have a minimal learning curve when upgrading their software. It's the same reason we use steering wheels in cars.

[Unreal32]

i don't want bug fixes

Good lord, I do. I would upgrade in a *minute* if I thought they fixed alarms not going off, the damn green light blinking nonstop, and fixed activesync so I could see what didn't resolve. I don't care about any more functionality... I would just like my PPC to work like it *should* work! :)

[Unreal32]

There is no one else to root for. (Unless you turn to the dark side, but at least the dark side can edit a doc without trashing it beyond usability)

believe me, if I could have found my CompUSA warranty receipt yesterday I would have gone over to the dark side... I love the new look of the Palm C with the fully integrated and sticky-keyed thumbboard, and the speed! Plus no worries about synching or connections. I wish PPC makers would innovate and *streamline* instead of just adding more "functionality" at the expense of speed and simplicity. Sometimes you just want the Occam's Razor of PDA's... simpler can be better. Don't get me wrong, I love my PPC and I have invested a small fortune in peripherals and software for it... but I'm beginning to wonder if the value I've invested is worth the return I am getting.

[huangzhinong]

2002 already has optimizations for xscale. Idiots thought that just because they saw 2002 released before xscale didn't mean intel and MS weren't already working with each other for future cpu support.

It is not easy to tell who is idiot.
I don't think this kind of language is allowed here.

[JonnoB]

You can get the PPC 2003 OS now, well at least in the emulator. At TechEd, Microsoft was giving out a 2-disc CD kit called the Microsoft Mobile Development Resource Kit which includes among other things:

embedded visual tools 3.0 along with the PPC and Smartphone 2002 emulations kits
embedded visual tools 4.0 and 4.0 SP2 along with the PPC 2003 SDK and emulation kits
power toys, .NET compact framework (a subset of the desktop .NET framework), and lots of other goodies.

In all of the mobile presentations, the 2003 OS (Ozone) was used for demonstrations. Most were running on XDA devices.

[ddwire]

Is there more usb support in the 2003 release? I have been looking for a usb driver for my Sanyo 4900 phone to my Casio E200 for over 8 months now.
Dan

[Will T Smith]

X-scale optimization of PPC2k3 ?

Any evidence? As I read the chat transcript with Pocket PC team last month, PPC2K3 is optimized for strongArm with some new codes for xscale. The guy(Mike? I don't remember) confirmed that all buildin appications will run the same speed as PPC2K(word, excel, PIE and MSN, reader), no speed boost.

Anybody still has the link to the chat transcript?
OK, I agree with you (from what I've read :lol: ) that PPC2k3 is possibly still mainly an ARMv4 OS, but it has some code that makes better use of the X-scale processors. I guess that's what I meant by X-scale 'optimization' - that it's better at it than PPC2k2. But then again I don't really know, and those who do cannot tell - so we'll have to wait and see :D !

Thomas.

Most CS folks (who were paying attention) know that optimization is done on very SPECIFIC sections of code. Basically, you pick out the 10% of the code where the application is spending 90% of it's time on.

How this applies to PocketPC, I'm not sure. It could be that they have a half and half strategy for this release. In such cases builds would be produced for X-Scale, and non X-Scale builds.

The comprehensive method would be writing a compiler that emits two different code bases. Remember, X-Scale is an extension to the ARM instruction set, not a replacement. It's like SSE or AltiVec. Effectively, the compiler would look for code that CAN be optimized and automatically do it based on compile switches. Microsoft produces top of the line compilers. I would strongly suspect this method.

Another method would be to modularize highly utilized sections of code away from the base. Those code sections could be compiled separately on the Intel X-Scale compiler and the ARM compiler separately to produce to different optimized versions. This is possible if the compiler guys are behind.

Both method may make use of specific code rewrites for platforms to trigger an immature compiler. They would look something like:

#IFDEF _TARGET_XSCALE
// My XScale optimized code
#ELSEIF _TARGET_ARM
// My ARM targeted code
#ELSEIF _TARGET_SHx
/* Remember CE.net runs on


ARM: Supported processors include ARM720T, ARM920T, ARM1020T, StrongARM, XScale
MIPS: Supported processors include MIPS II/32 with FP, MIPS II/32 without FP, MIPS16, MIPS IV/64 with FP, MIPS IV/64 without FP
SHx: Supported processors include SH-3, SH-3 DSP, SH-4
X86: Supported processors include 486, 586, Geode, Pentium I/II/III/IV

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/embedded/ce.net/evaluation/overview/default.asp
*/


Again the compiler route would be more elegant but they're not perfect. It might not pick up on some code that CAN be optimized, then that code must be re-written (per platform) in a way that CAN (as the re-write may cause a slowdown on another platform).

I WILL gauruntee you that any OS code is littered with platform specific #IFDEF and #pragma statements (ugly and hard to maintain). The PocketPC specific apps (ARM/XSCALE only) is probably a easier issue that doesn't require the above system specific hack-ness.

The blog referred to earlier indicates a significant speedup on X-Scale machines. It says nothing about ROM upgrades to ARM-only machines. My WinCe dev buddy indicated that the latest embedded VC++ only creates binaries that run on PPC2003. This strongly suggests (to me) that PktPC 2003 may be an X-Scale only affair (which would make MORE marketing(older machines are due for replacement not upgrades) and development sense).

BTW, M$ has a nice spec sheet on WinCE 4.2 capabilities and features. Note that some of these may or MAY NOT be available in PocketPC 2003. Needless to say, I think those of you who are X-Scale enabled will be pleased with the speedup. Us ARM folks are kinda stuck until we buy a new machine (still looking for the perfect Jornada replacement :-).

[/quote]

[MooseMaster]

The pictures are fak0rs!!! No one could POSSIBLY get a Microsux0rs product before its releas0rs!

-7h3 slashd0t.com p4tsie

[thomas1973]

The pictures are fak0rs!!! No one could POSSIBLY get a Microsux0rs product before its releas0rs!

-7h3 slashd0t.com p4tsie
What the heck are you trying to say?! Speak English, for Gods sake! :lol:

Thomas.

[thomas1973]

[... a lot of stuff about X-scale and ARM processors and PPC 2k3...]
Thanks for the info, Will! It's actually great to read it from someone who seems to know what they're talking about! (Even though I only understand half of it :lol: ) No, really, you made it quite understandable! I think these small insights into the coding side of things are great stuff :way to go:

However, it look as the new 1930/1940 will run PPC2k3, even though they have ARM processors, so the upgrade might not be processor specific anyway?

Thomas.

[Kati Compton]

However, it look as the new 1930/1940 will run PPC2k3, even though they have ARM processors, so the upgrade might not be processor specific anyway?
It depends. If there are multiple implementations of PPC2003, one for ARM and one for XScale, then the upgrade could be processor-specific in that the XScale version is optimized for XScale, and the ARM version goes on ARM devices. If there's only one implementation, then no.

[ctmagnus]

Earlier everyone said it was supposed to be really cool.

But upgrades ARE cool! :D

[Jonathon Watkins]

Earlier everyone said it was supposed to be really cool.

But upgrades ARE cool! :D

Only if they work and offer something..........

[ctmagnus]

But upgrades ARE cool! :D

Only if they work and offer something..........

True, even if that something is only eye-candy. But don't you just love the rush you get when the latest upgrade for product x comes out and you finally get to install it? :D

[hollis_f]

Is there more usb support in the 2003 release? I have been looking for a usb driver for my Sanyo 4900 phone to my Casio E200 for over 8 months now.
DanI doubt there will be any native support for such things. When the E200 was announced loads of people enthused about its USB capabilities. Those of us with Casio experience knew that the likelihood of them actually writing more than 3 or 4 drivers was close to zero. Now that Casio have dropped out of the PDA game I would expect nothing more on that front at all.

[Ed Hansberry]

i don't want bug fixes

Good lord, I do. I would upgrade in a *minute* if I thought they fixed alarms not going off, the damn green light blinking nonstop,
Green light blinking? Go to Start|Settings|Sounds & Notifications then the notification tab. Scroll through the events in box 1 and see if "flash light" is checked.

[bdeli]

Ok - here goes the list of new OS features in CE.Net 4.2 - maybe we will get most of these in PPC2003.

Microsoft Windows CE .NET 4.2 New OS Features (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/wcemain4/html/cmconwindowscenewfeatures.asp)

Pocket Internet Explorer (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/wcepie/html/cerefPocketInternetExplorer.asp)

[ctmagnus]

w00t!

A browser that will be available in Pocket PC 2003. This browser supports IPv6, multiple zoom levels, DOM, CSS Mobile Profile, and cookies.

Additional features include event support for Microsoft ActiveX® controls and more Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags compliant to HTML 3.2, such as &lt;CAPTION ALIGN=""> or <BASEFONT COLOR="">. With the HTML Control API application developers can create custom applications that can render HTML, including hyperlinks.

View HTML support

Also, possible PDF support as well as PEAP and WPA. I hope these three make it into PPC2003.

[GO-TRIBE]

A completely new PPC OS is still 2~4 years away.
I think the OS you're looking for is called PPC 2004; so that's really only 1 year from now (or so).

[GO-TRIBE]

why doesn't someone actually do something useful like ... make ... Pocket Explorer USEFUL!!!

.net = .hype
Uh, PPC 2003 does include a new IE that is greatly improved (i.e. quite useful). Also, the current PPC 2003 improvements have little to do with .NET (see post on page 2); as a consultant and professional developer beleive me .NET is not hype, but it's also not flashy eye candy for the end user (until I or some other developer gets done writing your eye candy to run on the .NET CF).

The marketing of .NET is quite flawed IMHO, end users shouldn't even know about it anymore than they know what MTS, COM+, or MQ are (because .NET is a set of foundation technologies).
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