Windows CE's New Trick – Mobile Telephony

[Jonathon Watkins]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000420021549/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000420021549/</a><br /><br /></div>Engadget have a brief post about the new AXIA A108 PDA phone and they spotted that it's a bit unusual. <br /><br /><i>"….the tri-band GSM/GPRS AXIA A108 doesn’t actually run on Windows Mobile—it runs on Windows CE .NET 4.2. Does have a lot of other stuff you may be interested in, like a 1.3 megapixel digital, a 2.2-inch, 240x320, 262,000 color LCD touchscreen, 64MB of flash ROM, 64MB of RAM, and an miniSD memory card slot. There is, as usual, no information about when this might ever come out here."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/CE_Phone.jpg" /> <br /><br />Interesting choice of OS. I wonder why they chose Windows CE 4.2 over Windows Mobile 2003. Still, it's anther example of the growing <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34046&amp;">ubiquity</a> of <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34049&amp;">Windows CE</a>. "You want Windows with that?" :wink:

[jpaq]

Touch Screen on Smartphone.......Good!
:werenotworthy:

[Jonathon Watkins]

Touch Screen on Smartphone.......Good!
:werenotworthy:

Ah - true. Well spotted. I missed that small but vital point. :lol:

[dazz]

A while ago we had posted at SMA about Emblaze's Alpha P8 phone (http://smartmobileassets.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?,b=news,v=display,m=1082841349) and mentioned that it is a Windows CE.net phone.

In an interview (http://smartmobileassets.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?,b=news,v=display,m=1087748363) RobertS did here is what they said about the choice of OSes:

"SMA: Please describe the Alpha's use of Windows CE .net. Why was this approach chosen for the Alpha?

ER: We didn't really create our own operating system, we simply didn't go with the mainstream. The mainstream was Symbian or Nucleus as an embedded system or Smartphones 2003. The reason we went on CE .net is very simple, at the time none of the operating systems allowed the flexibility to do whatever you want, WHATEVER you want with it. Either Symbian or Smartphone would force you into UI flow, a certain experience and we wished to be able to have complete flexibility."

It does seem to make sense. There is more flexibility with Windows CE over SmartPhone. It is also quite possible that the licensing is less as well. :wink:

[Jon Westfall]

A while ago we had posted at SMA about Emblaze's Alpha P8 phone (http://smartmobileassets.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?,b=news,v=display,m=1082841349) and mentioned that it is a Windows CE.net phone.

In an interview (http://smartmobileassets.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?,b=news,v=display,m=1087748363) RobertS did here is what they said about the choice of OSes:

"SMA: Please describe the Alpha's use of Windows CE .net. Why was this approach chosen for the Alpha?

ER: We didn't really create our own operating system, we simply didn't go with the mainstream. The mainstream was Symbian or Nucleus as an embedded system or Smartphones 2003. The reason we went on CE .net is very simple, at the time none of the operating systems allowed the flexibility to do whatever you want, WHATEVER you want with it. Either Symbian or Smartphone would force you into UI flow, a certain experience and we wished to be able to have complete flexibility."

It does seem to make sense. There is more flexibility with Windows CE over SmartPhone. It is also quite possible that the licensing is less as well. :wink:

Windows is flexible? Imagine the blasphemy if that were posted at a site like slashdot.

[dazz]

:lol: No doubt!

Actually, I meant that for OEM's Windows CE.net is more flexible. There is a much wider selection of hardware that will support it and it can be customized to include whatever software components the manufacturer wants.

Will that keep me safe from the Slashdot hoards? :)

[apeguero]

What software is compatible with Windows CE .NET? I assume Pocket PC software won't run in it, right? If so, is there a large selection of Windows CE .NET software out there?

[dazz]

There is a fair bit out there. You have to dig to find it but it's there.

Most people that are using these kinds of phones are really just using what comes with the OS.

For corporate buyers, they are probably just using a custom app anyway.

[bnycastro]

Isn't Windows Mobile also WinCE, what is the difference between the 2? Or is it a case of the square is always a rectangle but a rectangle isn't always a square?

[dazz]

Windows Mobile has WindowsCE at it's core but it "completes" the OS. :wink:

There are some enterprising types that have been able to figure out how to run WM programs on WinCE but it is rather tricky to get set up and does not work with all programs. Basically, you have the replace the OS dll's with "faked" ones that will allow the WM software to run.

[bnycastro]

Thanks for the clarification... but why would anyone want to hack wm apps and install them on wince if you could just get a wm device and install the apps as is? Is this one of those BIC (Because I Can) thingies?

[Darius Wey]

Thanks for the clarification... but why would anyone want to hack wm apps and install them on wince if you could just get a wm device and install the apps as is? Is this one of those BIC (Because I Can) thingies?

Some people feel as though there are benefits in acquiring CE .NET devices as opposed to WM-based devices. You can't argue with them there. It's their decision. :P

[bnycastro]

ayt! hopefully some of them who are probably talented since they can hack/program/code these things can make a star wars inspired game for windows mobile :) hehehe just wishful thinking!