ASUS Eee PC running Windows Mobile 6 Classic?

[jeffwolowiec]

I recently discovered this nifty device and thought wouldn't it be cool if it could run Windows Mobile 6 Classic...I know there aren't too many options out there running classic, but this would be pretty cool if it did. I know it runs Linux and/or XP but is it full XP or XP drivers? I am confused. I called Asus and suggested this and they really didn't have an answer other then it would cost more...I guess the licensing of Windows Mobile. Just curious what people think of this device and my idea.

[Russ Smith]

Windows Mobile is designed to fit in a small memory model and a PDA/Smartphone type of functionality. A device like the Eee is designed to run a full desktop OS -- It's a UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC). It's not that it couldn't run WM6. It's just that the processor, memory, and other components are (well) over-powered for that. In order for it to run WM, ASUS would have to write drivers for all the hardware, including, I believe USB host slots. It's far easier to take the drivers and such already written by their hardware providers and drop XP or Linux into it. (By the way, it is full Windows XP).

There are some companies that make both WM and Windows handhelds. For instance, HTC makes a lot of hardware used by various PPC and Smartphone OEMs as well as it's own Advantage WM device. It also makes the HTC Shift, which is a full-fledge UMPC.

[PPCRules]

Windows Mobile is coded for a RISC processor architecture (specifically ARM). The only way the OS code could be run on computer with a x86 processor architecture would be through a RISC emulator. - Which could be/has been done, but the EeePC is probably not an good platform for that as it is somewhat low-end on processing power. It would be a fun project to try, though (the emulator would be handling device mapping, etc.).

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Since the emulator is freely available from Microsoft and for the most part works just fine, what PPCRules mentions is probably the best bet. As we've seen with the HTC Shift and the still MIA DualCor, running an ARM and x86 OS together is not as easy as it sounds.

[diamond]

I thought running WM 6 on EEEPC/Netbook is excellent if possible, I hate the input by hand and small screen for PDA.
Please note that Netbook is with large screen and keyboard so it is quite good but the problem is it can't instant on and SSD is with limit write capabilitites. It is great if someone can set the Netbook is instant on with whatever OS - XP, Linux, WM6 etc similar on PDA - off course not hypernate or standby mode.