Supporting Windows Mobile Devices

By Chris De Herrera,
Webmaster, Pocket PC FAQ
Microsoft MVP – Windows Mobile
 What is Windows Mobile?

Windows Mobile is a combination of the Windows

CE operating system, a new user interface and
applications.
– Smartphone – Windows Mobile Standard
Edition – a cell phone first. Does not have a
touch screen.
– Pocket PC – Windows Mobile Professional – a
data input device using a touch screen.
– Size – small handheld devices however some are
much larger
– Combined devices – cell phone, PDA, media player,
camera, etc.
 What is Windows Mobile?

Calendar Contacts Messaging

Excel Mobile Word Mobile PowerPoint Mobile

What Are Windows Mobile’s Features?

Windows Mobile offers:

– Cell phone – voice calling
– Cellular based data – EvDO, 1xRTT, GPRS,
EDGE and UMTS
– Wi-Fi – 802.11b as well as 802.11g
– Storage – internal storage and expansion via
microSD, miniSD or SD flash
– Connectivity – Supports TCP/IP, web browser,
IMAP and POP3 e-mail, native Exchange
support
– Ability to display Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
files – Pocket PCs can edit Word and Excel files
 What isn’t Windows Mobile?

– Is not the same operating system and functionality

of Windows that you have on your desktop PC
– Doesn’t run standard Windows applications
including ActiveX controls designed for the PC.
– Limited browser functionality – subset of
JavaScript and limited screen size affect usability
of desktop websites
– Slower devices – most Windows Mobile devices
CPUs run at 200-400MHz
– Limited storage – The internal flash storage is
significantly smaller than your PC’s hard drive.
Usually you will have anywhere from 32MB to
128MB of internal storage
 System Architecture

– Uses a ARM based RISC processor

– 32 process spaces each with 32 MB of ram
– Internal storage is flash memory and it is
shared between the boot ROM and installed
programs or stored data
– No swap file
– Processes are paged in and out of the address
space to execute – this allows for fast switching
between applications
– Uses a registry hive to store application
configuration data
– Has an internal database for applications such
as calendar, contacts, tasks, messaging, etc.
 Enterprise Mobile Assessment

 The Enterprise Mobile Assessment assists

companies with assessing their support for mobile
devices
 Assesses the following areas:
 E-Mail, Synchronization, Website, Device Security,
Applications – Internal, Applications – External,
Remote Access, Documentation, Recognized by
Management, Audit, Governance of Mobility

 Available for free at

http://www.pocketpcfaq.com/assessment/
Enterprise Mobile Assessment

Demonstration -
Walkthrough
 Connecting to the Desktop

– Uses ActiveSync for Windows XP

– Uses Windows Mobile Device Center (WMDC) for
Windows Vista
– Controls the type of data that is synchronized, whether
or not internet connectivity via the desktop is available
– TCP/IP is used to connect Windows Mobile to your PC
– Installation order sensitive – must install Outlook prior to
installing ActiveSync or WMDC
– Troubleshooting is more complex due to error codes
instead of text error messages
Troubleshooting
– ActiveSync
http://www.pocketpcfaq.com/faqs/t-shootactivesync.htm
– WMDC
http://www.pocketpcfaq.com/faqs/wmdc/index.htm
Windows Mobile Device Center

Demonstration -
Walkthrough
 Remote Control of a Device

ActiveSync Remote Display Part of the Developer

Toys - FREE
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.asp
x?FamilyID=74473fd6-1dcc-47aa-ab28-6a2b006e
dfe9&displaylang=en

3rd Party Software such as:

• Soti Pocket Controller – http://www.soti.net/
• My Mobiler – Free - http://www.mtux.com/
 Remote Control of a Device

Demonstration -
Walkthrough
 Connecting to Exchange

Exchange 2003 SP2 and Exchange 2007 support

the ability to sync with Windows Mobile
– A Digital Certificate is highly recommended for
security
– IMAP vs EAS
– IMAP supports html e-mail on regardless of the
version of Exchange
– EAS only supports html e-mail with Exchange 2007
and Windows Mobile 6
– Troubleshooting error codes -
http://www.pocketpcfaq.com/faqs/activesync/e
xchange_errors.php
Exchange Mobile Client Configuration

Demonstration -
Walkthrough
 Managing Device Configurations

– Exchange 2003 SP2, Exchange 2007 – Can set

password length and complexity and require
periodic password change
– 3rd party
– Odyssey Software Athena
– SOTI MobiControl
– System Center Mobile Device Manager
(SCMDM) 2008 – announced last fall, currently
in beta.
– Over the air configuration of security settings
configured from Windows servers.
– This release will require users to upgrade their
devices to support remote management.
 Emulator – Run Apps w/o a Device

 Test applications
 Create screen shots for documentation
 Reproduce user issues for support staff
 Best experience is with a Tablet PC because it
allows you to emulate the Pocket PC’s touch
screen using a stylus just like a real mobile device
 Download of Windows Mobile 5 emulator for free -
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.asp
x?familyid=C62D54A5-183A-4A1E-A7E2-CC500E
D1F19A&displaylang=en

 Windows Mobile 6 emulators are part of the Visual

Studio 2005 SDKs
 Emulator Demonstration

Demonstration -
Walkthrough
 Steps for a rollout

 Decide which devices to support

 Decide how they will integrate in your
environment
 Decide what software is required for users
 Decide which management tools to use
 Decide how you want to replicate the software – I
recommend Sprite Backup or Clone
 Notify staff of policies on using the device
 Notify support staff of deployment date – make
sure they have support tools!
 Deploy hardware and applications
 Remote Control of a PC or Server

Pocket PCs offer the capability to remote control a

PC or Server
Remote Desktop Connection – May not be available
in all devices. Works just like it does on your PC
– allows you to connect to Terminal Services as
well as your PC.

3rd Party Applications such as

 Goto My PC – http://www.gotomypc.com
 LogMeIn – http://www.logmein.com/
 VNC – Various clients
Remote Control of a PC via LogMeIn

Demonstration -
Walkthrough
 Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers

About Windows Mobile
 Finding Applications

 Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine’s Encyclopedia

of Software and Accessories -
http://www.pocketpcmag.com/_enc/encyclopedia.
asp - A mixture of free and purchased software

 Handango – http://www.handango.com – A
mixture of free and purchased software –
Handango is the backbone of most software
stores for Windows Mobile sites

 FreewarePPC – http://www.freewareppc.com –
Free software
 Resources

Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/
News
Pocket PC Thoughts
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com
Smartphone Thoughts
http://www.smartphonethoughts.com
Technical Support
Pocket PC FAQ http://www.pocketpcfaq.com,
http://forums.pocketpcfaq.com
Microsoft Newsgroups – msnews.microsoft.com
Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine –
http://ppcmag.com
Supporting Windows Mobile Devices

By Chris De Herrera,
Webmaster, Pocket PC FAQ
Microsoft MVP – Windows Mobile