Windows Mobile Application Development
Windows Mobile are very popular mobile environment today that works on various devices like Pocket PCs, Smartphones, Portable Media Centers, and on-board computers for certain automobiles. It is a platform for mobile devices based on Windows Embedded CE and used in a wide variety of Windows phones. With Windows Mobile, you can access all the features of mobile messaging like E-mail messaging, Message Filtering, Document Viewing and Editing and tracking schedules and contacts.
Key features of Windows Mobile platform:
• Hardware compatibility to various forms: Pocket PCs, Smartphones, Portable Media Centers and Automobiles.
• Secure and seamless database connectivity like XML Support and security features
• Rich API support (messaging, telephony, connectivity, music, video, Bluetooth, gaming, configuration)
Developing applications through Windows mobile allows you to reuse existing Visual Studio and .NET development skills and server infrastructure to extend applications to mobile devices. Visual Studio and the Windows Mobile software development kits (SDKs) and developer tool kits enable you to develop software for the Windows Mobile platform in both native code (Visual C++) and managed code (Visual C#, Visual Basic, .NET).
To develop a Windows based mobile application, you need the following:
• Visual Studio: To build Windows Mobile applications, you need to install Visual Studio 2005 or 2008.
• Windows mobile SDK: Contains the library files and APIs required to use the Windows Mobile functionality. The SDK also contains sample projects, documentation and emulators to test your applications.
• Mobile development software
There are at present two mobile development software for Windows operating system:
• ActiveSync for XP: It is a data synchronization technology that allows mobile device to be synchronized with either a PC or a server.
• Windows Mobile Device Center (WMDC) for Vista: Its is successor to ActiveSync data synchronization system that is designed for Vista.
Development environment: Tools
• .NET Compact Framework: The .NET Compact Framework is the run time platform for your application development system for Windows powered mobile devices. NET CF is a rich subset of the full .NET framework that is designed to run on Windows CE based mobile devices.
• Smart Device Extensions: Smart Device Extensions for Visual Studio .NET allow you design, debug, and deploy applications on mobile devices. Smart Device Extensions also include several high fidelity, onscreen device emulators.
Benefits of .NET Compact Framework:
The .NET Compact Framework is the lightweight version of the .NET Framework, designed for use in the resource constrained devices. The .NET Compact Framework provides operating system and CPU portability.
The following are the benefits of the .NET Compact Framework:
• Common language runtime
• Just-in-time (JIT) compilation
• Evidence-based code security
• Memory management through garbage collection, Windows Forms, data access, XML
• Ability to consume XML Web services.