In yesterdays announcement about Windows Embedded Handheld was buried an interesting piece of information. At the bottom of Senior Project Manager David Wurster's blog posting was this paragraph:

According to analyst firm VDC Research, Microsoft is the leader in providing a platform for creating software solutions that power ruggedized handheld terminals and devices: Microsoft Windows Embedded CE and Windows Mobile 6 operating systems accounted for 87 percent of the approximately 2.3 million ruggedized handheld devices shipped in 2009.

We have noticed that there are relatively few ruggedized devices running Linux or Android, and of course none running iOS. For this reason ITScriptNet only supports Windows CE and Windows Mobile devices.

Microsoft has announced that the next generation of Windows Mobile, now called Windows Embedded Handheld, is available. Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 builds on the Windows Mobile 6.5 platform. We will wait to see what devices will be upgraded to this new OS, and what new features it brings.

As we've discussed before, Microsoft has separated the old Windows Mobile product from the new Windows Phone product. Windows CE and Windows Mobile are now called Windows Embedded. Microsoft has a product page that discusses this transition and the new product names.

Microsoft has launched Windows Phone 7. We have discussed Windows Phone 7 before, and it does not appear that any Data Collection devices will be using it right away. Instead, WP7 is targetted more to consumer devices. However, we will continue to monitor the situation and see what develops.

We've been following the changes to the Windows Mobile and Windows CE product lines, and the latest news is that Microsoft is moving the Windows Embedded group into the Server and Tools division. It is not clear what the impact of this change will be. However, this may reflect a continuing division between Consumer Phones and Embedded / Data Collection devices. Data Collection device manufacturers will benefit from keeping compatibility with the large installed base of Windows Mobile and Windows CE devices using native tools and .Net Compact Framework, while Window Phone 7 is a clean break requiring XNA or Silverlight for development. We will continue to monitor developments.

Following up on our earlier articles about the future of Windows Mobile for data collection devices, here is the official Microsoft site for what is now being called Windows Embedded Handheld. This is what used to be called Windows Mobile, and is the version that will be used by handheld devices (as opposed to Windows Phone 7, which will be used in consumer phone handsets). The current version is Windows Mobile 6.5.

Windows CE is being renamed Windows Embedded Compact Edition. Windows CE 7 is in CTP (Community Technology Preview) and will be released soon.

Motorola has announced a new device called the ES400. This is a ruggedized phone with a barcode scanner, similar to the MC55. At the announcement, Steve Ballmer (Microsoft Chief Executive) had this to say:

"In the next six months we will release a new embedded OS called Windows Embedded Handheld, based on Windows Mobile 6.5 technologies ... [and] in the second half of 2011, we will release a version of Windows Embedded Handheld based on Windows Phone 7 technology,"

If you are having trouble getting a mobile device to connect to your PC with ActiveSync, one of these articles might be helpful. I was especially surprised to see the note about Windows Live Once Care interferring with the USB connection.

Why isn't Windows Mobile connecting to my PC?
Note that Windows Live Once Care can interfere with the USB connection to your PC.

ActiveSync USB connection troubleshooting guide
This topic also applies to ActiveSync 4.5

We've discussed the new Windows Phone 7 and whether it was going to be an appropriate OS for a Data Collection device.

The latest information we have is that there is going to be a separation between Windows Phone 7 and the traditional Windows CE and Windows Mobile 6.5 line. Here is a post from Microsoft describing the changes.

The bottom line appears to be this:
Windows Phone 7 is based on the Windows CE 7 core, and is aimed at Consumer devices only.
Windows Mobile 6.5 will still be available, as will Windows CE, and will be used on Data Collection devices.

We've talked before about the new features of Windows Mobile and Windows Phone, and whether they make sense in a Data Collection device. Here is an article from earlier this year on this topic.

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, Microsoft has officially announced Windows Phone 7. This new OS is more like the Zune OS than the traditional Windows CE-based OS.

What is not clear is the future of Windows CE, and the future of Windows CE and Windows Mobile-based Data Collection devices. Will this new OS be suitable for these devices? Will Windows CE still be supported? We will continue to monitor these developments.

There are lots of rumors that Microsoft is planning to show off Windows Mobile 7 at the Mobile World Congress on February 15th in Barcelona. The consensus is that this version will not be backwards compatible with the previous Windows Mobile versions, and will not directly run Windows Mobile 5/6 applications. This suggests that Windows Mobile 7 might not be based on Windows CE, but something more like the Zune OS. It sounds as though Microsoft is aiming this version more squarely at Consumers to compete with the iPhone and Android, instead of Enterprise users who need Office and Exchange integration.

The impact of this to the Data Collection world would be interesting. Would device manufacturers use this new version, or will there be a compatible flavor, or will this turn out not to be true? Hopefully we will find out in a few weeks!

It appears that Microsoft is going to release an other intermediate Windows Mobile version before version 7. Microsoft now says that following on the heels of WM 6.5.3 (just released), will be WM 6.6.

One of the interesting features discussed is adding support for Capacitive touchscreens. Up to now, almost all Windows Mobile devices have had Resistive touchscreens. Why does this matter? Resistive touchscreens are more suited to using a Stylus, which Capacitive touchscreens require a finger (in fact, they won't work with a stylus). The iPhone and iPod Touch are examples of Capacitive touchscreens. Another difference is that Capacitive touchscreens support multi-touch, while resistive screens do not.

Many users prefer the responsiveness of a capacitive touchscreen, and they are perceived to be a 'superior' technology. However, is Capacitive a good choice for a data collection device? It would certainly not be a good choice for applications requiring gloves. It will also require changes to the way applications are designed, as on-screen elements need to be larger to support less accurate finger-press as opposed to a stylus. However, it opens the door for more gesture-based elements, such as flicking lists to scroll.

We will see if any of the Data Collection device manufacturers choose to release new models with capacitive screens in the coming years.

Have you seen this list of Vertical Devices on Microsoft's Windows Mobile site?  This is what they call portable data collection devices.  How many of these devices are supported by ITScriptNet?

All of them, either directly with a manufacturer-specific client, or indirectly with the generic Windows Mobile 5/6 client.

In fact, we even support many devices not on this list, including Unitech, Opticon, and Bluebird.  Check out our ever-expanding Supported Devices list for more information

The first consumer phones with Windows Mobile 6.5 will start to appear on Oct 6th, according to the Windows Mobile team.  However, considering that many data collection device manufacturers are only now starting to ship Windows Mobile 6.1, it could be awhile before any of them upgrade to WM 6.5.  We are waiting to see if any of the new WM 6.5 features will be useful for data collection devices anyway - it appears this is an upgrade aimed at making the consumer phone better, with a more finger-friendly home screen and the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

Two years ago, we discussed that the US Census Bereau was going to take the 2010 census with a Windows Mobile device made by HTC.  Then, last year it appeared that the project was going to be scrapped.  Not so fast - it looks like the project is still on track, and that the devices really exist.  Sprint has announced that they are the exclusive mobile data provider, and details of the device can be found here.  Will we see census workers at our doors with these devices next year?  Maybe so!

Windows Mobile 6.5 has been discussed for some time, but today at the Mobile World Congress 2009 Microsoft officially annouced it.  As with most Windows Mobile updates, they are focused on the consumer (phone) market, so it remains to be seen whether there are any improvements that will help Data Collection devices.  It does seem that Microsoft is trying to make the touchscreen operation more finger-friendly, but we'll see if this is a general improvement or just within certain applications.

It looks there will be an intermediate release of Windows Mobile between the current 6.1 and the scheduled Windows Mobile 7. Steve Ballmer announced at a conference that there will be a Windows Mobile 6.5 released early next year.  There are not very many details yet so we will see if anything is useful for Data Collection devices.

Following up on last weeks note about Motorola adding Windows 6.1 to several devices, here is the official announcement.  As we discussed, Windows Mobile 6.1 will be available on the MC3000, MC9000, MC70 and MC75.

Following on yesterday's announcement of the CN3 with Windows Mobile 6.1, Intermec has also announced that the CK3 will also be available with Windows Mobile 6.1.  The press release suggests that this device will be available in October.

Intermec has announced that they will start shipping the CN3 with Windows Mobile 6.1.  The biggest advantage to this update is likely to be integration with Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager for larger enterprises.  From a pure data collection standpoint, users will probably not see much of a difference.  We anticipate the our existing ITScriptNet client for the CN3 will run on this new device, and we will test it as soon as possible.

Microsoft has released a new update to the Windows Live Search program for Windows Mobile.  Interesting new features include:

• Localised Weather
• Web search from inside the program
• More Traffic coverage.
• Map contacts

We've discussed Live Search before here and here.

We've been informed that a firmware update is available for the Symbol MC35 that upgrades it to Windows Mobile 6.  Note that there is a fee for upgrading from Windows Mobile 5 to 6.  Contact your Symbol Rep for more detail.  We'll upgrade our device to make sure that the Windows Mobile 5 client for ITScriptNet continues to work.

Today at CTIA, Microsoft announced Windows Mobile 6.1.  This version is still built on top of Windows CE 5.0, not CE 6.0.  As far as we can tell, the primary update is improvement in integration with System Center Mobile Device Manager.  There doesn't seem to be much that will matter for data collection devices.

We've discussed Windows Mobile 6.1 before.

Devicescape has released a new version of its Connect utility.  This program helps you connect automatically to public WiFi Access Points.  This could allow mobile users to collect data on the road, and then upload whenever they come into range of a public hotspot at a coffee shop, restaurant, or hotel.

Here is a gallery of Windows Mobile 6.1 screenshots.  As we mentioned last week, this is an incremental upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.  Most of the new features seem to be cosmetic in nature, and nothing that would be of use in Data Collection.

Several bloggers report that Microsoft showed off a new version of Windows Mobile yesterday, but very few details are available.  The only detail we know for sure is that this is not Windows Mobile 7, but more like WM 6.1.  This appears to be an incremental upgrade, and opposed to a whole new version.

We're starting to see some information about the new Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008, announced last week at CTIA.

Here is Microsoft's official product homepage, and here is a brief overview describing how it will all work.

We are also starting to see device manufacturers announce support, including HP and Intermec.

It's still unclear whether this product will be useful for small and medium size companies, or just larger enterprises.  It's also not clear whether this is targeted primarily at Smartphone users, or if it will be useful for Data Collection devices inside a business.

Today at CTIA, Microsoft announced System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008.  This is an Enterprise-wide system for managing Windows Mobile devices.  It provides a centralized mechanism for security, device management and data access control.

Microsoft released a new version of Live Search for Windows Mobile today.  This new version has Gas Prices, as well as a beta of Voice Search.  If you have not use Live Search before, try it out!

Last spring, we wrote several articles regarding the new Daylight Savings Time change, and how Windows Mobile and Windows CE were affected.  This weeks Windows Updates patches include a new update to the Daylight Savings Time rules for the PC.  From the linked article, the following updates were made:

---

Updates from the previous cumulative Windows time zone update
The following changes have been made since the previous Windows cumulative time zone update, described in KB article 931836:
• Caucasus Standard Time
Changes display name to Caucasus Standard Time as cities in the previous display name have separate time zones, and removes DST settings.
• Armenian Standard Time
Creates a new time zone for Armenia to better align with different DST changes in the Caucasus region.
• New Zealand Standard Time
Adjusts DST start dates and end dates according to changes signed in to law after the prior cumulative time zone update was created (February 2007).
• GTB Standard Time
Corrects the display name for GTB Standard Time on Windows Server 2003 SP2 to include Bucharest.
• Jordan Standard Time
Adjusts DST start times, end times, and dates according to changes signed in to law after the prior cumulative time zone update was created (February 2007).

---

Several years ago, when we started development of ITScriptNet's font support, one of the first things we noticed was that Windows CE and Windows Mobile devices have a different set of fonts than Windows on the desktop.  All versions of Windows since Windows 95 have included Arial and Time Roman, as far as I am aware.  However, enumerating the fonts on a Windows Mobile device shows a different story.

Instead of Arial and Times Roman, we get Tahoma and Courier.  Why is that?

I can't find any official information on this, but I believe I have a good idea of the reasoning.  First, let's start with Verdana, a font that is commonly used for Web design.  This font was specifically designed for readability in small sizes on screen.  You can read an interview with the designer here.

So why Tahoma and not Verdana for Windows Mobile?  Well, Tahoma is also a font designed for readability at small sizes on screen, but is a narrower font with slightly less space between characters.    I suspect this may be one reason.  With a 240 pixel wide screen, a narrow font saves valuable real estate.

There is also another reason that I suspect may be important.  In comparing the Wikipedia entries on Verdana

 and Tahoma, I discovered the mention of the Combining Characters Bug, and that Tahoma has better Unicode support.  Since Windows Mobile is entirely Unicode-based, it makes sense that a font with good Unicode support would have been chosen.

So, although I can't find any documentation to prove it, I believe that Tahoma was chosen for Windows Mobile because:

1. It is highly readable on screen and at small sizes
2. It has good Unicode support
3. It does not have the Combining Characters bug.

Recently, we've discussed support for some of the new Windows Mobile screen sizes that have been added with the release  of Windows Mobile 5 and 6.  If you've ever wondered why these screen sizes were chosen, you might find this article interesting.  Although it's an old article, we are finally starting to see some of the screen sizes discussed become available.  No devices with 480x480 screens yet, though.

Where did 240 come from?

If your Windows Mobile device has a GPRS radio, and you use it for more than just data collection, you might want to check out Windows Live Search.  Version 2 has just been released, which adds more support for local data, caching of maps to a Storage Card, better GPS integration, and more.  We've used it while travelling, and have been impressed with the routing and mapping features.

If you have a Windows Mobile based portable device with a keyboard that contains function keys, you may have noticed that not all of the keys are available to be used as Hot Keys by ITScriptNet.  This happens because Windows Mobile has hard coded some function keys to system features.  You can see the list of keys here.  Although this article refers specifically to the Stand Alone emulator, some device manufacturers also follow it. 

Our experience is that Hand Held Products devices make all function keys available to applications, while Symbol devices do not.  You should test on your device to see which keys are available.

We have added a Knowledge Base article on this topic:
INFO: Not all function keys are available to ITScriptNet on Windows Mobile devices

If you are using Windows Vista and have the Windows Mobile Device Center installed, you may want to download the latest version.  From the linked article, here are the updates in this version:

• Windows Mobile 6 feature support
  • Information Rights Management activation - Automatically configure the Windows Mobile 6 device to open IRM-protected documents and files
  • HTML mail – Set up your Windows Mobile 6 device to sync HTML-formatted mail
  • Certificate Enrollment - Acquire certificates through the PC the Windows Mobile 6 device is currently connected to
  • Allow data connections on the Windows Mobile 6 device when connected to the PC
  • File synchronization for smartphones – Synchronize files with your Windows Mobile 6 devices, including both touch screen and non-touch screen devices
• Automatic device authentication - Connect the Windows Mobile device to the PC without the need to enter the device-lock PIN every time upon connect
• Product Registration - Register your Windows Mobile device and get connected to information and offers available for your device

On the ITScriptNet client, you can specify a Device Alias on the Configuration screen. This Alias is saved into each collected data record and can be used to identify which device was used to collect a specific data record.

The Device Alias is also used as part of the filename for Image Capture or Digital Ink, along with a date/time stamp. This means that if you use a character in the Alias that is not a valid filename character, you will have problems saving the captured images.

What are the valid and invalid characters for a filename on a Windows CE/PocketPC/Windows Mobile device? Although it seems like an easy question to answer, the details turn out to be difficult to pin down. The Microsoft Knowledge Base has several articles about filenaming conventions, mostly with regards to the PC. Here are a few:

Errors Creating Files or Folders in the Root Directory

Naming a File

However, these articles list differing information on which characters are allowed. Are '?' and '*' allowed or not?

With the .Net Compact Framework 2.0 and higher, there is a function called GetInvalidFileNameChars which is supposed to return the list of invalid file name characters.

We created a test program using this function, and it returned the following invalid characters.
All characters between 0 and 31, along with the " < > | characters.

However, we tested creating files on a PocketPC device and determined that the ? * : \ / characters are also not allowed, even though they were not returned by GetInvalidFileNameChars.

So what is the answer to the question, what characters are not allowed in a Windows CE/PocketPC/Windows Mobile filename? It appears these are the invalid characters:

Avoid using any of these characters in your Device Alias to prevent problems saving Image Capture or Digital Ink characters.

We have added a pair of knowledge base articles describing this issue.

INFO: Invalid Filename Characters for Windows CE / PocketPC / Windows Mobile.

PROBLEM: Unable to Save Image error with Image Capture or Digital Ink.

With Extended Daylight Savings Time turning our clocks forward 3 weeks ago, you may have put that whole problem behind you.  This past saturday was the original Daylight Savings Time changeover date, so any devices which were not updated with the new rules will have changed their clocks ahead.  Take a moment to double-check your devices and make sure all clocks are in sync!

Did you update your devices for the new Extended Daylight Savings Time?  The first deadline has passed, but if your devices are not updated, they are going to change the clock automatically when the original daylight savings time date arrives!

HandHeld Products has posted the CAB files for the Extended Daylight Savings Time update.  Put the correct CAB file (PocketPC 2003 or Windows Mobile 5) in the \IPSM\AutoInstall and cold-boot the device.  Be sure you have backed up all data on the device before cold booting!

This is your last chance to update your PC and mobile devices before the new Extended Daylight Savings Time change this weekend.  We've previously discussed these issues in the following articles:

Extended Daylight Savings Time and Windows Mobile / Windows CE

Windows Mobile 5 Daylight Savings Time update tool released by Microsoft.

And of course, visit Windows Update to update your PC.

If all else fails, reset your clocks on Sunday/Monday, and then be prepared to set them again on April 2nd!

Originally, PocketPC devices all had the same screen size: 320x240.  However, Windows CE devices could have any size screen.  Over the last few versions, however, Microsoft has been allowing some new screen sizes, including 240x240.  With the release of Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft has added 320x320 as a valid screen size.

ITScriptNet currently only allows 320x240 as a valid screen size when you select PocketPC/Windows Mobile as the Terminal Type, although the client will run on a device with any screen resolution.  You can specify any screen size when you select Windows CE as the Terminal Type.  In a future version we will add the ability to select from any of the valid screen sizes for Windows Mobile, and have the client automatically move the Main Menu elements to fit the screen.

This article on the Windows Mobile Team Blog has more detail and a list of the valid screen sizes for Windows Mobile.

We've been discussing some of the changes in the Windows Vista security model.  Here is some information on another one.

In Windows 2000 or XP with ActiveSync 4.x, if you use a limited user account (non administrative), you cannot install the ITScriptNet Client to a device.  ActiveSync 4.x requires an administrative account for device installation.

In Vista, the UAC will pop up a username/password prompt, and if you supply the correct credentials, you can install the client to a device.

We've added a Knowledge Base article describing this issue.
INFO: ActiveSync 4.x requires an Administrative account to install

As you are aware, Windows Mobile 6 recently started shipping.  Since Windows CE 6 became available last fall, we assumed that Windows Mobile 6 was built on top of Windows CE 6.0, in the same way that Windows Mobile 5 is built on CE 5.0, and PocketPC 2003 SE was built on CE4.2.  However, this turns out not to be the case.  According to the Windows CE Team Blog, Windows Mobile 6 does not run on Windows CE 6, but rather on CE 5.02.

This will certainly cause confusion with device manufacturers who support both Windows Mobile and Windows CE.  Will they release Windows Mobile 6 and CE 5 devices together, or Windows Mobile 6 and CE 6?  Will they be willing to support two different underlying operating systems?

While experimenting with TrueType font files on PocketPC 2003 and Windows Mobile 5, we ran into an issue deleting the fonts.  Under PocketPC 2003, we were able to delete the font files (with .TTF extension) from \Windows\Fonts.  However, under Windows Mobile 5, we could not delete the fonts.  By renaming the files to .old (i.e. Diner.TTF.Old), we were able to delete them.

We added Knowledge Base article describing this issue:
HOWTO: Delete Font Files from Windows Mobile 5

We've run into similar issues with Media Files and other file types, too.  Windows Mobile 5 is much more aware of file types than PocketPC 2003 was.

Windows Vista introduces a new Mobile Device Center, which replaces Activesync for Windows CE and Windows Mobile devices.

Mobile Device Center is not built in, at least not with the initial release of Windows Vista.  You must download and install it from the link above.

Using the Mobile Device Center is very similar to using ActiveSync.  Primarily the major features still exists but have been renamed.

When you connect the device, you will see the Setup screen, shown below:

If you select 'Connect without setting up your device', you will establish a connection similar to a Guest connection under ActiveSync.

Selecting 'Set up your device' will establish a partnership.

Microsoft has released ActiveSync 4.5.  This update is for Windows 2000/XP only.  Windows Vista uses the new Windows Mobile Device Center.

This new version of Activesync appears to have changes to support Office 2007 and Exchange Server.  It does not appear that ITScriptNet will be affected by this new version, but we will be testing to make sure.

As previously discussed, Windows CE and Window Mobile devices need to be updated for the new Extended Daylight Savings Time in 2007.  Microsoft has now released a tool to make the necessary registry updates to support Extended Daylight Savings Time.

Here is the tool for Windows Mobile:
Windows Mobile Updates for Daylight Savings Time
This tool is intended for Windows Mobile devices and SmartPhones.  If you are using a Portable Data Collection device, check with your manufacturer to see if a custom tool or CAB file is available.

For Windows CE, since every device manufacturer builds a customized configuration of the operating system, it appears that you will need to either:

• Make the clock changes manually.

-OR-

• Update the registry manually, following the directions in this KB article.

-OR-

• Get an update from your device manufacturer.

Be sure to test after applying these updates to make sure the clock updates correctly!

As you are no doubt aware, Daylight Savings Time has been extended by 4 weeks in the United States.  This means that your Windows Mobile devices will need an update to change the clock automaticaly on March 11, 2007 instead of in April.

Microsoft has released an article for each operating system.  These articles describe registry changes to be made.
How to configure daylight saving time for the United States and Canada in 2007 and in subsequent years on Windows Mobile-based devices
How to update daylight saving time for the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2007 on Windows CE-based devices

Microsoft has also announced a tool to set the appropriate registery entries.  This tool does not appear to be available yet, but we'll keep you posted.  Each device manufacturer will probably release a CAB file or update tool for their devices, as well.

Microsoft has a Daylight Saving Time Help and Support Center with information on updates for desktop and mobile operating systems.