Windows Mobile is a special version of the Windows operating system designed specifically for mobile devices such as smartphones and handheld PCs.
The standard version includes common Microsoft applications redesigned for small screens such as Office, Outlook, Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player.
Pocket PC was a term used by devices which meet specific requirements set down by Microsoft; it was the firm’s first attempt to establish itself in the mobile device market. The requirements included having a touchscreen, block character recognition (written text entry), and some form of directional control pad to replace the mouse. As you’d expect, a Pocket PC had to
run Windows Mobile.
As of February 2007, the Pocket PC term was replaced with the terms Windows Mobile Professional (for devices with a built-in phone) and Windows Mobile Classic (for computer-only, non-phone devices).
Microsoft also used the term "Smartphone" for a different set of requirements which was similar to PocketPC, but involved keypads rather than touchscreens. Eventually this got too confusing because it was widely used as a generic name for any mobile phone with computer-style features. The new name for Smartphones is Windows Mobile Standard.
Microsoft has developed a special edition known as ‘Windows Mobile for Automotive’ designed for cars. It’s designed to make it simpler for manufacturers to add computer-based facilities such as hands-free cellphone use and satellite navigation. They should also find it easier to update this software automatically (through a wireless connection or USB port) without having to service each vehicle individually.
Yes: Microsoft produced software development kits so that outside firms can produce programs which will run reliably on the system. The programs available range from games to specialist industry applications such as packages allowing doctors to access a patient’s medical records without having to be in their office or by a computer.
Apple products – most notably the iPhone – run on a system named iPhone OS. Software producers can produce their own programs and distribute them through the iTunes store, though Apple’s approval process has seemed inconsistent and unclear.
Google has developed its own system, Android, based on the open source Linux system. The first phone running Android, T-Mobile’s ‘HTC Dream’, will be released on 22 October.