A Pocket PC, abbreviated P/PC or PPC, is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer (Personal digital assistant) that runs the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system. It may have the capability to run an alternative operating system like NetBSD, Linux, Android or others. It has many of the capabilities of modern desktop PCs.
Currently there are thousands of applications for handhelds adhering to the Microsoft Pocket PC specification, many of which are freeware. Some of these devices also include mobile phone features. Microsoft compliant Pocket PCs can also be used with many other add-ons like GPS receivers, barcode readers, RFID readers, and cameras.
In 2007, with the advent of Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft dropped the name Pocket PC in favor of a new naming scheme. Devices without an integrated phone are called Windows Mobile Classic instead of Pocket PC. Devices with an integrated phone and a touch screen are called Windows Mobile
OS versions
Main article: Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile 6.1
Microsoft's current release is Windows Mobile 6.1, one of the major changes from WM6 is the introduction of Instant messaging-like texting. Press release on April 1st 2008.
Windows Mobile 6
Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6, internally code-named "Crossbow'". It was officially released by Microsoft on February 12, 2007.
Windows Mobile 5
Windows Mobile 5.0 marked the convergence of the Phone Edition and Professional Edition operating systems into one system that contains both phone and PDA capabilities. A 'Phone' application was included in the OS, and all PIM applications were updated to interface with it. Windows Mobile 5.0 was compatible with Microsoft's Smartphone operating system and was capable of running Smartphone applications.
Pocket PCs running previous versions of the operating system generally stored user-installed applications and data in RAM, which meant that if the battery was depleted the device would lose all of its data. Windows Mobile 5.0 solved this problem by storing all user data in persistent (flash) memory, leaving the RAM to be used only for running applications, as it would be on a desktop computer. As a result, Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PCs generally had a greater amount of flash memory, and a smaller amount of RAM, compared to earlier devices
Windows Mobile 2003
Windows Mobile 2003 consisted of the Windows CE.NET 4.2 operating system bundled with scaled-down versions of many popular desktop applications, including Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, Windows Media Player, and others.
Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition added native landscape support as well as other fixes and changes to those features already present in the original release of Windows Mobile 2003.
Pocket PC 2000 and 2002
Pocket PC 2002 (launched October 2001) and Pocket PC 2000 (launched April 2000) both ran Windows CE 3.0 underneath.