Microsoft® Windows® CE 5.0

Microsoft® Windows® CE 5.0 is an open, scalable, 32-bit operating system (OS) that integrates reliable, real time capabilities with advanced Windows technologies. Windows CE allows you to build a wide range of innovative, small footprint devices. A typical Windows CE–based device is designed for a specific use, often runs disconnected from other computers, and requires a small OS that has a deterministic response to interrupts. Examples include enterprise tools, such as industrial controllers, communications hubs, and point-of-sale terminals, and consumer products, such as cameras, Internet appliances, and interactive televisions.

Windows CE Highlights

With a complete OS feature set and comprehensive development tools, Windows CE contains the functionality you need to build, debug, and deploy custom Windows CE-based devices. Platform Builder for Microsoft Windows CE 5.0 is a fully-integrated development environment (IDE) for building custom Windows CE OSs and components for embedded system devices.

Windows CE enhances productivity by including a production-quality OEM Adaptation Layer (OAL). This OAL provides OEMs with an improved level of OAL componentization through code libraries, directory structures that support code reuse, centralized configuration files, and a consistent architecture across processor families and hardware platforms.

Windows CE also includes production-quality device drivers that use less hardware platform-specific code than previous drivers, abstract all resource assignments to the registry, and create reusable, hardware platform-independent libraries. These libraries work without modification for many of the common hardware platforms. This reduces the customization required for the drivers to function on custom hardware.

Windows CE brings enhanced productivity to application developers by providing a rich set of programming tools to create managed code and native code applications for Windows CE-based devices. Windows CE offers application developers the versatile environment of the Microsoft Win32® application programming interface (API) along with the ease and versatility of scripting languages. It also offers bundled support for multimedia, the Internet, local area networks (LANs), and mobile communications and security services.

HP PocketPC iPAQ 312 Travel Companion

HP's iPAQ 312 is a strange device. Fitting somewhere between a PDA, a GPS and a mobile phone accessory, this unit packs in GPS functionality with some entertainment tools and Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity to create what HP has dubbed as the 'Travel Companion'.

While it doesn't have a specific niche, some of its features are quite well implemented. It is clearly designed with GPS functionality as the primary purpose, and HP has done a great job here.

It is simple to create a route; you can navigate to a specific address, stored favourite, point of interest, specific point selected on the map or even via GPS co-ordinates. Furthermore if you synchronise your outlook contact list with the iPAQ 312, all your contacts will automatically be selectable too.

The maps come with 2D or 3D views and are colourful and easy to navigate. This unit uses HP's own mapping software along with a SiRF GPS sensor. It typically took 30 to 45 seconds to acquire a signal, and reception was fairly good once it was obtained. Featuring a full touch screen interface, everything is extremely easy to navigate.

You can switch between the two views seamlessly, although we found the 3D view lagged a little, especially when you zoom in. Meanwhile the voice commands are loud and clear. You have 10 English voices to choose from and a variety of foreign ones too.

Our two main complaints with the GPS functionality were that the 600MHz processor is at times too slow to handle the application and we experienced a bit of slowdown and several crashes. The other issue was that many of the icons on the map page are unlabelled and extremely unclear as to their purpose.

Aside from GPS, the unit's other key feature is Bluetooth connectivity with your phone. Acting as a standard handsfree kit, the iPAQ 312 allows you to accept and reject calls via the touch screen interface. During our tests, both incoming and outgoing audio presented a slight echo, but it was of perfectly serviceable quality for a telephone conversation.

The 4.3in display itself is also extremely noteworthy. With a resolution of 800x480 and 65k colours, it is a fantastic little LCD and the image quality is extremely high for such a device. We watched several videos on the unit and were very pleased with what we saw. The touch interface also operated flawlessly and even our big fingers had no trouble inputting addresses and numbers.

That said the slowdown experienced when using the GPS was much more obvious here. Multiple times during video playback the sound stuttered or cut out all together, making this feature largely useless in our books. On the other hand the audio player was fine for casual use; it offers basically no features, but the 3.5mm headphone jack ensures you can use whatever headphones you please. File transfer is a standard drag and drop affair, and the player supports all Windows Media Player formats including those with DRM.

Other minor features of the iPAQ 312 include a clock, calculator, games and the aforementioned contact synchronisation. The games are mildly entertaining but nothing noteworthy, but the contact book works well, allowing easy synchronisation with your Outlook contact list.

Battery life was definitely a concern. We barely got several hours use out of the device on a full charge, so an AC connection is basically a requirement. The iPAQ 312 comes with 128MB of memory onboard and an SD-HC card slot for further expansion
from goodgearguide

HP iPAQ 312 Travel Companion Specs

Fastfact
operating system installed	Microsoft Windows CE 5.0
Processor Type	SiRF Titan ARM11 dual-core processor
Processor speed	600 MHz
Display Type	TFT
Display Size	4.3"
Video resolutions description	800x480, 65K colours, 16-bit
Standard memory	128MB SDRAM main memory for running applications, up to 2 GB flash ROM
Wireless technology	Integrated GPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
GPS receiver	Advanced SiRF embedded GPS receiver with instantFix time-to-first-fix acceleration
Portability
DisplayType	TFT
Display Size	4.3"
Video resolutions description	800x480, 65K colours, 16-bit
Weight	187 g.
Dimensions(WxDxH)	11.02 x 1.82 x 8.68 cm.
Wireless technologies	Integrated GPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
Performance
Processor Type	SiRF Titan ARM11 dual-core processor
Processor speed	600 MHz
Standard memory	128 MB SDRAM main memory for running applications, up to 2GB. ROM
Pointing device	Touch Screen and Stylus
Power features	Battery removable/rechargeable 1700 mAh Lithium-Ion(user changeable)
Connectivity/GPS
Wireless technologies	integrated GPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
GPS Receiver	Advanced SiRF embedded GPS receiver with instantFix time-to-first-fix acceleration
GPS Softwares and maps	HP Navigation engine, Text to Speech, Maps, RDS/TMC traffic data support(selected countries)
Synchronization tools	Mini-USB desktop syncronization cable
Expandability
Expansion slots	SD high-capacity card slot
External I/O ports	1mini-USB connector for syncronization and charging
memoryslot	High-capacity SD, Supports SDHC