• Illustration: Motorola MPx Uses Dual Display Modes

Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, an updated version of Microsoft's Windows CE-based portable device platform, is now available to manufacturers of Pocket PC and Smartphone devices. The new version mainly adds support for more display options, such as the ability to rotate the display to landscape mode or to display at higher pixel resolutions. This update gives Windows Mobile device manufacturers more ability to differentiate their products, but it may create problems for some applications written for a fixed display format.

More Display Options

Previous versions of Windows Mobile supported only a fixed 240 x 320–pixel, 96 dot-per-inch (dpi) portrait display for Pocket PCs, and a fixed 176 x 220–pixel, 96 dpi portrait display for Smartphones. However, OEMs have wanted to take advantage of advances in LCD technology and different form factors. For example, the upcoming Motorola MPx Pocket PC Phone incorporates a clamshell design that can open on either its vertical or horizontal axis. (See the illustration "Innovative Motorola MPx Uses Dual Display Modes".) Some new phones with built-in "thumb boards" incorporate square screens to keep the devices from being too long.

The Second Edition adds the following display options for Pocket PCs:

• Portrait/landscape (240 x 320 pixels, 96 dpi)
• Portrait/landscape (480 x 640 pixels, 192 dpi)
• Square screen (240 x 240 pixels, 96 dpi)
• Square screen (480 x 480 pixels, 192 dpi)

Some new devices running Second Edition will allow users to switch between portrait and landscape modes on the fly.

New Smartphones built to run Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition will also have the option to support a 240 x 320–pixel, 131 dpi screen, which will be larger, sharper, and capable of showing greater detail than today’s devices.

Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition includes emulators that allow developers to test applications for the new display modes. However, not all Windows Mobile applications will automatically resize themselves properly for the new display modes and will display a scrollbar to shift the display to the cut-off portion of the window. Furthermore, some older applications written for 96-dpi screens may not position or stretch screen elements properly on device running the higher dpi modes.

Browser Improvements, Wi-Fi Security Among Other Changes

The update also includes the following changes:

• Pocket Internet Explorer can force Web pages into a single column, eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling to see some parts of a page not formatted for handhelds.
• Support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), which increases the security of Wi-Fi connections
• Devices running Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition will have Service Pack 2 of the .NET Compact Framework built into ROM; this update does not impact existing .NET Framework applications.

For New Devices Only

No Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition devices are shipping yet, but they should be appearing in the second half of 2004. The update is not user-installable and cannot be downloaded from Microsoft, and OEMs are not obligated to offer upgrades for existing devices.

See "Updated Software Platform for Pocket PCs" on page 21 of the Aug. 2003 Update for more information on Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PCs, and "Smartphone 2003 SDK and Platform Details Available" on page 28 of the Oct. 2003 Update for more information on Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphones.