| The Handheld PC (HPC) platform comes in various flavors. Some devices run Windows CE 2.11 (HPC and HPC Pro) and some run Windows CE 3.0 (HPC 2000). Also, different devices have different screen sizes, ranging from smaller clamshell devices with about 50% more real estate than the Palm- size PCs, up to laptop and notepad sized screens. Before Windows CE 2.11, all devices were referred to as a Handheld PC. When Windows CE 2.11 was released, two versions became available: Professional came with Pocket Access embedded in the device ROM, whereas the standard HPC did not. The HPC platform almost always has a physical keyboard, and usually has at least one full-size PCMCIA slot, which has made them a popular choice for industrial and heavy use applications. This has led to the development and manufacture of rugged, water-resistant devices with built-in wireless connections. Other than the physical dimensions, the screen of an HPC looks remarkably like the desktop PC, with a taskbar, start button, and program icons (see Figure 1.2). Figure 1.2. The Handheld PC desktop, regardless of actual screen size, is remarkably similar to the desktop for PC-based Windows operating systems.  |
