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Device Capabilities and Required Development Tools

Visual Studio supports application development for devices that run many versions of Windows Mobile and Windows CE. However, Visual Studio does not support application development on legacy devices. This situation could lead to confusion as to what is required by way of development tools, .NET Compact Framework version, and underlying Windows CE operating system.

Note

Visual Studio installs the Pocket PC 2003 and Windows Mobile 5.0 software development kits (SDKs) and emulators automatically. To develop applications for Windows Mobile 6.0 or custom Windows CE-based devices, you must install additional SDKs. For more information, see Hardware and Software Requirements for Smart Device Projects.

Tools Comparison Charts

The following tables provide a snapshot of the variations in smart device hardware, hardware features, and development tools. These listings can change over time. You can obtain the most up-to-date and complete information by reviewing the technical article Introduction to Development Tools for Windows Mobile-based Devices in the MSDN Library.

Overview of IDE Capabilities

This table provides an overview of the capabilities of the different IDEs. Column heading abbreviations are as follows:

  • eVT3C = eMbedded Visual C++ 3.0

  • eVT3V = eMbedded Visual Basic 3.0

  • eVC4 = eMbedded Visual C++ 4.0 and service pack 4.0

  • VS2003 = Visual Studio .NET 2003

  • VS2005 = Visual Studio 2005

  • VS2008 = Visual Studio 2008

 

 

eVT3C

eVT3V

eVC4

VS2003

VS2005

VS2008

Code type

Native Code

X

 

X

 

X

X

 

Interpreted Code

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

Managed Code

 

 

 

X

X

X

 

Server-side Code (Web)

 

 

 

X

X

X

Device SDKs

Pocket PC 2000

and

Pocket PC 2002

X

X

 

X

 

 

 

Smartphone 2002

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

Windows Mobile 2003

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition

 

 

X

X

X

X

 

Windows Mobile 5.0

 

 

 

 

X

X

 

Windows Mobile 6.0

 

 

 

 

X

X

.NET Compact Framework Tools and OS Support

This table provides an overview of which tool versions and which Windows Mobile software versions support .NET Compact Framework versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.5.

 

 

Version 1.0

Version 2.0

Version 3.5

Tool

Visual Studio .NET 2003

X

 

 

 

Visual Studio 2005

X

X

 

 

Visual Studio 2008

 

X

X

Windows Mobile software version

Windows Mobile 6.0

 

In-ROM (2.0 SP1)

User installable

 

Windows Mobile 5.0

In-ROM (1.0 SP3)

User installable

User installable

 

Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition

In-ROM (1.0 SP2)

User installable (Pocket PC only)

User installable

 

Windows Mobile 2003

In-ROM (1.0 SP1)

User installable (Pocket PC only)

User installable

 

Smartphone 2002

 

 

 

 

Pocket PC 2002

User installable

 

 

 

Pocket PC 2000

User installable

 

 

Database Technology Support

This table provides an overview of which database technologies are supported by various versions of Windows Mobile. Column heading abbreviations are as follows:

  • SSC 3.5 = SQL Server Compact 3.5

  • SSCE 3.1 = SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition Version 3.1

  • SQL Mobile 3.0 = SQL Server 2005 Mobile Edition Version 3.0

  • SQL CE 2.0 = SQL Server 2000 Windows CE Edition

  • EDB = Embedded Database

  • CEDB = Windows Embedded CE database

  • ADOCE = ActiveX Data Objects for Windows CE

 

SSC 3.5

SSCE 3.1

SQL Mobile 3.0

SQL CE 2.0

EDB

CEDB

ADOCE

Windows Mobile 6

User Installable

In ROM

User Installable

User Installable

(Professional and Classic Only)

In-ROM

In-ROM*

Unsupported User Install

Windows Mobile 5.0

User Installable

User Installable

User Installable

User Installable

(Pocket PC Only)

In-ROM

In-ROM*

Unsupported User Install

Windows Mobile 2003

User Installable

(Pocket PC Only)

User Installable

(Pocket PC Only)

User Installable

(Pocket PC Only)

User Installable

(Pocket PC Only)

N/A

In-ROM

In-ROM

Smartphone 2002

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

In-ROM

N/A

Pocket PC 2002

N/A

N/A

N/A

User Installable

(Pocket PC Only)

N/A

In-ROM

In-ROM

Pocket PC 2000

N/A

N/A

N/A

User Installable

(Pocket PC Only)

N/A

In-ROM

In-ROM (most devices)

* In Windows Mobile 5.0, CEDB is In-ROM but deprecated. Developers should use EDB instead.

Notes

  • Check with the device manufacturer regarding upgrading a device to a later version of Windows CE or Windows Mobile. Microsoft does not supply upgrades for specific devices to end users.

  • Visual Studio Express Editions do not include support for Smart Device projects.

  • The eMbedded Visual Basic tools are no longer supported. The eMbedded Visual Basic run time is no longer in device ROM.

  • eMbedded Visual C++ 4.0 and eMbedded Visual Basic 4.0 can be downloaded from the Mobile Developer Center.

  • The current version of the Compact Framework is 3.5, available as a RAM install from the Mobile Developer Center.

See Also

Concepts

Updating Projects Created with Previous Tools

Other Resources

Getting Started with Smart Device Projects