Where to now for Enterprise Windows Mobile Apps

Now that Windows Mobile development has come to end what should we do with our Windows Mobile Enterprise Apps.

1. Stick with Windows Mobile 6.5 - how long will these devices be available for?

2. Use Windows CE - are devices available or do you have to develop your own?

3. Use Windows Phone 7 - Will (or even does) this consumer focused OS support features needed by E开发者_如何学Gonterprise apps (sqlce, sync, etc.)

I'm not convinced it has come to an end. Another area of development - the consumer application - has simply started along side with it's own platform, hardware, etc. When the airplane came out, it dodn't lead to the death of cars. They do different things and serve different uses.

Microsoft still plans on providing WinMo 6.5.x to OEMs that want to create devices that are non-consumer-based (Symbol, Motorola, Intermec, etc). It's rebranded as Windows Embedded Handheld.

Many of these same OEMs offer their devices in vanilla WinCE flavors. In fact I've never understood why someone would choose WinMo over CE only to have to fight WinMo's desire to control the shell. But that's pure opinion. I've also never understood why those same OEMs didn't offer more variety in the OS selection (I should be able to pick a few CE images with different components) or even give us a binary BSP. Their making money on the hardware regardless.

As for Phone 7 - well MS hasn't really said. Obviously v1 is consumer-oriented. Let's face it- that's where the volumes are. Will it become more enterprise-friendly? I'm dubious. The entire premise is that the device is fairly locked down and apps are sandboxeed so that the user gets complete control over the experience. Nothing happens that the users doesn't specifically say is OK or even request.

That's not what an Enterprise device wants. You want to tell the user "this is what it will look like, this is what it will do and you can't do anything else." Even adding these capabilities to Phone is going to make the entire platform - consumer devices ncluded, susceptible to software doing this to a device.

Enterprise features are intended to be coming to the phone 7 platform. We know many of the needed features didn't make the cut due to the fixed time constraint to get to market and the impact these features would have had on the testing matrix.

Consumer priorities took the initial focus.

This story has been fairly consistently communicated throughout the CTP/Beta stage.

I sense there is a transitioning period taking place. If you can get your job done on phone 7, you can do this. If not, continue while WinMo6 is supported there and keep an eye on phone 7's evolution for the right time to migrate.