Windows CE

(Windows Consumer Electronics) Microsoft's version of Windows for handheld devices and embedded systems that use x86, ARM, MIPS and SHx CPUs. Windows CE .NET superseded Windows CE 3.0. Introduced in 1996, it uses the same Win32 programming interface (API) as regular Windows and supports most of the Windows technologies such as .NET Compact Framework, MFC, COM, ActiveX and DirectX. Windows CE-based PDAs use abbreviated versions of Word, Excel and other Windows applications, which are known as "Pocket" applications. See Pocket PC and Windows XP Embedded.

Windows CE on the Clio

Clio is a Windows CE computer with an innovative industrial design. Its SwingTop case lets you use it as a flat tablet, presentation display or as a small desktop machine with keyboard, which is lying flat under the unit in this picture. Originally created and manufactured by Vadem, Ltd., it was acquired in 2003 by The Pinax Group, New Orleans, LA (Image courtesy of The Pinax Group, www.pinaxgroup.com)

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(operating system)

Windows CE - /C E/ A version of the Microsoft Windows operating system that is being used in a variety of embedded products, from handheld PCs to specialised industrial controllers and consumer electronic devices. Programming for Windows CE is similar to programming for other Win32 platforms. Windows CE was developed to be a customisable operating system for embedded applications. Its kernel borrows much from other Microsoft 32-bit operating systems, while eliminating (or replacing) those operating system features that are not needed for typical Windows CE-based applications. For example, as on Windows NT, all applications running on Windows CE run in a fully preemptive multitasking environment, in fully protected memory spaces. The Win32 (API) for Windows CE is smaller than the Win32 API for the other 32-bit Windows operating systems. It includes approximately half the interface methods of the Windows NT version of the API. But the Win32 API for Windows CE also includes features found in no other Microsoft operating system. The notification API, for example, makes it possible to handle user or application notification events (such as timer events) at the operating-system level, rather than in a running application. The touch screen API and the built-in support for the Windows CE database are not found in other Windows operating systems. The touch screen API makes it easy to manage screen calibration and user interactions for touch-sensitive displays, while the database API provides access to a data storage facility. http://channels.microsoft.com/windowsce/developer/default.htm. http://channels.microsoft.com/windowsce/developer/technical/default.htm.