Pocket pcs

pocket pcs A Pocket PC, abbreviated P/PC or PPC, is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer (Personal digital assistant) that runs the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system. It may have the capability to run an alternative operating system like NetBSD, Linux, Android or others. It has some of the capabilities of modern desktop PCs.

Currently there are thousands of applications for handhelds adhering to the Microsoft Pocket PC specification, many of which are freeware. Some of these devices also include mobile phone features. Microsoft compliant Pocket PCs can also be used with many other add-ons like GPS receivers, barcode readers, RFID readers, and cameras.

In 2007, with the advent of Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft dropped the name Pocket PC in favor of a new naming scheme. Devices without an integrated phone are called Windows Mobile Classic devices instead of Pocket PCs. Devices with an integrated phone and a touch screen are called Windows Mobile Professional devices and devices without a touch screen are called Windows Mobile Standard devices.
The Pocket PC is an evolution from previous calculator-sized computers. Keystroke-programmable calculators which could do simple business and scientific applications were available by the 1970s. In 1982, Hewlett Packard's HP-75 incorporated a 1-line text display, an alphanumeric keyboard, BASIC language and some basic PDA capabilities. The HP 200Lx series packed a PC-compatible DOS computer with graphics display and QWERTY keyboard into a palmtop format. The Omigo 100 used a pen and graphics interface on dDOS, but was not widely liked by the United States. The HP 300XL built a palmtop computer on the Windows CE operating system, but not until the form factor and features of the Palm platform were adapted that it was named the Pocket PC, after the Pocket-Rocket.

Pocket PC 2000 and 2002
Pocket PC 2002 (launched October 2001) and Pocket PC 2000 (launched April 2000) both ran Windows CE 3.0 underneath. Some Pocket PC 2002 devices were also sold as "Phone Editions" which included cell phone functionality in addition to the PDA capabilities.