Does PDA belong to smartphone or pocket PC?

Question

While choosing target platform for my PDA application, I have options of WM5.0 pocket PC and WM5.0 Smartphone. Which one I am supposed to choose if the application will run on

HP 6965 iPAQ and Motorola MC35?

Many thanks.

Answer 1

They both run Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Phone Edition.

You should target WM5.0 Pocket PC

Answer 2

A crucial difference between a PocketPC and a SmartPhone, the latter can make/receive phone calls, as for the underlying system, Windows Mobile 5, there is no difference, there will be extra API's available to handle the phone part, such as sending an SMS.

Edit: As per ctacke's comment: many Pocket PC devices can also make phone calls (all phone-edition models in fact), so you have the distinction between the two wrong. The Smartphone version in WinMo has a slightly different OS becasue it has no touchscreen support, therefore many controls are not supported - Thanks! :)

So to answer your question, I would say the PDA applies to both instances, it would have been, a few years back, that the PDA was exclusively a PocketPC. (Edit: Remember the Psion Organizer - PDA's were just that back then)

But now today, we are witnessing a convergence of PDA's with a phone, you only have to think of the Apple's iPhone, and the trend is likely to continue, where there will be a convergence of similar to netbook computing with mobile handsets that can do everything within a small box no bigger than a typical handset, ok I may be a bit off the mark here but you get the drift.

There is an interesting article here which highlights the marketplace for Apple, Windows and Android.

Hope this helps put your mind at ease, Best regards, Tom.