Developing Mobile Software for the Pocket PC
One of the first issues to consider when beginning development of an application for the
Pocket PC is the size of the screen. At 320x240 pixels, it is much smaller than a 15 or 17
inch monitor, yet still required to present the same basic application information to the
user as its larger counterpart. The basic idea behind UI development for this platform is
simplicity. It is important to provide all the functionality that the user expects out of the
application, but it must be easy to navigate and require fewer responses.
Since a keyboard is normally not available,
users begin to rely on a few new input
methods for supplying data to the application.
The first basic input method is simply tapping
on the screen in response to questions. The
second, more complete form of input is the
Soft Input Panel (SIP). The SIP supplied with
the operating system contains two forms of
input - the soft keyboard, which resembles a standard keyboard, and the character
recognizer, which allows the user to physically write a letter in the space provided, and
then tries to determine which letter was
written. Both of these SIP methods can be
used to provide text for entry fields on user
interfaces. Custom SIPs can be developed
by third parties to provide alternate forms
of input for the application, but normally
these two methods are sufficient.
Since screen space is very important, Microsoft has added a new class to MFC
specifically for Windows CE / Pocket PC development that combines the standard menu
bar and tool bar into a single Command Bar. Combining these two components saves
valuable real estate and leaves more space for other important application information.
