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We show you the techniques for building adaptable applications that can make the best use of different screens and capabilities on Windows Mobile devices. Michael Saffitz MSDN Magazine June 2008 ... Read more!
If you're building .NET client apps already, target them to Windows Mobile using the same skills and toolsets. Daniel Moth MSDN Magazine July 2007 ... Read more!
Find out how the .NET Framework, a team of programmers, and a bunch of people from Carnegie Mellon University built an automated car to compete in the DARPA Grand Challenge. Along the way you get some inside tips on building an extensible real-time control architecture based on a whiteboard metaphor and implementing an accurate GPS-synchronized timer component for .NET. John Hind MSDN Magazine December 2004 ... Read more!
SideShow Gadgets for Windows Vista are cool. Writing your own is even better. Find out how it's done. Jeffrey Richter MSDN Magazine January 2007 ... Read more!
This article focuses on developing for Pocket PCs, a skill which can then be transferred to Smartphone application development. Rob Pierry MSDN Magazine December 2006 ... Read more!
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A Global Positioning System (GPS) device captures lots of interesting information that can be used in many ways. This article presents a custom application built with Visual Basic that collects data from a GPS satellite and charts the course of a user relative to the satellite. Such an application is obviously well suited for use on a handheld PC and porting the original application to eMbedded Visual Basic for Windows CE is described. The differences between Visual Basic and eMbedded Visual Basic, such as support for specific control and data ...
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Why we use the paper we do. Joshua Trupin MSDN Magazine November 2006 ... Read more!
Many developers wish there was a language that was easy to write, read, and maintain like Visual Basic, but that still provided the power and flexibility of C++. For those developers, the new C# language is here. Microsoft has built C# with type-safety, garbage collection, simplified type declarations, versioning and scalability support, and lots of other features that make developing solutions faster and easier, especially for COM+ and Web Services. This article gives you a first look at C#, a language you are going to be hearing lots more about ...
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When incorporating the ASP.NET DataGrid control into your Web apps, common operations such as paging, sorting, editing, and deleting data require more effort than you might like to expend. But all that is about to change. The GridView control--the successor to the DataGrid-- extends the DataGrid's functionality it in a number of ways. First, it fully supports data source components and can automatically handle data operations, such as paging, sorting, and editing, as long as its bound data source object supports these capabilities. In addition, ...
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Here we describe some of the more common challenges to concurrent programming and present advice for coping with them in your software. Joe Duffy MSDN Magazine October 2008 ... Read more!
Kenny Kerr sings the praises of the new Visual C++ 2008 Feature Pack, which brings modern conveniences to Visual C++. Kenny Kerr MSDN Magazine May 2008 ... Read more!
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Because Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) is based on a runtime that manages the execution of workflows and activities, testing must, in almost all cases, involve the use of the runtime – and this can introduce some interesting challenges. In the November 2008 issue of MSDN Magazine, Matt Milner presents some techniques for unit testing ...
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C# developers can use the Visual Studio Tools for the Office System (VSTO) Power Tools Office interop API extensions to streamline Office application development. The extensions provide a thin, strongly typed layer over the loosely typed Office object models. In the December 2008 issue of MSDN Magazine, Andrew Whitechapel, Phillip Hoff, and Vladimir Morozov walk you through developing ...
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Earlier this year MSDN Magazine embarked on a collaborative project with Behind the Code, an interview program airing on MSDN Channel 9. In this program, Robert Hess interviews prominent developers at Microsoft, and those developers also write a column for { End Bracket } in MSDN Magazine. In the newest interview, Richard Ward talks about working on the core infrastructure components of future versions of Windows, as well as ...
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A team project is simply a bucket that stores and partitions all of the artifacts you track and use within a Team Foundation Server (TFS) project. In the December 2008 issue of MSDN Magazine, Brian A. Randell explains how you can use and customize the MSF Agile and MFS CMMI process templates to get the most out of them for your ...
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It’s helpful to think about secure design from a more holistic perspective by using threat models to drive your security engineering process. In the November 2008 issue of MSDN Magazine, Michael Howard proposes using the threat model to help drive other SDL security requirements, primarily code review priority, fuzz testing priority, ...
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Editor's Note
What Is Mobility?
Joshua Trupin
What do you think of when you hear the word "mobility?" It differs by generation. One person might think of a motorized scooter while another reflects on his own car and how it frees him from the horrors of safe, reliable, fiscally sound mass transit. Geeks of a certain age remember a Kaypro computer that was "portable"—though it felt like a cinder block with a handle. Today, the definition of mobile is both narrowing and broadening at once.
"But how is that even possible?" you might ask, scratching your head. It’s quite possible, and it’s a matter of consumer expectations on both ends.
No longer is mobility merely a function of location. Just because you can use a device away from the office doesn’t mean that it’s in any way a rich and rewarding experience. Look at Pocket PCs, for instance. Sure, you can use them for e-mail and associated tasks, but unless you’re always online you have to intentionally sync them up when you’re at base. Now look at a Windows Mobile phone, such as the Treo. It looks the same, sure, but this device automatically connects and keeps your e-mail up-to-date wherever you are. The definition of truly mobile computing has narrowed.
At the same time, the number of devices that fit into this category has expanded enormously. Smartphones are the norm now—and if you don’t believe us, take a look at what people are using on trains, in stores, and while behind the wheel of the car next to yours. With the growth in this category, mobile devices have finally moved from niche to mainstream in the past year. If you have one of these gadgets, chances are you are wondering how you ever lived without it. From sending text messages to someone in the next room to playing Freecell while driving, they offer unmatched utility.
With Ultra-Mobile PCs, there’s more continuity in the marketplace now. You can choose just about any size device that suits you. However, with all those machines out there, there’s a lot of stuff you should think about when writing your app, whether you’re designing it for mobile devices or for regular desktop machines.
To that end, this issue of MSDN Magazine features two articles to help you design programs that will serve the full range of form factors, from the smallest Smartphone to the bulkiest laptop. The first is "Make Your WPF Apps Power-Aware," by Andre Michaud. Andre discusses power management support for apps that employ Windows Presentation Foundation on both Windows XP and Windows Vista, and how to write your applications to take full advantage of it so that portable devices can enjoy better battery life.
Daniel Moth takes an in-depth look at the .NET Compact Framework in his article, "Write Code Once For Both Mobile And Desktop Apps." Specifically, he explores how you can share your code between a standard desktop version of your app and a version that runs on a smart device. Can desktop apps be modified for mobile devices? Can mobile apps run on a desktop machine? Can you even reuse your codebase across the platforms? If you’re easily startled, you better sit down before reading the shocking answer!
With the newest devices and rapid improvement in existing forms, mobile computing is on a roll right now. How is it working for you? Let us know, and join the discussion on the MSDN Magazine blog. We look forward to chatting with you. —J.T.
Thanks to
the following Microsoft technical experts for their help with this issue: Christian Allred, Claudio Caldato, Jon Cargille, Stephan Doll, Shawn Farkas, Donovan Follette, Matt Gibbs, Dushyant Gill, Richard Greenberg, Dana Groff, Brian Grunkemeyer, Solom Heddaya, Elisa Johnson, Ladi Prosek, Travis Querec, Rob Relyea, and Andrew Tucker.
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