Visual Studio provides tools to create occasionally connected smart device applications that use SQL Server Compact and Microsoft Synchronization Services for ADO.NET for devices.
Visual Studio includes a Smart Device Connectivity API that lets you programmatically establish a connection and perform a variety of tasks on a device.
Device Security Manager enables developers to manage settings for security when applications execute on Windows Mobile devices and emulators.
Built-in support for Windows Mobile 5
Windows Mobile 5 emulators, project templates, and libraries are now built into Visual Studio. For more information, see Welcome to Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK Documentation. Smart device programmability includes the following built in Software Development Kits (SDKs):
Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC SDK
Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone SDK
Windows CE 5.0
Pocket PC 2003 SDK
Note:
Visual Studio does not support managed development for Smartphone 2003.
Visual Studio 2008 does not support .NET Compact Framework 1.0
Rich design-time support for Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5.
SQL Server Compact 3.5 replaces SQL Server Mobile Edition as the file-based database of choice for writing smart device applications in Visual Studio. You can still write applications by using SQL Server Mobile in Visual Studio. However, in order to take advantage of the rich design time data designer, you must use SQL Server Compact 3.5 in Visual C# or Visual Basic projects. For more information, see Data Access Overview (Managed Device Projects).
A new version of the Device Emulator
Device Emulator 3.0 replaces Device Emulator 1.0 in Visual Studio 2008. For more information, see What's New in Device Emulator.