Mobile PC Development 

The term mobile PC describes laptops, notebook PCs, Tablet PCs, and ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs). This term does not describe computing devices such as mobile phones and PDAs, or desktop computers.

Mobile PCs free people to use Windows Vista in a broader set of scenarios and locations, offering versatility with minimal compromise. Mobile PCs represent a substantial portion of the personal computer marketplace, and their sales are growing faster than those of deskbound models.

Supporting Natural Interaction

Tablet PC and UMPC users interact with their PCs in a variety of nontraditional computing environments: on the couch at home, on public transportation, or standing in the hallway. In these environments, the pen or touch screen provides the primary means of interaction instead of a mouse or keyboard. Windows Vista enables you to help your users to interact efficiently whether or not a keyboard is available. For more information about input on mobile PCs, see Natural Interaction.

Power Management

Windows Vista simplifies the power management user experience. Windows Vista also enhances and extends power management usage models. It also improves the reliability of sleep transitions, introducing predictable behavior, providing visibility into power management actions, and enabling extensive diagnostic tracing. Finally, Vista enables maximum energy savings, enabling increased mobile PC battery life. Your application can make use of the power management APIs in Windows Vista to make sure that it is optimized for running in the battery powered mobile PC environment. For more information about power management, see Power Management.

Network Awareness

Applications that run on mobile PCs can experience changes in network connectivity. Users can easily move from one location to another, yet may not be able to establish connectivity at the new location. Even in a single location, network connections can fluctuate: a network connection may become unavailable while the application is running, or even while a network operation is in progress. For details on using Windows Vista networking features, see Networking under the Communication and Services feature overview.

Data Synchronization

Because mobile PCs are often used in environments without network connectivity, it is essential that applications provide robust data synchronization. Windows Vista introduces key updates to the centralized location and interface for managing data synchronization, the Synchronization Manager (SyncMgr). Your application can leverage the SyncMgr to provide a reliable and consistent method for synchronizing data. The Windows Shell Programmer's Guide includes information about programming with the SyncMgr under Intermediate Shell Techniques.

Hardware Awareness

Windows Vista is designed to support more hardware varieties than any previous version of Windows. In addition to desktops, laptops, notebooks and Tablet PCs, the new hardware categories include Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPCs) and Windows SideShow devices. For details on how to make your application work well with these new form factors, see Hardware Awareness.

See Also

Other Resources

Mobile PC User Experience Guidelines for Developers
Mobile PC Development Guide
Tablet PC Development Guide