The following Microsoft Windows® CE 3.0 operating system capabilities, features, and services can be selected for every Windows CE 3.0—based design. Items marked with an asterisk (*) below are new features and enhancements in version 3.0.

Kernel Services

The kernel provides the foundation for the other modules of the operating system. State-of-the-art features include protected virtual memory, power management, real-time, and two-part interrupt management.

Feature	Benefit
ROM/RAM Footprint as Small as 400 Kilobytes (KB)	Lower hardware cost, energy drain, and heat dissipation.
Protected Virtual Memory*	Significantly increases system reliability by protecting critical application services.
Multiple Execute-in-Place (XIP) Regions*	Eliminate boot time, avoid "double footprint," and reduce hardware requirements.
Processes and Threads	Handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
Real-Time*	Reliably perform time-sensitive tasks with deterministic response to events.
256 Priority Levels*	Provide more granular control over the scheduling and behavior of embedded systems.
Sophisticated Interrupt Management*	Fast response to events with interrupt service routines (ISRs); powerful operating system calls can be used in interrupt service threads (ISTs).
Nested Interrupts*	Allows interrupts with higher priority levels to be serviced immediately, speeding performance.
Quantum-Level Thread Control*	Thread quantum control in the system allows greater control over the scheduler.
Tightened High-Priority IST Scheduled Latency*	Faster high-priority thread response allows developers to know when the thread transitions occur and create new embedded applications by increasing hardware monitoring and control.
Full-Thread Kernel-Mode Support	Enables all threads to run in kernel mode to optimize performance.
Thread Synchronization via Critical Sections, Mutex Objects, Event Objects	Coordinate multiple threads of execution easily.
1 Millisecond (ms) System Tick*	Better response to Sleeps and Waits.
Instant-On	No boot time required.
Advanced Power Management	Long battery life and low heat dissipation, eliminating the need for fans.
Configurable ROM and Object Store Component Compression*	Enable/disable the compression component for ROM and object store.
OEM Adaptation Layer (OAL)	Isolates device dependent routines to increase operating system portability.
On-Chip Debugging Support*	Enables debugging of the OAL before the operating system kernel is running, simplifying the OAL debugging process.
Event Tracking Functions	Track and diagnose problems to improve performance.
Semaphores*	Thread synchronization.

 

User Interface Services

Sophisticated built-in user interface services will save you considerable time in creating the kinds of polished, easy to use, graphical devices that users demand.

Feature	Benefit
Windows Menus Controls, Dialog Boxes, and Icons	Fast development of devices with familiar user interface techniques.
Graphical Device Interface	Build on color graphics primitives, bit block transfers, palettes, and cursors.
Raster and TrueType Fonts, and Color Printing	Add sophisticated, high-resolution text layout on screen and on paper for visual clarity.
Customizable Shell/GUI	Allows for a completely customizable GUI for your device.
Input Panel	Enter input through this on-screen, pop-up keyboard.
Inking	Enables a user to write or draw on a touch-sensitive screen.
Handwriting Recognition	Hooks exist for you to easily plug in your engine to generate input to applications.

 

Communications and Networking

Powerful modules enable a Windows CE—based device to communicate and interoperate with other devices, workstations, or servers through wired or wireless connections.

Feature	Benefit
Serial	Communicate with other devices, PCs, or input/output (I/O) devices with Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) or Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP).
Infrared	Transfer data wirelessly via Infrared Data Association (IrDA) or other protocols.
Telephony API (TAPI 2.1)	Handle inbound or outbound* voice or data calls on multilines.
Remote Access Service Client for Multiple Sessions	Establish communications to a server via dial-up.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP/IP) with Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP), and Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)	Supports point-to-point, multicast, or datagram communications.
Windows Sockets	Communications with a large variety of computers.
Secure Sockets	Private Communication Technology/Secure Sockets Layer (PCT/SSL) provide secure communications with authenticated servers.
Full Domain Name System (DNS) and Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) Namespace Resolution*	Enables name resolution to establish remote host communications.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Client with Autonet* Internet Protocol (IP)	Eliminates problems associated with manual TCP/IP addresses by assigning an IP address to a device if a DHCP server is not available.
Wireless Tunable TCP/IP	Tune TCP/IP protocols to get maximum wireless throughput.
Common Internet File System (CIFS) Redirector	Communicate with large installed base of Windows-based network computers.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)*	Manage Windows CE-based devices remotely. Includes SNMPv2c extensible agent support, Management Information Base (MIB) II (TCP/IP stack), Host and sample MIB.
Network Device Interface Specification (NDIS) Support	Support intermediate drivers, the NDIS wide area network (WAN ) media type, and token-ring networks.
Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)*	Enables a Windows CE—based device to share its Internet connection among one or more devices connected on the same network.
Remote Desktop/Display Protocol (RDP) 5.0 Support*	Used to connect a Windows CE—based client to a Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0— or Microsoft Windows 2000—based server running terminal services.
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) Support	Secures transfer of data from a remote Windows CE—based client to a private enterprise server by creating a virtual private network (VPN) across a TCP/IP-based network.
IP Helper APIs*	Configure TCP/IP for your networking environment with access to the Route and ARP tables and Route, IPConfig, and PING tools.

 

Internet Services

The Internet connectivity modules enable you to build the most sophisticated Internet access devices. Off-the-shelf protocols are available at various levels to give you multiple Internet access options.

Feature	Benefit
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Server*	Serve Web data from your Windows CE—based device for lightweight serving and remote device management.
Integrated Server Support*	Support for persistent connections, multiple connections, file downloading, directory browsing, and multiple virtual paths.
Internet Server API (ISAPI) Extensions and Filters*	Provide rich Internet application services.
Dynamic Pages*	Provide a subset of Active Server Pages (ASP) functionality to your Web server.
WinInet	Build sophisticated Internet client applications that access HTTP and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) services.
HTTPS support	Secure (PCT/SSL) communications with Web servers (128-bit).
Client, Server, and Proxy Authentication	Provides interface with secure Web servers that include Basic and NTLM authentication support.
Internet Explorer 4.0	Low footprint Web browser enables a rich Web browsing experience.
URL Management	Create and track URLs to effectively interact with Web servers.
Cookie Management	Track user data when interacting with Web servers.
Caching	Improve performance over Web connections.
JScript®*	Industry standard ECMA-262-compliant scripting engine.
Images*	Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and X Bit Map (XBM) image support.
Dynamic HTML	Use scripting languages to make Web pages interactive.
HTTP and FTP Protocols	Industry standard protocols to access the Web; supports HTTP 1.0.
Telnet Server Sample*	Enables a Telnet client to connect to a remote Windows CE—based device to send and receive data.

 

Multimedia

Windows CE 3.0 now includes the high performance DirectX® API and Windows Media™ technologies found on desktop PCs, enabling high performance audio, video, and streaming media services on Windows CE 3.0—based devices.

Feature	Benefit
Windows Media Technologies 4.1*	Enables multiple bit-rate and even-driven streaming of multimedia content over TCP/IP, User Datagram Protocol (UDP), HTTP, or from local files. Includes support for the latest audio/visual codecs, streaming protocols, and authentication services.
Windows Media Player 6.4 Control*	Allows developers to add playback capabilities to the Windows CE Internet Explorer 4.0 browser or develop stand-alone multimedia player applications.
DirectDraw® API*	Enables developers to speed up graphics performance, use hardware acceleration, and enable image overlays, blending, and synchronization to create a richer Graphical Device Interface (GDI) experience on a Windows CE—based device.
DirectSound® API*	Provides audio flexibility including wave sound capture (for digital audio recording) and audio playback with low-latency and high frequency sound mixing support.
DirectShow® API*	Enables playback of multimedia streams on a Windows CE 3.0—based device locally, over a network, or from the Internet. Includes support for the most popular multimedia types, such as the MPEG, AVI, WAV, and MIDI standards.

 

Files, Database, and the Registry

Data can be stored in ROM, RAM, flash, or rotating media. A simple database and registry are also provided for storing information.

Feature	Benefit
Flash Memory Support	Use reliable solid-state media.
File System	Store data in files that exist in directories.
256-Megabyte (MB) Object Store*	Support a larger and faster file system.
Object Store Capacity of 4.19 Million Objects*	Expand your embedded system's capacity for objects.
32 MB Maximum File Size*	Support individual files sizes up to 32 MB.
PC Card Support	For ATA hard drives and flash memory, linear flash memory, modems, local area networks (LANs), and so forth.
Database	Store and organize data in a simple database.
Registry	Store data about applications, drivers, or user preferences.
Write Protected Section of Registry*	More robust device design feature.
Memory Mapped Files	Share data between processes.
Resource Query Support*	Query resources to obtain version and language-support information from files.

 

Advanced Runtime Services

These advanced services set Windows CE 3.0 far apart from competing operating systems. This rich functionality supports the development of sophisticated and highly connected applications.

Feature	Benefit
Component Object Model (COM)	Supports object-oriented application methodology.
Distributed COM (DCOM)*	Build distributed object-oriented applications.
Microsoft Message Queue Service (MSMQ)*	Robust message delivery for mission critical applications.
ActiveX® Data Objects for Windows CE*	Access remote databases and manipulate data locally.
Microsoft Visual Basic®	Run applications written in user-friendly Visual Basic language.
Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC)	Write and run graphical Windows-based applications more easily.
Common Executable Format (CEF)*	Write applications that can be run on different CPUs.
HTML-based Online Help	Help engine for your applications makes it easy to generate help content in HTML.
Dial-Up Boot Loader	Update the operating system residing on Flash in your device without the need to pull ROM chips.
Trusted Application Model	Determines which applications can run, and which APIs they can use.

 

Security and Cryptography

Your data and intradevice communications can be fully secured with these robust security and cryptography services. Popular security providers are included.

Feature	Benefit
Security Support Provider Interface	Standard interface to a variety of security service providers.
NTLM Security Support Provider	Be authenticated by the Windows NT operating system.
Encryption and Decryption	Secure data storage and transmission.
Cryptographic APIs	Standard access to various cryptographic security providers.
Microsoft RSA Base Provider and Enhanced Provider	Supports digital signatures and data encryption up to 128 bits.
Digital Signatures	Create and verify digital signatures, sign and verify messages.
Sample Kernel-Loader Authentication Program*	Create public-key signatures to prevent unauthorized applications from running.
Smart Card API and Drivers*	Develop Personal Computer/Smart Card (PS/SC)-compliant smart card systems for Windows CE.

 

Globalization/Localization

To compete successfully in international markets, your software must easily accommodate differences in language, culture, and hardware. Windows CE 3.0 has all of the components to build world-class devices.

Feature	Benefit
Unicode Support	Universal character encoding supports most languages to easily build products tailored for specific markets.
National Language Support (NLS)	Worldwide date, time, calendar, and currency conventions.
Input Method Editor and Input Method Manager	Enables inputting of East Asian language characters.
Resource Files	Easy to translate strings, due to centralization.
Japanese Handwriting Input Method Editor*	Include written Japanese character recognition.
Localized Languages	Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, and Swedish are localized for the operating system, not for applications.

 

Applications

Ready-to-use applications perform common tasks. They rely on underlying services, and provide quick application functions for appropriate classes of devices.

Feature	Benefit
Pocket Inbox	Access e-mail from an IMAP4 or POP3 mail server; integrate with Exchange.
Pocket Word	Create, view, and edit documents.

 

Hardware Support

Windows CE supports a variety of CPUs and I/O chips to give the hardware designer maximum flexibility. Source code is provided for device drivers to aid in writing drivers for new chips when they are introduced.

Feature	Benefit
More Than 180 CPUs Covering 12 Different Processor Architectures	Choose 32-bit CPUs from x86, SH3/4, ARM/StrongARM, PowerPC, and MIPS.
I/O	Sample source code drivers for many popular I/O chips.
Expansion Buses	Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), PC Card, CompactFlash, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), ISA, Universal Serial Bus (USB), serial, and parallel.
Reference Designs	PC and Hitachi D9000 boards, plus extensive third-party Board Support Packages (BSPs) available.

 

Device Drivers

Device drivers interface with peripheral hardware devices. Windows CE 3.0 provides a wide range of sample device drivers in source-code form that you can customize for various Windows CE—based platforms.

Feature	Benefit
Native Drivers	Support low-level, built-in hardware like keyboards and screens.
Stream Drivers	Support almost any type of device that can be attached.
Mouse, Keyboard, and Touch Drivers	Support many types of user input on Windows CE.
Battery Driver	Provides continuous battery and power status of the device.
Serial and Parallel Drivers	Connect legacy peripherals to Windows CE.
Sample PCMCIA and USB Smart Card Drivers*	Build smart card drivers for your device.
Meta Device Driver (MDD)*	Improves serial interface performance.
NDIS Drivers	Minimize the work required to support networking devices.
USB Host-Side and Human Interface Devices (HID) Drivers*	Connect USB-compliant devices to Windows CE.
Display Drivers	Write to the physical display device for most of the PC-based display cards currently available.
Audio Drivers	Process messages from the Wave API Manager to play and record audio.
Printer Drivers	Manage printer settings and print to paper.
Unimodem Driver	Drives modems.
IrDA Drivers	Provides infrared support.
Block Drivers	Support devices that require data be sent or fetched in fixed size blocks.
TrueFFS Driver*	Provides reliable storage in linear flash.

 

Connection Services

Connection services enable rapid design of portable devices that can exchange information with Windows-based computers. Windows CE provides a multitude of functions that allow communication between applications on the desktop computer and Windows CE-based devices.

Feature	Benefit
Remote API	PC applications can invoke services on the Windows CE—based device.
File Filters	Run on the desktop PC and convert files that are being transferred.
Connection Notifications	Notify desktop PC when a connection is made or broken.
ActiveSync®	Provides built-in connection between the Windows CE—based device and a PC.
Backup and Restore	Backup and restore data to a PC.
Application Manager*	Adds and removes programs on a Windows CE—based device.
Remote Connections	Connect to a PC through a dial-up connection.