| Running Windows Mobile 6.1 on your desktop computer |
Apr. 21, 2008
Those eagerly awaiting the day they can get their hands on a Windows Mobile 6.1 device have a way to try the OS now, Microsoft says. The company has posted free emulators, along with instructions on how to use them to test System Center Mobile Device Manager (MDM) if desired.
The new posting on Microsoft's TechNet website helps readers get through the somewhat complicated process of creating mobile device images. The posting was intended to help enterprise admnistrators begin testing the company's recently released System Center Mobile Device Manager (MDM). However, the instructions provided also make it easier to set up Windows Mobile 6.1 emulation, for example to try web browsing via the revamped Internet Explorer, or to try the new Task Manager utility.
Open to anyone who is interested, the Windows Mobile 6.1 emulators are free and do not require the installation of any commercial programming tools, such as Visual Studio. They simulate either Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard or Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, with a variety of "device" resolutions ranging up to 800 x 480.
  Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.1 (left) runs on a PC (right) (Click on "phone" to enlarge)
The Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard emulator sports a refreshed user interface (above left), with a repositioned menu and large icons for commonly used applications. Since it simulates non-touchscreen devices, it must be operated partly via an emulated keyboard (above right). The Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional emulator (right) has a more traditional appearance and responds to a host computer's mouse pointer.
The Windows Mobile 6.1 emulators require 32-bit versions of Windows, such as Windows XP or Windows Vista. In addition, as WindowsForDevices.com has discovered, the host computer should be booted into Windows, rather than running Windows in a virtual machine via Parallels, VirtualBox, VMWare, or other third-party software. This is because the emulators need a network driver that requires installation of Microsft's own Virtual PC 2007 virtualization software, which is fortunately also downloadable for free.
The process of installing the Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard or Professional emulators is as follows, according to Microsoft:- Install Virtual PC 2007
- Install the Device Emulator software
- Establish network connectivity on the emulator.
- Validate Device Emulator connectivity
- Enroll the simulated device with MDM, if desired
Once Virtual PC 2007 and the Device Emulator software have been installed, the desired image can simply be selected from the host computer's Smart menu (below left). Once it has been started, it's necessary to open a configuration menu and bind the emulated network adapter to the physical hardware on the host PC (below right).
  To use an emulator, pick one (left), then bind its network adapter to the host PC's physical hardware (right) (Click either to enlarge) With networking working, it's easy to check out Internet Explorer's new features (below left), consisting of "one column," "fit to screen," "desktop," and "full screen" display options. Task Manager (below right) monitors the programs loaded and amount of free memory. As in previous editions of the Windows Mobile device emulators, a shared directory on the host PC can be designed to act as the virtual device's "storage card."
  Windows Mobile 6.1 has a revised Internet Explorer (left) and new Task Manager (right) (Click either to enlarge) It is possible to install just about any Windows Mobile application on the emulator that could be installed on an actual device. In particular, says Microsoft, the emulator supports MDM client tools that are included with the MDM Resource Kit. It thereby allows administrators to test MDM device enrollment, logging, software distribution and VPN issues.
To read the detailed TechNet posting on how to install the Windows Mobile 6.1 Device Emulators, and use them with MDM, if desired, go to the company's website, here. To obtain the MDM client tools, go here. To get Virtual PC 2007, go here.
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