Pocket PC 2002, originally codenamed "Merlin," is a member of the Windows Mobile family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft. It was released on October 4, 2001, as the successor to Pocket PC 2000, and was succeeded by Windows Mobile 2003. Like its predecessor, Pocket PC 2002 was based on Windows CE 3.0.
Overview
Pocket PC 2002 was primarily targeted at Pocket PC devices—personal digital assistants (PDAs) running Microsoft's Windows CE operating system. It was also used for "Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition" devices, which combined PDA functionality with cellular connectivity. Aesthetically, the operating system was designed to resemble the then-newly released Windows XP desktop operating system.
New and Updated Features
Pocket PC 2002 introduced or updated several bundled applications and capabilities:
- Windows Media Player 8 with streaming capability
- MSN Messenger for instant messaging
- Microsoft Reader 2 with digital rights management (DRM) support
- Office Mobile upgrades, including a spell checker and word count tool in Pocket Word, and improvements to Pocket Outlook
- Enhanced connectivity, including file beaming to non-Microsoft devices such as Palm OS devices, Terminal Services support, Virtual Private Networking (VPN) support, and folder synchronization
- Enhanced user interface with theme support
- Pocket Internet Explorer upgrades, including savable downloads and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) support
Technical Specifications
On the technical side, Pocket PC 2002 removed support for the MIPS and SuperH CPU architectures, leaving only the ARM architecture. The maximum supported screen resolution was 240×320 (QVGA) on Pocket PC devices, the same as Pocket PC 2000.
Related Platforms
A separate software platform on the same base, designed for smartphones (Smartphone 2002), was also released. These were primarily keypad-style GSM devices. With subsequent releases, the Pocket PC and Smartphone product lines increasingly converged as Microsoft relaxed licensing terms, allowing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to pursue more innovative and individual device designs.
Support Lifecycle
Support for Pocket PC 2002 ended on October 14, 2008.
