What is Windows CE
Windows CE, standing for Compact Edition, was created by Microsoft and is the operating system for a wide range of handheld computer devices sold today. It was made with the intention that the interface of windows was not just something for the desktop, but could be truly mobile and spread across a variety of devices. These devices include Handheld PC's, Palm size PC's and the new sub notebook PC's.
Windows CE is the smallest and arguably the most interesting of the Microsoft Windows operating systems. Windows CE was designed from the ground up to be a small ROM-based operating system with a Win32 subset API. Windows CE extends the Windows API into the markets and machines that can't support the larger footprints of either the Windows Me kernel or the Windows NT kernel.


There are basically three types of devices that Windows CE runs on:
1)The Handheld PC - handheld devices supporting a display size of 640 x 240 pixels, touch screen with a small keyboard, optional sound, and a Compact Flash and/or a PCMCIA slot
2)The Palm PC - palm-sized devices supporting a display size of 240 x 320 pixels, no keyboard or mouse, optional sound, and a Compact Flash slot
3)The Auto PC - in-car system supporting voice activation, wireless communications, and a built-in navigation system.
The very nature of these devices dictates that applications that run on them use little screen real-estate, have a small code and memory footprint, and be fast. Fortunately for developers, Microsoft built Windows CE with a scaled-down version of the Win32 API. This means that most applications can be written just as you would any other Win32 application or component. You can even use MFC and ATL.