HTML/JS application on Windows Mobile 6.5

Question

I have no experience with Windows Mobile. I am looking into the possibility to deploy HTML/JS applications for Windows Mobile 6.5.

If I understand correctly development is normally done through C++ or C#. According to this article Windows Mobile also supports HTML/JS for widget-development.

Is it a possibility to develop an application for WM 6.5 while only using JS/HTML?

Answer 1

We have much customers using the web browser as only application with there warehouse or other vertical market solutions (service, direct store delivery etc.).

You do not need RhoElemnts, you can start with simple HTML4/JS code on a web server. There is no need for deploying such web server based apps. Just use the browser to access the web app. IIS ASP and VS>=2005 has special support for windows mobile device based ASP web development.

If you need access to the devices native API, you can either develop ActiveX or Widgets. A widget is some HTML/JS code that is located on the device and has access to some device APIs. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd721906.aspx. The article also describes the deployment of widgets.

An ActiveX (needs C/C++ programming) can access the device's API, but has to be deployed to the device before it can be used. There is no auto-download-install for ActiveX as on Desktop Windows.

Windows Mobile 6.5 DTK (SDK) comes with an example for a widget.

If you need HTML5, there are commercial offers as ZetaKey Browser or RhoElements.

Answer 2

This is appearently possible with a solution from Motorola called RhoElements