Technical FAQ's

Here are some technical FAQ's to answer your questions on WE8HH

Q. How does Microsoft “Windows 8” relate to enterprise customers?

A. Windows 8” represents a broad suite of Microsoft (MSFT) operating system offerings targeting desktops, laptops, tablets, and handheld devices.  The suite encompasses consumer and enterprise offerings all based on a common kernel which promises to improve portability of applications.

Q. What are the Windows 8 operating systems for handheld devices?

A. In June of 2012 MSFT officially announced Windows Phone 8 (WP8). WP8 is a consumer focused phone operating system designed to compete with Android & IOS.  On Nov 14, 2012 MSFT publicly announced Windows Embedded 8 Handheld (WE8HH).  WP8 tailored specifically to the needs of the enterprise.  WE8HH is the successor to Windows Mobile (WM)/Windows Embedded Handheld (WEH).

Concurrent with the WE8HH announcement, MSFT announced “WEC 2013.” WEC2013 is the successor for CE7 (aka. WEC)  WEC2013 is expected to have general availability in Q2 2013.

Q. What are the Windows 8 operating systems for tablets?

A. Under Windows 8, MSFT is offering two tablet Operating Systems, one for ARM processors (SoC or System on a Chip) and one for X86 processors.  The X86 version referred to as “Pro” will directly support Windows 8 x86 desktop/laptop applications.  The ARM based version called “Windows RT” (not to be confused with WinRT which is a runtime environment) is a more consumer oriented release leveraging the lower power and generally lower cost benefits of ARM processors.

Q. What are the benefits of WE8HH?

A. WE8HH offers customers and developers a number of benefits. By moving all Windows 8 offerings to a common NT Kernel, applications designed for one platform can more readily port to the entire portfolio.  WE8HH will have excellent infrastructure compatibility with comprehensive support for device management including System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Exchange Active Sync (EAS) policies.  Furthermore, many enterprise customers prefer to work closely with the original OS provider (i.e. Microsoft) as opposed to relying on an open source community (e.g. Android AOSP).  Current MSFT developers can continue to use Visual Studio.  Finally features such as integrated support for Asynchronous Programming will improve application development. 

Q. Will my current WM/WEH applications run directly to WE8HH ?

A. The general answer is no.  If you have native applications, the extent of Win32 API support has changed significantly.  If you have .NET applications, then portions of you business logic may execute, but the UI will have to be rewritten. 

Motorola Solutions is also announcing our commitment to support WE8HH in our RhoMobile Suite.  So applications developed with RhoElements can be quickly and easily ported to future Motorola Solutions WE8HH based devices.

Q. What is the development environment for WE8HH & WEC2013 ?

A. All native development will be on Visual Studio 2012 running on a Windows 8 platform. WEC2013 supports a new .NET CF (3.9) which is app compatible with .NET CF 3.5.   WE8HH offers .NET CF 4.5.

Motorola Solutions is also announcing our commitment to support WE8HH in our RhoMobile Suite.  So applications developed with RhoElements can be quickly and easily ported to future Motorola Solutions WE8HH based devices.

Q. Will MSI offer an EMDK/SDK for WE8HH?

A. MSI is working closely with MSFT on our new WE8HH products. Where possible, all necessary functionality is being added to the core operating system.  If necessary, MSI will offer an EMDK/SDK, but that decision has not yet been made.

Q. What can I do now to prepare for WE8HH products?

A. Motorola Solutions is announcing our commitment to support WE8HH in our RhoMobile Suite.  So applications developed with RhoElements can be quickly and easily ported to future Motorola Solutions WE8HH based devices. 

WE8HH is a derivative works from WP8.  The WP8 SDK was released on Oct 30, 2012.  Consumer devices are available from several vendors (e.g. Nokia, Samsung, HTC).  One alternative is to start your development on a consumer device with a display comparable to your end-target device.   This code base should then readily migrate to your MSI WE8HH solution.

Q. Will support continue to be available for my WM/WEH products?

A. Yes.  Microsoft has announced “extended” support for WEH 6.5 products until 1/14/20.  In addition Motorola continues to offer support based on your service agreement.