Windows CE Retro Mobiles
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- Опубліковано 15 січ 2025
- Windows CE LG Phenom and Packard Bell EasyMate 800 retro mobile computers. Video includes demos of the Windows CE embedded operating system and applications, and an overview of the aforementioned late 1990s handheld computers.
My previous video on the Atari Portfolio is here:
• Classic PC: Atari Port...
My previous video on the Psion 7 is here:
• Classic PC: Psion 7
My previous video on the Apple Newton Messagepad is here:
• Classic PC: Newton Mes...
More videos on computing topics can be found on the ExplainingComputers channel: / explainingcomputers
You may also like my other channel, ExplainingTheFuture, at: / explainingthefuture
#WindowsCE #WindowsEmbedded #ExplainingComputers
Its always really fascinating to see the older technology.
@Stephen Hill thought it was a trip down I/O lane.
Yes, I had a Jornada 720 back in the day and it was groundbreaking. A literal computer with a color screen and full keyboard in my pocket, it was amazing.
I think the sega dreamcast web browser runs on Windows CE. On the console, it says "Designed for Microsoft Windows CE."
At 6:08, you said Windows CE looks like Windows 3.1... but Windows CE you showing is clarely resembles to Windows 95 because you can see a taskbar with small system tray, start menu button, shortcuts/recycle bin on Desktop area, ... and there were no such things on Windows 3.x. A good review video. Congratulations and keep giving us nice videos.
9.12Microsoft windows CE, version 3.01simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_CEMicrosoft Pocket PCmobiforge.com/timeline/windows-phone-history
Also there was no support for USB in Windows 3.x
@@Japanac987 Ya unless there are drivers written for windows nt 3.5 or 3.51
@@userwest626 The feel and look is just like windows 95 even if it says windows ce 3.01
Google "3.1 control panel". The limited title bar, icons, and blandness looks like 3.1. The rest obvs looks later.
I'm sure many of us remember the old joke of combining Windows CE with Windows ME and Windows NT ending up with Windows CEMENT!
thefrecklepuny Sounds like Windows 10 IOT.
Not only they just looked like cement, they actually functioned like cement from hell
They did actually build a Windows CEMENT....
Except that is was called Vista....
I don't remember that, but now I have an ancient joke to think about. 🤣
just Don't remove the 'T' from CEMENT
PCMCIA - People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms...
I learned that from Mark Minassi right around the time these devices debuted!
I was always a fan of TWAIN: Technology without an interesting name.
Weeping Scorpion As long as What You See Is What You Get, then Technology Without An Interesting Name is good enough for me
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
@@miketran4289 Personal Computer Manufacturer's Central Intelligence Agency
When I think back to the time when these machines were in production, the idea of having a portable device with the capabilities of these was novel and attractive. My professional life was starting to involve more travel, and the ability to do word processing while on a plane or train made travel time more productive. Now we take this all for granted with even the most basic of smartphones having far more processing power, memory, and connectivity. Thanks for the look back.
Thanks for another great trip down memory lane! I had a Windows CE HP handheld, I have forgotten the model, for several years. I loved it because I could put into my briefcase and take it to the library to do my research when I was at the university. Thanks again for helping to keep the memory of these Window CE devices alive.
It seems like we used these devices for the same thing -- I frequently took a device like this to a library.
Looks like Win 3.1 ?, i think you mean 95 ;-)
Or even 98 if considering the icons
More like NT4 in appearance and about the same time to a little later.
The start button in bottom left first appeared in ‘95 I think. I remember seeing it for the first time at a new customer of mine and thinking - huh?
it looks just like windows 3.1 ... with Calmira installed! ^~^
95 did not have USB support, only 98 did and then only very limited USB device support. As one of them had a USB port it would have to have been based on Windows 98. The version of Windows NT that looked like that also did not have any USB support.
I have a tiny GPS that I found that runs windows CE. It's kinda funny.
@QIAR Research & Development Yes I do! I can get to the 'start' menu and everything.
It's just kinda hard to do anything with it, as it doesn't have any useful pre-baked programs on it like pocket office. And because it has no connection to external storage, it's kinda useless. But fun to play with.
@@LazerLord10 "But fun to play with" that's actually the important part! :)
yea sure it is
I'm going to assume that almost every GPS in the mid 2000s ran Windows CE
Exceptional video Chris. Thanks for the video! Amazing quality material as always :)
03:43 - I think if you take into consideration the performance we have nowadays, then look at the battery life, it shows that the battery life has gone almost parallel with the higher performance. Processing efficiency has increased a lot as well as display efficiency.
I'd guess if Intel was to make an old generation CPU with today's technology (utilising energy efficiency while processing), as well as using Lithium Ion batteries and OLED screens, the battery life could be extended to days.
I could go into all the technology, including things like modern MOSFETS and high efficiency power converters, but I'll stop here lol.
Thanks for the video! Always interesting to see older technology to see how far we've come.
fwiw "old generation CPU with today's technology " kinda exists. for example, something like the tile bluetooth tracker is based off an arm m0 core, which at max clock would be more than 4 times faster than a top spec 386 - and that's in a $20 device that lasts for literally years on a single coin cell battery. Of course, it's not constantly on, but it's come a long way
Good point... I have a last-year's-model Asus notebook with a max 6W CPU (and only 4GB RAM) that has a realworld battery life of ... 14 hours, while actually doing stuff, with Win 11 no less. I have wondered how long it could run with an OS that was't constantly spinning the CPU at 70-100% as Win 11 does.
Hell's bells, this video made me feel old. I remember an age ago, reading a computer book advising to buy a hard drive with 50MB, to ensure future functionality! Times they are a changing...
Wow!! Brings back a lot of old memories, especially Solitaire. I cant tell you how much time I have spent on this legendary game lol, I guess a lot of computer geeks from this era still love this game today! Thanks a lot for another awesome video Chris.. We have come a long way from such tech, but they are still interesting today nonetheless. Cheers and keep em coming buddy
Finally another classic tech thing! Hope more retrocomputing stuff keeps popping up from time to time. We know you as somebody who introduces us to the most innovative tech, looking into the future, but you also have lots of experience after a lifetime as a computer scientist, so looking back does no harm either, and there's so much we can learn from you in that vein, too. And these CE machines are a topic I've hardly watched any content on. Loved this.
There will be more retro here pretty soon -- later in July I think. :)
Fun fact: the Sega Dreamcast runs Windows CE
I was about to "say" that.
Only some of the games did if I am not mistaken to make them easier to program for.
Fun fact: only a minority of games had Windows CE on the GD-ROM, there is not a single trace of Windows CE in the console's firmware.
@@nkb6905 this is true
It just CAN run Windows CE with few DirectX api and that’s it. Far away from it runs windows ce.
Didn't see an announcement,glad I checked this channel myself.
Always looking forward to this.
Make sure you clicked on the bell icon.
6:07 Have to take issue with you there, Chris ;) Have you seen 3.1 lately?! Looks much more like 95/98/2000 to me. (That said, these videos about older computing are great, and I always hoped you'd do more after I first saw the Psion 7 vid years ago).
Thanks for the demo. Back around the turn of the century I'd seen CE devices in use at hospitals, and such, but never had a chance to examine one more closely.
Love these Retro Mobile Videos Chris. I still remember had a hard time at school deciding between Windows CE or the Apple Newton2000. End up with the Newton instead with a bit of Dad's help to top up my pocket money. I hope you can also do a future episode explaining the demise of Windows Phone as well.
Thanks for this episode. It brought back fond memories of days gone past. I began as a programmer in 1967 and have experienced it all starting with an IBM 1401. I really enjoy your videos!!
I'm a little late writing my review of your review. So a trip down memory lane Chris. I was a Apple consultant back when this equipment came out. The only device we had That was compareable was the Apple Newton. The forerunner to a lot of personal assistants sold in that timeframe. It fun going back and having a look at what we had. I remember selling the first commercial spreadsheet called VisiCalc. It ran on the Apple II and the Commodore PET.
It's quite fascinating to see these retro devices. I haven't had a chance to use them. I was about 6 or 7 years when those devices came to existence. Wow !!
Thanks from India.
Just want to give props to my dude on an old video for maintaining the most consistent style on UA-cam. If you were to publish this video today I wouldn't be any the wiser.
This episode reminded me of my Windows iMate mobile phone. I still have it and it still works.
shhhh!!!!! iMate? no no no, apple patente that letter "i".
Hi, I'm Italian, when you speak English I understand everything completely. excellent
I had to award a 'like' for the birdsong soundtrack.
Very interesting to see how far we have come and what is in the future, my all time favorite software was Windows 95. All software toady is based on personal data collection.
A decade or so ago, I once bought a fully functional Compaq Windows CE 1 device on eBay for $3 free shipping because the seller thought it was a calculator. I suppose he technically wasn't wrong.
now they are about $50 and up! lol
I could never afford a laptop in them days. I don't know if I ever heard of Windows CE. That must have been a premium PC in those days. I'm glad you saved it.
My car, a Mercedes A class (2016), still runs Windows embedded for the entertainment system. I believe its Win7 embedded. So its definitely still in use.
Great Video Chris, Great trip down memory lane
I had CASIO CASSIOPEIA A11. It was the English version. I am Japanese, but I bought it.
Japanese volunteers made Japanese input software. It was very convenient for mail and document writing.
Nice video Chris. Great to look back on these devices that were cutting edge in their day. More please! :D
I love these old school computing videos
Did I miss the part where you said what these puppies listed for? A touch screen in those days has to have been insanely expensive. Thanks for another great video, Chris.
Hi Chris just got my explaining computers mug I saw in the computer vision demo video. I love it, perfect amount of nerdiness 😁
Great to hear. :)
A Packard Bell machine that actually worked! They were notorious for failing, at least their desktop machines. I never had the pleasure of owning one, but the reviews were never very good.
i still have a working phillips velo 1, used it a lot back in the late 90's and even in the early 2000's. carried it everywhere.
Thanks for bringing back the old glory of Windows CE. I really enjoyed the Phenom part. We used to own one at home and the only thing my mom ever used it for was to play Solitaire. At the time, I also owned a Compaq Aero 1550 Pocket PC and I really, really enjoyed the features of it, it felt like a precursor of an iPhone. I would listen to MP3s on it, and was even able to use it as a terminal to access my Linux physical desktop. Oh the times...
Another great stroll down memory lane!
Seems like the Packard Bell CE has to be based on Windows 98B with the Start button and especially USB.
In my youth in know that i has buyed a second one Philips Velo 1 PDA. Think it was arround 2005 or something. It has also Windows CE on it and has a whole dial up modem in it. Sometimes i connected it to the internet and could visit websites in monochrome and a few errors about a old version of Internet Explorer. But i was happy. For the rest i could nothing with it and finialy i sold it. :) Many PND's before you use navigation on your smartphone runs also on Windows CE.
haajee1 had the same model,for its time it was amazing , I used to run a gameboy emulator on it, it was really slow but ok for RPG’s
@@valley_robot I was young and didn't know enough to do with it. Only the fact of a graphical black and white screen was amazing. :)
Wonderful video! Two Hitachi SH-2 processors were used in the Sega Saturn, and the SH-4 was used to power the Dreamcast.
It looks like Windows 95 not Windows 3.1. Windows 3.1 used the Program Manager and grouped icons in tiles on the desktop (almost like Windows 8). Windows 95 used Explorer.exe as the front end and had a Start button (as we can see the WinCE computer has.
GizmoFromPizmo Win3.x didn't group icons on the desktop. The only icons on the desktop were minimized program windows for running programs. Unless you installed something like PC Tools or Norton Desktop.
Back in early nineties at our INVEX computer fair, I immediately bought ms book about first WinCE 1.0 devices ... and lived with it on mobiles then for many years, motorola mpx200 was great :-)
Oh my! Another trip down memory lane. I used to love my Windows CE devices. I remember having a pretty nifty Acer device. However it developed a fault and had to be sent to Germany for repairs. They were quickly competed and the device promptly returned only for UPS to loose it. But when I contacted Acer and asked where my device was, they checked and then they actually promptly apologised and sent me their latest, top of the line device, as a free replacement. Now that's service.
I also remember having a HP device, similar in form factor to the Phenom but running, I believe Windows CE 5 or 6. Actually used that one for work and also had a bunch of games on it.
Think my last Windows CE Device was called Dell Axim X51v, a brilliant little device at the time.
Whooaah that packerd bell easymate was really ahead of it’s time,considering it had a builtin color touch screen builtin.
I still remember in 2011 when I got my GPS device modified to access Windows CE. Installed some games, a MS-DOS emulator and some productivity programs.
Reading e-books was pretty nice, though I needed to convert some to *.txt to improve performance.
It was a quite joyful experience, especially considering the fact that I was really missing something that could replace my Palm m125 which the touchscreen started to fail.
In 2012, I still used a modified PowerBook 100 just to type text, because the keyboard was excellent, the equipment was lightweight and with the modern lithium batteries that I setup inside, I could use it almost for several days straight in a single charge.
Eventually in 2013, the first cheap Android devices started to appear in my region. Some were impressive like the Motorola Atrix with the Lapdock.
In 2015 with my Moto X2 XT1097 I noticed that phones were very capable to replace laptops in several low demanding activities and even in some tougher tasks like image and video editing.
That was so cool! Bringing back the days of ole! Thanks for the great share! Have a great day!
Hello Chris! 👋🏻
Weeeee!
I love your video!
{Like I don't usually love your videos😆}
I had one of similar Windows CE machine, I have it still somewhere around. And I definitely don't want to throw it away. It is still fully functional and reminds me of my childhood wish of having a 'computer pad like in Star Trek'. 😁
Windows on RAM & ROM, so cute. 😆
Hi Elvira! :) Yes, this tech was in a way more Trek than what we have today. I still like Windows CE. It provided everything necessary for writing. :)
ExplainingComputers
Indeed!
Besides this wonderful computational power/hardware/software progress, next to that is connectivity progress.
Proof:
1 Sunday afternoon
2 Chris uploaded new video!
3 take device, take cup of coffee, off I go to my roof terrace
4 switch to my extended backed up network, smoothly
5 connect my BT headset, smoothly
6 enjoying new EC video AND basking in the sun 🤩
I think my only Windows CE experience was on a Windows version of the Palm Treo phone. Not good at all. Got A Palm OS version of it after that and never looked back. Those were the days when I carried a phone, a PDA, and a iPod, but the PDA soon dropped out of service. I still miss my HP 200LX. A dos pocket computer with Lotus 123 and some other useful software built in. It had the best tiny keyboard I've ever used, and a monochrome green/gray screen. The batteries lasted for weeks on end. *sigh*... Great memories. Thanks for another great video Chris.
I have a couple of handheld HP IPAQ machines but they were really palm things about the size of a current mobile phone. I want to get one of them laptops now. Nice video
Interesting to look at this! Bringing back memories
I believe the Windows CE on the Packard Bell machine was based on Windows 98 SE. It's definitely not Windows 3.1 -- there's a start button in the lower-left corner of the screen, and that didn't come about until Windows 95. But the reason why I say Windows 98 SE is because that machine has a USB port, and the first version of Windows that knew about USB ports was Windows 98 SE.
Another great video Chris. It's amazing how little memory we needed back then. Imagine trying to surf the internet now with a 56k modem! We wouldn't be watching these videos, that's for sure :)
Yes, back in those days the idea that we've be uploading HD videos more than 1GB in size to stream worldwide was just fantasy. :)
Call me crazy. I am going buy a handheld just to write my novels on it. As a kid I was obsessed with Pocket PC concepts. Reliving that again in Windows CE is an absolute treat.
I put my psion5 through a lot of work, that was a great little machine. Wish I still had it but it failed and I couldn't bring it back to life.
Lots of memories... Thank you.
These are my favorite types of videos and on my favorite pieces of old tech, windows CE palm tops
I know a lot of sat navs (the separate ones) used windows CE at its core and the Sega Dreamcast used a form of CE too.
And some ATMs!
Yay! Atari Portfolio. I had mine until about 2012 when I decluttered my Atari collection. It was still in use and I ran a pseudo GUI app. I had all the accessories too.
I remember Windows CE devices from my childhood, as always with _unknown_ operating systems even very young me was fascinated by it and wondered what it could do.
And honestly, if I have been a business man in the 90's and early 2000's I might very well liked it because it came with the most important office tools and even remote desktop software.
Thanks for sharing this with us, I was lucky to get hands on a couple of PALM handhelds years ago, haven't yet found anything WinCE based however (outside of SEGA's Dreamcast perhaps which also hasn't it installed but rather suppports it).
ah. i remember my first pocket device was the sony clie. i had one that had a convenient roller that you could use for scrolling. made a perfect e-book reader along with the standard organizational usage i got out of it. it had some decent games too.
I think I still have one somewhere
11:58 If anyone was wondering how a phone plug could connect to a PCMCIA card that's obviously not as thick, it's because these things used external dongles that had a phone or ethernet socket on one end, and a flat connector to plug into the PCMCIA card on the other, I thought I'd point that out because I used to use a PCMCIA ethernet card on my IBM Thinkpad (yes, back when IBM was still making Thinkpads)
A little less happy when you turn it on. lmao. I’ve worked on systems like that. Thanks from Orlando Florida
Old devices, but very interesting. Like
I had a couple of Philips Velo 1 devices. While the screen was not brilliant from today's standards it was a very useful little computer that did still fit in a pocket. I got rid of them when I bought my first Windows smartphone which was also CE based. It was huge compared to today's flimsy iBreak phones but had a real slide out keyboard and was actually useful as a mobile computing device without needing a boxful of adapters and an add-on keyboard.
Greetings from South Africa!
Hello back from the UK! Here were all are again communicating around the planet.
Finally a retro episode 😁😊
I had a HP Jornada 680. Miss the thing. I could connect my printer and phone and do a lot with it. I wish laptops are as small as these, yet as powerful as their modern counterparts.
Greate demo Christopher! Thanks!
I used to be obsessed with Windows CE devices before because they are quite interesting compared to the other mobile OSes during that time! It feels like an actual Windows OS with built-in functional Office apps.. And I loved the interface, esp with the tabs and all. Are there any modern devices that run the latest Windows CE OS?
"24 MEGA B. for everything! Makes you think doesn't it?"
Yes, good said. I thaugh often on such things like effectiveness or why is there need to have such big specs.
I guess its cause they enlarge the Rsolution, even if its not needed.
And they creat uneffective software. + bloadWare. 🤔
The most useful handheld PC I ever had was a Gateway Handbook in the early ‘90s. It had a monochrome screen, a 386 variant processor, and a keyboard (with function keys) that was only 1/2” narrower than a standard keyboard in the normal typing area. It ran either MS-DOS 5.0 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11. It did have an actual hard drive, as well as a PCMCIA slot, PS/2 keyboard and mouse connectors, a serial port, a video port, and an “eraser head” pointing device in the keyboard, with the mouse buttons on the front edge, convenient to your right thumb. It had its limitations, but it ran so much standard software that it was really useful. One interesting quirk was that the power cord connector was on the removable battery. Not as crazy as it sounds, since it came with two battery packs. One could be charging while the other was in use. Very handy since the battery life was less than stellar. Closed, the weight and size was comparable to a hard cover book. It wasn’t a true instant on, because it did go through a normal DOS and Windows boot up, but after it was running, closing the screen did a snapshot suspend and opening the screen brought it back to life at that point in just a second or two.
Excellent explanation, I like retro devices 👍👍👍
I have 2 Jornada 720s with Handheld PC 2000 (WinCE 3.0). A year ago, I used them daily taking notes on university. They are working fine, but the old plastic case is getting weaker so I don't use them, because I don't want to chrash them. These are very capable devices and even with nearly 20 years old batteries, can work 4-5 hours.
The Sega Dreamcast used a form of Windows CE
I have a Casio BN-20 (which still works!). I bought it in 1998
I couldn't afford either a Palm Pilot or one of the devices that ran Windows, but I could run spreadsheets on it and transfer them using an RS232 cable. I used CSV format to edit and transfer between the Casio and my Windows 95 desktop. All I needed back then! :-)
The one thing I really like about your channel is your knowledge of computers the old one especially. Keep up the great work. And when are you going to update your other channel? or are you not going to?
I have three videos planned for the other channel, two I've even started shooting. Hope to start posting again there in July.
@@ExplainingComputers That's great can't wait...
Hey. It's similar to win95/98 not 3.1. I thinks it's from the same era.
It is indeed based on either 95 or 98 and not 3.1. The start menu didn't come in until 95 if memory serves me right, and 3.1 still had actual windows for your applications instead of having them all on a desktop.
Yeah not even slightly like 3.1 :)
@@stevec00ps Control panel does. Hardly any icons and a basic title bar menu. I think thats what he was refering to.
My laptop is about old enough to be called retro lol.
I am well old enough to be called retro 🤣
?
@@nathanmead140 joke ... Plus a bit of English slang...... Well good, well old etc.
@@freesaxon6835 I think he may of been replying to me.
How many memories!
My dad worked for enterprise data sales a Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile (Now Verizon) so I had the pleasure of getting to tinker wit a lot of these as a child.
You can plug a wi-fi card into the PCMCIA slot. It's how I did it back in the day altho I wouldn't recommend connecting it to the internet but you could use it just to share files onto it across your network. I still have that old wi-fi card lol I recall it get's very warm.
your video makes me want to break out my old Windows CE devices
I love the STN display of the EasyMate, it looks fantastic, that is really vintage for me, and I'm only after these kind of displays (while everyone else hate them !). It's very unfortunate that there is not so much software, games etc for these old SH3/MIPS machine. I've just ordered a Jordana 710 because it's got an ARM CPU and there are tons of great things that run on them.
This reminds me of my first phone that my grandpa gave to me, it was a Nokia and I used to play Bounce on it. The screen looked and performed similar to this Peckard Bell
Great video Chris. Should have mentioned the expense of cf cards back then
Interesting as always Christopher, thanks for the memories!
The Packet Bell machine looks like an european version of NEC MobilePro 800 or 880(branded MobileGear in Japan). I noticed that as I had once used MobilePro 780 long ago.
I miss these form-factor machines.
Facinating how you can work Text Spreedsheet and stuff on so minimal amount space ... I remember 50 MB for Graphics design and publicity...
i'd love to see little devices like these make a comeback, the planet gemini looks cool but is a bit too fancy i think, something more akin to the phenom with a raspberry pi tier processor running some version of linux would be neat to see, great video as always. you may have made me start looking on ebay for small writing computers, looking at psions
I Pi-powered 7 inch palmtop sounds a great idea.
6:12 windows 3.1 didn’t have a start menu or a modern style functional desktop. Looks like windows 9x (95, 98, ME).
Love it!!! But I have to LOL on few part where you call it win 3.11 I think you ment it looks like windows 95. Again LOL but I still love the video. I used win CE on older cheep garmin like GPS. I was abile to hack in to it and found it was win CE just loading a GPS software. In CE I could load small video player and sound clip too like mp3. I love it Keep it up good vids!!!
Hi Chris. I remember these machines. As I remember these were terribly overpriced ( at least around here ). A nice look back. Stay well.
Hi.
I just wanted to remind you, Mr. Christopher that you mentioned you were going to make a video, about controlling the speed of devastator robot.
Thanks for great videos.
It remains in my list! :) I will get there.
There were some HP clamshell devices that ran DOS. I had a couple and they were great for IT workers. They had a serial port and you could run something like Procomm to talk to Unix or many routers and switches over the console ports. There was software that let you display text in portrait mode and you could hold it like a book. I read a lot of Gutenberg eBooks back in the 90s on it. I actually have one somewhere that I might send to you or someone for a review or possible tear down.
Very informative video - thanks! As it happens, I've had "LG Phenom" in my watch list on a certain pseudoauction site for some time now, obviously without success so far.
Thanks again, Chris..
😃
That's cool to see the SuperH architecture used on a small computer. Sega used Windows CE and the SH4 on their Dreamcast and the SH2 on the Genesis 32X, Saturn, and ST-V arcade board.
Windows CE still used in embedded applications in fact many car infotainment units utilize windows ce