Some of the greatest differences between a Windows CE-based platform and a standard desktop computer are in the UI. Though some Windows CE-based platforms, such as the H/PC, may be similar to a conventional desktop computer, others may modify or eliminate altogether the familiar screen, keyboard, and mouse of a desktop computer.
For Windows CE-based platforms, the screen is not as powerful and flexible a way to communicate information to the user as it is with a desktop computer because the screen is typically much smaller, with lower resolution. Though some devices have color screens, many support only grayscale or monochrome graphics. For devices that dispense with the screen entirely, you may need to develop alternative ways to communicate information.
A key element of a graphical UI is a pointing device, which enables a user to interact with the various graphical elements of the UI. Though a mouse may not be available, some Windows CE-based devices, such as an H/PC, have a touch screen and stylus that work much the same way as a mouse. Others may have no pointing device at all, and must depend on other navigation techniques, such as arrow keys, or may use an entirely different approach to interaction, such as speech recognition.
Keyboards on Windows CE-based devices are generally more difficult to use and are less flexible than they are on desktop computers. Because they may be too small to support a full set of alphanumeric characters, they may provide only a collection of special-purpose keys for users to communicate with the application. Text-entry, if supported, may be through an input panel, which enables a user to type characters by way of a touch screen, rather than a physical keyboard. Because this method of text entry is more difficult for users, rely on other forms of communication over text entry whenever possible.