A. Emulators for Windows Mobile have been available for many years, however they've always required that you run Visual Studio or Windows Mobile/CE software development kits (SDKs). Microsoft has released a standalone emulator that you can download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C62D54A5-183A-4A1E-A7E2-CC500ED1F19A&displaylang=en . The emulator is useful for mobile testing without needing all the previous supporting requirements. You also need the Virtual Machine Network Driver, which lets the mobile device connect to your network. You can download the driver at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/thankyou.aspx?familyId=dc8332d6-565f-4a57-be8c-1d4718d3af65&displayLang=en&oRef=http%3a%2f%2fwww.microsoft.com%2fdownloads%2fdetails.aspx%3fFamilyId%3dC62D54A5-183A-4A1E-A7E2-CC500ED1F19A%26displaylang%3den.
You'll download two files. Extract V1Emulator.zip and execute the standalone_emulator_V1.exe file. Then execute the downloaded efp.msi and follow the onscreen directions. After you install both files, you'll see a new program group called "Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 MSFP Emulator Images" that contains a number of different images. For example, the PocketPC images provide a full Mobile 5 experience, and with the Virtual Machine Network Driver installed, it will access the Internet via your PC's network card, allowing Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and the Outlook client to function. The figure shows the emulator accessing mail via Outlook Mobile Access (OMA). This is a great tool for testing your mobile device compatibility and documenting screen captures.
