MEDC Closing Thoughts
MEDC was a bit of a let down this year. Last year, MS was championing Windows Mobile 5.0 and rightly so. It was a big step. This year nothing like that existed.
Windows Mobile 6.0 and.NET CF 3.5 have some cool updates. Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone are called now Windows Mobile Professional and Standard, respectively. There's a new cellular emulator and a Fake GPS emulator for developers to test with. Orcas is coming. But there wasn't that huge jump in technology.
You still have SQL Server CE. And though the name changed four times, you still only have RDA and Merge Replication. The Occasionally Connected Sync framework/components/pattern or whatever still seems to be off in the distance. Gaming and entertainment still makes up a larger portion of market share than Business/Office and Home/Education combined.
Maybe MS didn't put the effort into mobile that they did the year before. Maybe my perception is off. This year just seemed to lack some excitment. It's still mobile development, though, and that is ALWAYS cool. So hopefully I'll get my hands dirty with some of this soon. I'll be sure to post on any new excitement I learn about.