Table 2
Comparison of Windows CE and Palm Operation System (Palm OS)
| WINDOWS CE | PALM OS |
| General | |
| Designed to support a wide range of hardware | Optimized for specific hardware |
| Different versions required for different central processing units and different vendors | Only one version, with little variation in hardware |
| Used in a variety of settings and different hardware platforms but not customized for any | Used only for the specific Palm platform but highly customized for this function |
| Hardware | |
| Compatible with different screens, keyboards, modems, peripheral devices, etc. | Many parts cannot be changed such as screen, controller chips, etc |
| Functions | |
| Can be used for ultra-light notebook PC, Windows terminals, computers for cars | Function limited to PDAs and PDA-telephone combinations |
| Programs | |
| Designed to run multiple tasks and programs simultaneously | Designed to run limited number of tasks and programs, does not multitask |
| Software development | |
| More complex, fewer third party applications developed | Technically less demanding, resulting in many products produced by independent developers |
| Usability | |
| More complex, based on standard Windows interface translated to a small screen | Simpler to use, developed for a small screen |
| Devices | |
| HP, Compaq, Sanyo Toshiba, Casio, other | Palm, Handspring, Handera, Sony, IBM, other |
