Getting started with Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld
August 13, 2015
Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld-powered devices are based on Windows Phone 8.1, but have enhanced features and capabilities to meet the specialized demands of enterprise and businesses, such as mass deployment. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can build enterprise-ready Handheld 8.1-powered devices to meet the specific requirements of your business.
A Handheld 8.1-powered device expands on the Windows Phone hardware to offer the following enhancements:
It supports Wi-Fi-only versions of the Qualcomm Snapdragon series system on a chip (SOC).
It supports assigned access, with role-based lockdown scenarios that control apps, settings, and button configurations.
It can be built with custom programmable hardware buttons that can be configured to run applications unique to your business.
It supports integration with enterprise peripherals, such as magnetic stripe reader (MSR) and barcode scanner.
It supports manufacturer integration of USB peripherals.
It provides enhanced device management.
Handheld 8.1 is optimized for mass deployment, configuration, and management. It is easy to configure Handheld 8.1-powered devices to connect automatically to your wireless LAN (WLAN), to automatically enroll in your mobile device management (MDM) solution, and to enable only the settings, applications, and buttons that you want your employees to use. You can also configure assigned access to create multiple user profiles and configure different app settings and button configurations for each user role.
For information about Handheld 8.1 features, see Features in Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld.
Provisioning devices
Handheld 8.1 uses the same provisioning and device management model as Windows Phone 8, so your knowledge of Windows Phone 8 transfers directly to Handheld 8.1. In addition, Handheld 8.1 introduces assigned access, which is a suite of features that allows an enterprise to lock down the user experience on the device.
To provision devices, you will:
Create a simple Prov.xml file that configures the device on startup. For more information about the Prov.xml file, see Provision the device on startup.
Configure your devices with your organization-specific settings. You can create your own provisioning file to configure Wi-Fi settings and enroll in MDM. You can then load your provisioning file on a device by using an SD card, near field communication (NFC), or other provisioning source that your OEM provides.
Create a lockdown XML file that configures assigned access, or lockdown settings, for your organization. For a list of settings that can be locked down, see Settings that can be locked down.
To get these settings to a device, you can include them in a specific part of the Prov.XML file, or you can use an MDM solution to push lockdown settings to enrolled devices.
For more information about locking down a device, see Locking down a device.
After you push the Prov.xml or the lockdown.xml to the device, an interface on the device (called configuration service providers) processes the file and updates the device. Configuration service providers let you read, set, modify, or delete configuration settings through XML. The settings map to registry keys or files. For more information about configuration service providers, see Configuration service provider reference.