Windows Mobility Center
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseNovember 30, 2006; 17 years ago (2006-11-30)
Operating systemWindows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11

Windows Mobility Center is a component of Microsoft Windows, introduced in Windows Vista, that centralizes information and settings most relevant to mobile computing.

History

A mobility center that displayed device settings pertinent to mobile devices was first shown during the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference of 2004. It was based on the Activity Center user interface design that originated with Microsoft's abandoned Windows "Neptune" project, and was slated for inclusion in Windows Vista, then known by its codename Longhorn.[1][2]

Overview

The Windows Mobility Center user interface consists of square tiles that each contain information and settings related to a component, such as audio settings, battery life and power schemes, display brightness, and wireless network strength and status. The tiles that appear within the interface depend on the hardware of the system and device drivers.[3][4]

Windows Mobility Center is located in the Windows Control Panel and also be launched by pressing the ⊞ Win+X keys in Windows Vista and 7. By default, WMC is inaccessible on desktop computers, but this limitation can be bypassed if one modifies the Windows Registry.[5]

Windows Mobility Center is extensible; original equipment manufacturers can customize the interface with additional tiles and company branding.[4] Though not supported by Microsoft, it is possible for individual developers to create tiles for the interface as well.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Thurrott, Paul (October 6, 2010). "WinHEC 2004 'Longhorn' Prototypes Gallery". Supersite for Windows. Penton Media. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  2. ^ Thurrott, Paul (May 5, 2004). "WinHEC 2004: Microsoft Merges Tablet PC Future into Wider Mobile Computing Vision". Windows IT Pro. Penton. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  3. ^ Microsoft. "Using Windows Mobility Center". Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Berntson, Alec; Barker, Guy; Pautz, Mike (July 2006). "Windows Mobility Center - Extensibility" (PDF). Microsoft. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  5. ^ Brink, Shawn (April 6, 2009). "How to Enable Windows Mobility Center on a Desktop Computer". Windows Vista Forums. Designer Media Ltd. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  6. ^ Zheng, Long (December 21, 2007). "Extending the Windows Mobility Center with third party tiles – Rafael releases 'Display Off' tile". istartedsomething. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
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