Windows Mobility Center is a component of

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

, introduced in

Windows Vista Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, which was released five years before, at the time being the longest time span between successive releases of ...

, that centralizes information and settings most relevant to

mobile computing Mobile computing is human–computer interaction in which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage, which allows for the transmission of data, voice, and video. Mobile computing involves mobile communication, mobile hardware ...

History

A mobility center that displayed device settings pertinent to mobile devices was first shown during the

Windows Hardware Engineering Conference The Windows Hardware Engineering Community (WinHEC) is a series of technical conferences and workshops, where Microsoft elaborates on its hardware plans for Windows devices. The WinHEC from 1992 to 2008, which stood for Windows Hardware Engineerin ...

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''.

Overview

The Windows Mobility Center

user interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine f ...

consists of square tiles that each contain information and settings related to a component, such as audio settings,

battery life An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering Electricity, electrical devices. When a battery is supplying power, its positive terminal is the cathode a ...

and power schemes, display brightness, and

wireless network A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes. Wireless networking is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and business installations avoid the costly process of introducing c ...

strength and status. The tiles that appear within the interface depend on the hardware of the system and device drivers. Windows Mobility Center is located in the

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

Control Panel and also be launched by pressing the keys in Windows Vista and 7. By default, WMC is inaccessible on

desktop computer A desktop computer (often abbreviated desktop) is a personal computer designed for regular use at a single location on or near a desk due to its size and power requirements. The most common configuration has a case that houses the power supply ...

s, but this limitation can be bypassed if one modifies the

Windows Registry The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores low-level settings for the Microsoft Windows operating system and for applications that opt to use the registry. The kernel, device drivers, services, Security Accounts Manager, and use ...

. Windows Mobility Center is extensible;

original equipment manufacturer An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

s can customize the interface with additional tiles and company branding. Though not supported by Microsoft, it is possible for individual developers to create tiles for the interface as well.

References

{{Windows Components Mobile computers Mobility Center Windows Vista

History

Overview

See also

References