A new release of the Windows Marketplace for Mobile requirements went live today. Many developers should be happy with change in the PNG Start screen icon requirements. Prior to today, you were required to include three PNG files (one for each possible DPI) in your installation CAB file. Today, this requirement is one (90x90) icon.

The three icon requirement, necessitated a setup DLL to dynamically copy the appropriate PNG according to the device DPI. Now the setup is much easier – only requiring CAB file definitions and no C++ code. 

For more information see the following updated blog post: Using Custom Icons in Windows Mobile 6.5 and FAQ: Start Screen PNG Icon FAQ.

Mike

If you are new to Windows Mobile development or are interested in a consolidated list of resources, check out the list I’ve put together here: Resources: Windows Mobile Development.

This list was easy to put together using Delicious linkrolls (mmmm linkrolls…). If you have Windows Mobile links to recommend, please add me to your Delicious network. I use the tag: windowsmobile.

Mike

There have been a lot of questions around how to create great looking icons like you see for the Microsoft apps in the Windows Mobile 6.5 Start screen.  These icons aren’t icons at all in the traditional sense. Up until Windows Mobile 6.5, you could only use icon (.ICO) images embedded in the EXE file for your Start menu icon. The new Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional Start screen still uses these icons, but you may notice that they are scaled slightly. You may not notice any difference in the appearance of the icon, if you do, you can use a PNG file for your application icon. If fact, the Windows Marketplace for Mobile requires that you use a PNG for Windows Mobile 6.5 applications.

For details on now to specify a PNG file for your Start Screen icon see my blog post here.