C# IDE Mobile, as its name implies, is a C# Integrated Development Environment which executes on Windows Mobile 5.0 or 6 with .NET Compact Framework 2.

It allows you to write programs using the C# language and the .NET 2.0 Compact Framework (.NET2CF). The program is parsed and executed at runtime (there is no compilation or link required).

Important note:

No .NET SDK IS REQUIRED: Unlike other tools which do "C# Scripting" by wrapping CSC.EXE, C# IDE Mobile doesn't require you to have the .NET SDK (which includes the compilers). It only requires having the .NET 2.0 (Compact or not) Framework Redistributable (i.e. the runtime .NET). It isn't a wrapper around the Microsoft CSC.EXE compiler.

The goal is mainly to develop code while away from your desktop and be able to test it. Then you can compile into native PPC applications using Microsoft's compilers (with Visual Studio for example).

Here are just some examples of what is possible on your Pocket PC thanks to this:

- Creating applications with graphical user interfaces.
- Creating methods and classes (to better organise your program into smaller functions).
- Using all of the.NET Compact Framework classes.
- Doing file manipulation (.NET as many nice static functions for this).
- Running processes.
- Using .NET2 generics (to create lists, tables, arrays, ...).
- Using C# control structures (loops, conditional, ...).
- ...

Basically, you can write C# code and execute it on your Pocket PC (then you can compile it later on your desktop to get a native .NET program).