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I spent much time looking into Visual Studio Team System recently and didn't follow device development that closely. That's maybe why I only just found out, that Microsoft is making a new standalone version of the "Microsoft Device Emulator 1.0" available as a community preview. This emulator can be installed on systems independently of the presence of the Visual Studio suite. Enhancements of the new emulator over the existing one that shipped with Visual Studio .NET 2003 are (quoted):

• Runs code compiled for ARM processors rather than for x86 processors. In most cases, you can run the same binaries on the emulator as you do on the device.
• Supports synchronizing with ActiveSync. You can use the Device Emulator with a full ActiveSync partnership. This feature allows you to debug applications that are syncing, or be able to use real synchronized data from within the Device Emulator.
• Provides support for more development environments. The emulator has been tested for developing and debugging applications with Visual Studio 2005, Visual Studio .NET 2003, and with eMbedded Visual C++ 4.0 (eVC4) SP4, all using ActiveSync. No crossover serial cable is required.
• The Device Emulator supports GAPI. You can write and debug GAPI games on the Device Emulator and expect them to work.

Of course you will get the same emulator if you install Visual Studio 2005.

Here's how to get the bits:

• Visit http://beta.microsoft.com,
• Login using your Passport account, or create one if you don't have one.
• Use Guest ID MSDEVICE to access the Community Preview website