Here is some info I posted in the other URC forum:

And here is some newer info from MelSam's Blog on MSDN.com:
[Link: blogs.msdn.com]

Thursday, September 07, 2006 12:42 PM MelSam
Windows Mobile Device Center missing in Vista RC1?
Microsoft released Vista RC1 last week and some of you are already using it. If you use a Pocket PC or Smartphone device, you may be disappointed to find that the Windows Mobile Device Center (WMDC) is missing from Vista RC1. I've seen a few posts about this on various forums so I got some clarification from the team working on WMDC.

First of all, here's how WMDC is supposed to work. When Vista ships, it will contain a "base driver", which will enable basic connectivity and some features such as browsing the device, copying files and syncing with Windows Media Player. But it will not enable full ActiveSync and RAPI features. Nor will it allow you to partner up with Outlook to sync PIM data such as Calendar, Contacts, Tasks etc.

In order to get full ActiveSync functionality, visit Windows Update when your Windows Mobile device is connected to the Vista machine. This will get you a free download that contains the full WMDC client.

There's just one little problem. If you try Windows Update today, it will not detect the WMDC download. This is because one additional step needs to be performed to allow this detection to take place. Unfortunately that step is restricted to internal Microsoft beta testers at this point. The friendly Program Manager for WMDC, Lydia O, sits in the office next to mine. So I asked her what was preventing external RC1 testers from using WMDC. She explained that they're still working on some critical issues which make it necessary to restrict public testing. Judging from the steady stream of people walking in and out of her office all day, it looks like Lydia's team is working as hard as possible to resolve those issues and release WMDC publicly to Vista RC1 testers very soon. We don't want to keep you from enjoying the great WMDC experience, but it simply isn't available externally at this time. When it's ready, it will automatically show up in your Windows Update list without any further action on your part. WMDC will certainly be ready in time for Vista RTM and hopefully long before that - sometime in the next few weeks.

I've personally been using WMDC since upgrading to RC1 last week and find it to be a very impressive Vista component. Thanks for your patience while the WMDC team wraps up their last remaining tasks. If you have any questions about WMDC I'll be happy to try and answer them with help from Lydia's team.

Update (Oct 9, 2006):The WMDC bits for Vista RC1 and higher have been released publicly. Click here to download [Link: microsoft.com]