Mobile Computing

Introduction to Mobile Computing

The proliferations of wireless networks and small portable computing devices have led to the emergence of the mobile computing paradigm. Mobile and nomadic users carrying laptops or hand-held computers are able to connect to the Internet through publicly available wireline or wireless networks. Mobile computing will be the buzz of the next century. Buzzwords such as mobile, nomadic, pervasive, and anytime anywhere, are used by different people to refer to the new breed of computing that utilizes small portable devices and wireless communication networks.

Mobile computing fundamentally differs from desktop computing. Mobile devices, e.g. PDAs, mobile phones and digital cameras have, compared to desktop computers low computational power, small memory and often no mass storage. Communication links to other mobile devices or to a stationary network are usually wireless, thus often unstable with low bandwidth.

What is computing?

Operation of computers.

What is mobile?

That someone/something can move or be moved easily and quickly from place to place.

Conclusion

If success in the computing field is defined by market share and consumer interest, there is no question that mobile computing has already exceeded most expectations and is well on its way toward becoming one of the most dominant forces of the entire information industry. From the array of palmtop computers available in budget superstores, to Intel's release of low-power mobile-oriented Pentium chips nearly immediately after the desktop-version release, to the exorbitant sums of money paid by cellular operators for leasing radio towers and buying frequency space, there is little doubt about the potential of ubiquitous mobile computing.

The challenges are complex, interrelated and exacerbated by often hard, physical limitations (such as the limited RF bandwidth). However, if we try to gauge the innovative potential of the computer industry by its past performance, it appears that that we have only begun to see the future of mobile computing.