Scribd
Upload
68 views16 pages

Lecture Note 01 - CSE 401

Mobile computing systems are computing systems that can be easily moved and used while in motion. They include laptops, PDAs, and mobile phones. Key aspects of mobile computing include wireless connectivity, small size, mobile nature, limited power sources, and varying functionalities. Mobile computing introduces location awareness, quality of service issues due to intermittent connectivity, limited storage and processing capabilities, constrained power supplies, diverse user interfaces, platform proliferation, active transactions, and unique conditions for mobile users.

Uploaded by

Fatema
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
68 views16 pages

Lecture Note 01 - CSE 401

Mobile computing systems are computing systems that can be easily moved and used while in motion. They include laptops, PDAs, and mobile phones. Key aspects of mobile computing include wireless connectivity, small size, mobile nature, limited power sources, and varying functionalities. Mobile computing introduces location awareness, quality of service issues due to intermittent connectivity, limited storage and processing capabilities, constrained power supplies, diverse user interfaces, platform proliferation, active transactions, and unique conditions for mobile users.

Uploaded by

Fatema
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 16

Introduction to Mobile Computing

What is Mobile Computing

• Mobile computing systems are computing systems that may be easily


moved physically and whose computing capabilities may be used while they
are being moved.
• Examples are laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and mobile
phones

Fig- Laptop, PDA, Mobile phone respectively


What is Mobile Computing

• Distinguishing aspects of Mobile Computing


– Wireless Network Connectivity

– Small size

– Mobile Nature of their use

– Power Sources

– Functionalities

• Mobile Condition: the set of properties that distinguishes the mobile user
from the user of a typical, stationary computing system.

• Dimensions of Mobility: the set of properties that distinguishes the mobile


computing system from the stationary computing system.
A Brief History of Mobile Computing

Fig- A Timeline of Mobile Computing


Is Wireless Mobile or Is Mobile Wireless?

• Mobile computing devices need not to be wireless.


• Laptop computers, calculators, electronic watches and many other devices
are all mobile computing devices. None of them use any sort of wireless
communication means to connect to a network.

• Wireless communication systems are a type of communication system.


What distinguishes a wireless communication system from others is that the
communication channel is space itself. Wireless communication systems do
not use a wave-guide to guide along the electromagnetic signal from the
sender to the receiver.

• Wireless communication systems are often used in mobile computing


systems to facilitate network connectivity, but they are not mobile computing
systems.

• Though it is not a requirement for a mobile system to be wireless, most


mobile systems are wireless.
Added Dimensions of Mobile Computing
1. Location Awareness

• Localization: the ability of the architecture of the mobile application to


accommodate logic that allows the selection of different business logic, level
of work flow, and interfaces based on a given set of location information

• Location Sensitivity: the ability of the device and the software application
to first obtain location information while being used and then to take
advantage of this location information in offering features and functionality.

• Three Techniques for collecting and using the location of the user and the
device
– Triangulation
– Proximity
– Scene analysis
1. Location Awareness

• 1) Triangulation

• 2) Proximity

• 3) Scene analysis
2. Quality of Service (QOS)

• Whether wired or wireless connectivity is used, mobility means loss of


network connectivity reliability.

• Moving from one physical location to another creates physical barriers that
nearly guarantee some disconnected time from the network.

• In the case of wireless network connectivity, physical conditions can


significantly affect the quality of service (QOS). For example, bad weather
and a variety of other climate-related conditions can negatively affect the
(QOS).
• Mobile applications have to know how to continue to operate even after they
are disconnected from the network or while they connect and disconnect
from the network intermittently and frequently.
Limited Device Storage and CPU

• The physical size limitation imposes boundaries on volatile storage, non-


volatile storage, and CPU on mobile devices.

• There are physical boundaries on the size of transistors on modern


microchips.

• Limitations of storage and CPU of mobile devices put yet another constraint
on how we develop mobile applications.

• Storage and processing issues are largely addressed by the various


operating systems and platforms on the mobile devices.
Limited Power Supply

• Batteries are the primary power source for mobile devices.

• The power supply has a direct or an indirect effect on everything in a mobile


device. For example, the brighter the display, the more battery power is
used, so the user interface is indirectly coupled to the power supply.

• Most power management functionality is built into the operating system of


the mobile device.

• Some platforms allow monitoring of the remaining power and other related
power information.

• Operating systems and platforms are largely responsible for handling the
power consumption issues.
Varying User Interfaces

• Voice user interfaces, smaller displays, stylus and other pointing devices,
touch-screen displays, and miniature keyboards are common issues in
mobile devices.
• Entering text on the small display of a cellular phone and through the
numeric keys of a phone is very cumbersome.
• User interfaces are difficult to design and implement for the following
reasons
– Designers have difficulties learning the user’s tasks.
– The tasks and domains are complex.
– A balance must be achieved among the many different design aspects,
such as standards, graphic design, technical writing, internationalization,
performance, multiple levels of detail, social factors, and implementation
time.
– The existing theories and guidelines are not sufficient.
– Iterative design is difficult.
– There are real-time requirements for handling input events.
– It is difficult to test user interface software.
Platform Proliferation

• Mobile devices are small and there is much less hardware in them than in a
PC, they are typically less costly to assemble for a manufacturer.

• Platform proliferation heightens the importance of designing and developing


devices independent of the platform.
Active Transactions

• Passive systems
• Push Model (Active System):
– an information producer announces the availability of certain types of
information
– an interested consumer subscribes to this information
– the producer periodically publishes the information (pushes it to the
consumer)
• Active Transactions
– Synchronous: Time dependent
– Asynchronous: Time independent

• Properties of Synchronous Active Transaction:

• Properties of Asynchronous Active Transaction:


Condition of Mobile User

• The mobile user is fundamentally different from the stationary user in the
following ways:

– 1. The mobile user is moving, at least occasionally, between known or


unknown locations.
– 2. The mobile user is typically not focused on the computing task.
– 3. The mobile user frequently requires high degrees of immediacy and
responsiveness from the system.
– 4. The mobile user is changing tasks frequently and/or abruptly.
– 5. The mobile user may require access to the system anywhere and at
any time.
References

• Chap 1 of “MOBILE COMPUTING PRINCIPLES” By Reza B’Far

You might also like