Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 15
What does Mobile Mean?
Russell Beale
University of Birmingham, UK
ABSTRACT
This article presents a perspective on what it really means to be mobile - why being mobile is different. It
looks at the technological and physical implications, but really considers the broader issues: the social
implications, the impact that data on the move can have on people, and the use of mobile devices as
sensors that can drive intelligent, contextual systems that provide a much more effective experience for
the user than existing systems do.
MOBILE DEVICES AND MOBILITY
essentially give them their office, wherever they
happen to be—they allow one to move locations,
but really require one sets them in a specific lo-
cation and then work with them. They are more
migratory
than mobile, allowing one to move to
a new location, and then work from there for a
reasonable period. Tablet PC's are more portable
than this—but they still have a relatively large
form factor so that carrying them is a significant
action: not an issue when stock-taking, or collect-
ing data in the field, but a problem for activities in
which interacting with the device is not a major
focus of the task. The relatively new ultra-portable
netbooks and mini-laptops offer much increased
portability, some being pocket-sized, especially
if you are of the age where wearing cargo pants is
When we talk about mobile computing, what do
we really mean? There are many devices that
claim to be for mobile computing, ranging from
laptops through tablets and personal digital as-
sistants (PDAs) to mobile phones. Some of the
larger 'laptops' require quite impressive feats
of strength from their owners, requiring them
to carry awkward, bulky and sometimes heavy
loads: in return they offer tremendous computing
power and an experience not dissimilar to sitting
at a highly-specified desktop machine. These do
provide great functionality to their owners; they
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