Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
software designers and developers have had to abandon a lot of our existing mouse- and keyboard-
driven user interface (UI) metaphors such as the concept of the desktop (whether it can still be con-
sidered a metaphor is debatable). Instead, new methods of interaction have been created which suit
a small- or medium-sized, backlit touch screen. Evidence of this was initially seen in some of the
original devices, appearing in the early 1990s, the collective term for such devices being a personal
digital assistant (PDA).
An Apple representative first used the term
PDA
, when referring to an early attempt at a mobile
device called the Apple Newton. However, PDAs used in early scientific development were those run-
ning Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 or earlier which replicated the desktop version of the OS by imple-
menting a UI similar to Microsoft Windows XP. The result was that the devices running such an OS
were attempting to have the user interact with the software by replacing a mouse with a stylus. This
extra requirement meant that carrying out simple interactions like entering information was slow and
cumbersome, multitasking of programs was possible but difficult to manage and interaction with the
web was limited. The associated so-called Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) has now largely dis-
appeared from the web, primarily due to modern devices providing full support for Hypertext Markup
Language (HTML). WAP also had issues with idiosyncrasy, lack of authoring tools, bad UI design
and high service provider charges incurred when using it (sometimes referred to as
wait and pay
).
Table 15.1 outlines several of the major components that are found in modern mobile devices
organised into four categories. The
uses column
gives the primary function of each component in
the mobile device; apps implemented for mobile devices may or may not take advantage of some
or all of these components where an
app
is an abbreviation for application, an increasingly popular
term used amongst owners of mobile devices. An app is a piece of software. It might run on the
Internet, on your computer, on your phone or on other electronic devices. A key consideration for
development is how to manage access to and information from such components in the best way to
present any particular app to a user. Due to the nature of apps, it is usually the case that a user is
not involved directly with the management of individual components, particularly less so on mobile
devices, than in their earlier desktop counterparts. The design of mobile apps that run seamlessly
with on-board components, consequently, will require a different set of assumptions and paradigms
to that of a desktop app if the mobile product is to be successful.
Modern smartphones and tablets are not based around extending or replicating the desktop meta-
phor. Instead, a new set of standards and methods of interaction have been developed to make the
TABLE 15.1
Components Common to Mobile Devices
Type
Component
Uses
Positioning
GPS
On the ground position
Compass
Device orientation
Accelerometer
Device orientation
Communications
GSM
2G Internet connection
GPRS
2G transitional Internet connection
3G
3G Internet connection
NFC
Very-close-proximity communication
Bluetooth
Close-proximity communication
Wi-Fi
Internet connection and networking
Imaging
Cameras
Image capture
3D scene capture
Interaction
Touch screen
Imprecise interaction
Stylus
Precise interaction
Device movement
Gaming/location-based apps
