CHAPTER 2

Mobile Computing
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WHAT IS COMPUTING?

The activity of performing computations.

OR
Computing can also be defined as the activity of using
computer hardware and software for some purpose.

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EVOLUTION
 Mobile computing can be categorized into six major
categories of focus
 These categories are the basis for the technology that is
used today in research and design of mobile computing
 Each category or section is a different area that was
focused on making mobile computing what it is today
 These six categories are: Portability, Miniaturization,
Connectivity, Convergence, Apps, Digital Ecosystems

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PORTABILITY
 Reducing the size of hardware to enable the creation of
computers that could be physically moved around
relatively easily

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MINIATURIZATION
 Creating new and significantly smaller mobile form
factors that allowed the use of personal mobile devices
while on the move

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CONNECTIVITY
 Developing devices and applications that allowed users
to be online and communicate via wireless data networks
while on the move

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CONVERGENCE
 Integrating emerging types of digital mobile devices,
such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), mobile
phones, music players, cameras, games, etc., into hybrid
devices

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APPLICATIONS (APPS)
• The latest wave of applications (apps) is about
developing matter and substance for use and consumption
on mobile devices, and making access to this fun or
functional interactive application content easy and
enjoyable

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DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS
 The emerging wave of digital ecosystems is about the
larger wholes of pervasive and interrelated technologies
that interactive mobile systems are increasingly
becoming a part of

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EXAMPLE: SMARTPHONE
 Portability: carry it anywhere you want
 Miniaturization: make it possible to build device to fit in
your pocket
 Connectivity: Wi-Fi, LTE/4G, cellular, Bluetooth

 Convergence: phone, camera, gaming device, movie

streaming, music player, …
 Applications: “Rise of the Apps”

 Digital Ecosystem: social networks, distributed gaming,

video streaming, work apps, …

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 EXISTING COMPUTING PARADIGMS
Personal
Parallel
Computing
Computing

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Mobile Cloud
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COMPUTING PARADIGMS…

Personal computing system

– refers to the use of personal computers
for Computation.
Characterized by
 Local software installation, maintenance
 Local system maintenance
 Customizable to user needs
 Very low utilization

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COMPUTING PARADIGMS…

Distributed computing :
 refers to the use of distributed systems to solve computational
problems.
Distributed system
 consists of multiple autonomous computers that communicate
through a computer network.
 it appears to its users as a single coherent system.

Distributed computing example: surfing the web from different

terminals on university . Each web page consists of hypertext,
pictures, movies and elements anywhere on the internet.

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DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING…
Distributed systems are characterized by:
Remote information access (Message passing )
High availability
Fault tolerance (atomic transactions, consistency …)
Security

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COMPUTING PARADIGMS…
Parallel Computing
 Calculations of large problems are divided into smaller parts and
carried out simultaneously /concurrently on different processors.
Characterized by
 Shared memory (to exchange information between processors)

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PARALLEL COMPUTING

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COMPUTING PARADIGMS…
What is Mobile Computing?
 A simple answer =>
• Performing computation in mobile units (i.e., mobile games)

• Supporting computation to mobile users (i.e., browsing )

 Mobile
 Able to move freely.
 Wireless.
 Computing
 The activity of performing computations.
=> Mobile Computing = Mobile + (Communications) + Computation

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MOBILE COMPUTING ISSUES:
 10problems out of the lot since they’re the ones
you likely may face with your tiny pocket machine.
 Storage space running out
 Poor battery life
 A phone running sluggishly
 Overheating
 Connection problems
 App or phone crashing
 Blurry camera
 An unresponsive phone
 A phone that won’t turn on or charge
 Hardware defects 18
COMPUTING PARADIGMS…

Pervasive/ Ubiquitous computing

 is about the invisible and everywhere (every time)
computing
 Ubiquitous= “seeming to be in all places”
 Pervasive= “present or noticeable in every part of a thing or place”

Characteristics
 Invisible: tiny, embedded, attachable…
 Everywhere: wireless, dynamically configurable, remote
access, adapting, …
“It is about making computers so embedded, so fitting, so
natural that we use them without even thinking about them.”19
PERVASIVE COMPUTING EXAMPLE
 A simple example is the automatic adjustment of
heating, cooling and lighting levels in a room based on
an occupant’s profile.

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 PERVASIVE COMPUTING
Characterized by :
Context Awareness (physical location, physiological
state, emotional state,….. distraction-free)
Ad-hoc Networks
Smart Spaces,(equipped with visual and audio sensing
systems )

Smart Sensors, Wearables…

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MOBILE DEVICES
 A mobile device (a.k.a. handheld device, handheld computer)
is a pocket-sized computing device, typically having a display
screen with touch input or a miniature keyboard.

 Due to the rapid advancement of the technology its hard to

make a specific classifications of mobile devices.

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DIFFERENT TYPES OF MOBILE DEVICES
 Laptop
 Notebook
 Netbook
 Ultra-Mobile PC
 Communication devices
 pager
 Smartphone
 PDA &Pocket PC
 cell phone
 Tablet PC
 E-book readers

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MOBILE DEVICES…
 Laptop in general
is a small personal computer designed for
portability.
Usually all of the interface hardware(ports,
graphics card, sound channel, etc.,) are built in to a
single unit.
Contain batteries that can power the device for
some periods of time.
upgrade is usually difficult/impossible.
( Keyboard / display)
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LAPTOP…
Notebook
 Screen -(10” and above)

 Purpose- (multi- purpose)

 Weight – (light)

 Computing power (high )

 heavy multi-tasking loads e.g creating and editing HD video or
computer aided engineering SWs.
 contain high capacity batteries.

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 LAPTOP…

Netbook
 Screen -(7”-10”)

 Purpose
 (limited,.. internet, basic applications)
 Weight – (very light)
 Computing power (low )
 Used for basic applications. E.g. Office
applications
 Longer battery life.

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LAPTOP…

Ultra mobile-pcs(UMPCs)
 Screen -(4”-7”)

 Purpose
 (very limited,…, Internet, veiw info)
 Weight –(very very light)
 Computing power (very low )
 Usedfor basic applications. E.g. Office applications
 Longer battery life.

 UMPCs are pocketable!

 reduced specification (lack CD-drive )

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 COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• Pager
A pager (also known as a beeper or bleeper[) is a wireless telecommunications
device that receives and displays alphanumeric or voice messages.
One-way pagers can only receive messages
two-way pagers can also acknowledge, reply to and originate messages using
an internal transmitter.
 Beeper
 because of the sound it made
 Voice Tone Pagers
 Recorded Voice message.
 Numeric Pagers
 can display up to twenty digits at a time.
 Alphanumeric Pagers
 modified versions of numeric pagers with
sophisticated display to accommodate text
 Two-way Alphanumeric pagers
 are alphanumeric pagers capable of both sending
& receiving text messages and email. 28
 Fancy Restaurant( waiting staff )
COMMUNICATION DEVICES…
Mobile phone/cellphone
 Provides
 voice communications,
 Short Message Service (SMS),
 Multimedia Message Service (MMS),

 newer phones may also provide

 Internet services
 Web browsing, instant messaging capabilities &
 e-mail.

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COMMUNICATION DEVICES…
PDA: Personal Digital Assistant
 designed primarily to provide the functionality of
maintaining appointments, tasks, contacts, etc.
 usually pen-based,(use a stylus rather than a keyboard
for input)
 Today PDAs function as a
 cellular phone, fax sender, Web browser and personal
organizer.
 Traditional PDAs have not had phone or fax
services
 Pocket PC: A type of PDA/smartphone which
runs WindowsMobile as its operating system.

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 COMMUNICATION DEVICES…
Smart phone
 traditional PDA + cellular phone
 combines standard phone features,
such as making and receiving phone calls,
with computer functionality.
 Incorporates
 Wi-Fi access, email, calendars and
 GPS
 let you store information & install programs

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MOBILE DEVICES…
Tablet PC
 portable personal computer equipped with a touch screen as
a primary input device and designed to be operated and
owned by an individual.
 use virtual keyboards and handwriting recognition for text
input through the touchscreen.
 TabletPCs also can be connected to a full-size
keyboard and monitor
 two main types of tablet PCs:
 Convertible -look a lot like normal laptops except the screen can be rotated
all the way around and laid down flat across the Keyboard.
 Slate- looks like a flat screen without a keyboard.

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TABLET PC…
 advantage
 Greatmobility
 Save money
 stationer costs stays in your pocket
 digital ink
 record your handwriting and drawings

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MOBILE DEVICES…
 E-book reader
 portable electronic device that
is designed primarily for the purpose
of reading digital books and publication.
Support
- Text to Speech
- Internet Capabilities( Wi-Fi ,3G)

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 MOBILE OS

 An OS is a software interface that is responsible for managing

and operating hardware units and assisting the user to use
those units. For mobile phones, OSs have been developed to
enable users to use phones
 provide core services such as security, memory management,
process management
 is the operating system that controls a mobile device similar in
principle to an operating system such as Windows, Mac OS, or
Linux that controls a desktop computer or laptop.
 The most well-known mobile OSs are Android, iOS, Windows
phone OS, and Symbian

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TYPES OF MOBILE OS

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TYPES OF MOBILE OS
 Symbian
 Market share(2018): 0.14%( #1 )
 License : open source
 Company: Nokia.
 CPU Architecture: ARM(Advanced RISC Machine)
 its applications are usually written in Programmed in: C++
 Application store: Symbian Horizon,Ovistore(10000+)
 Package manager: Nokia Ovi Suite
 Other: multi-touch, easily affordable cost

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TYPES OF MOBILE OS
 Android
 developed by Google and launched in 2008
 Market share(2022): 70%
 License : open source
 CPU Architecture: ARM, x86
 Programmed in: C, C++, Java
 Application store: Android market(100,000+)
 Package manager: APK
 Other: multi-touch, Linux

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TYPES OF MOBILE OS

 BlackBerry RIM OS
 Market share(2018): 0.11%
 License : Proprietary
 Company: Research in motion (RIM).
 CPU Architecture: ARM
 Programmed in: Java
 Application store: Blackberry App World(30000+)
 Package manager: Blackberry Desktop Manager
 Other: not multi-touch, push email service

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 TYPES OF MOBILE OS

 Apple iOS
 developed by Apple in 2007
 Market share(2022): 25.49%
 License : Proprietary
 CPU Architecture: ARM
 Programmed in: C, C++, Objective-C
 Application store: Apple App Store(300,000+)
 Package manager: iTunes
 Other: Mac OS X, multi-touch, for iphone ,ipod touch
ipad, Apple Tv only
 used by Apple-only products (iPhone, iPod, and iPad).

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TYPES OF MOBILE OS
 Windows Mobile
 Market share(2019): 0.13%
 License : Proprietary
 Company: Microsoft.
 CPU Architecture: ARM
 Programmed in: C++
 Application store: Windows Marketplace for
Mobile
 Package manager: Windows Mobile Device
Center/
ActiveSync
 Other: multi-touch, Windows CE

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TYPES OF MOBILE OS
 Others
 Palm OS- mobile operating system initially developed by Palm
 webOS – Mobile operating system from HP/Palm
 Bada - Mobile operating system developed by Samsung Electronics
 MeeGo OS – from Nokia and Intel (open source, GPL)

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 MOBILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
 Challenges
 Different Operating Systems.
 Different Screen Size.
 are a challenge even on the same OS
 Different Input methods.
Keyboard (Keypad – Keyboard – Soft Keyboard),
 TrackBall/Joystick, Pen (Handwriting), Touch,

 Microphone (Voice Command), Camera (Image Recognition), GPS

 Different Hardware Architectures.

 most dominant architectures in the market of CPUs is the ARM
architecture
 Limited computing capabilities.
 Lack of good language support
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 Security
 Always shared medium
MOBILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

 Programming Languages
 C/C++, .NET, Java ME, FlashLite, SilverLight Mobile
 JavaFX, HTML/WML/JAVASCRIPT/AJAX

 selection is same reasons for using them on the desktop.

 Some languages are for web,
 some are for performance,

 some for portability,

 some of skills and preferences.

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MOBILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

 Solutions to Challenges
 Multi Modal Interface.
 E.g Combining the face and speech recognition together helps to increase
speech recognition accuracy and lower word error rate
 Simplified Algorithms (Speed ).
 Data Compression (Size & Speed).
 Programming Language Selection.
 Screen independent graphical coordinates or layout managers.
 Unicode Support
 Encryption and authentication

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MOBILE COMPUTING APPLICATION

 Transport
– position and tracking via GPS
– prevent accidents, navigation system.

 Emergencies/ Disaster relief

– early transmission of patient data to the hospital, current status,
first diagnosis.
– earthquakes, hurricanes, fire etc.

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 MOBILE COMPUTING APPLICATION…
 Business
– M-Commerce: mobile E-commerce /shopping …
– M-Banking: offer mobile access to financial and account
information.
– Advertising: using SMS is becoming very popular in our
country.
– Traveling salesperson
 Entertainment, education
– outdoor Internet access
– multi user games
– M-learning : E-learning
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TELEBIRR
 No need to have a
bank account or carry
cash. Make
transactions solely on
mobile phone.

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MOBILE COMPUTING APPLICATION…

 Location aware
 findservices in the local environment, e.g. printer
 nearest cash ATM/ shop / restaurant

 Web access & Communication

 outdoor Internet access
 Electronic Mail
 Paging
 Chatting

 Application Services in general

 push: e.g., breaking news info
 pull: e.g., nearest cash ATM

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SUMMARY
 Computing Trend
 Existing computing paradigms

 Mobile computing applications

 Different types of mobile devices

 Mobile OS

 Mobile Software Development

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CHAPTER TWO END

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