Computing – is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computers.

It
includes development of both hardware and software.
There are 2 aspects of mobile computing
Mobility – refers to as users who have access to similar communication services at different
places.
Example: User can have a mobile and he can login to his mail account from any desktop to check
or compose emails.
Device Portability – refers to the movement of a communication device with or without a user.
Mobile Computing– is a technology that allows transmission of data, voice and video via a
computer or any other wireless enabled device without having to be connected to a fixed
physical link.
Mobility– refers to as users who have access to similar communication services at different
places. Example: user can have a mobile and he can login to his mail account from any desktop
to check or compose mails.
Components of Mobile Computing
The main concept involves –
 Mobile Communication
 Mobile Hardware
 Mobile Software
Mobile communications refers to a form of communications which does not depend on a physical
connection between the sender and receiver and who may move from one physical location to
another during communication.
Characteristics of Communication Device
 Fixed and wired: the devices are fixed at a position, and they are connected through a
physical link to communicate with other devices.
 Fixed and wireless: the devices are fixed at a position, and they are connected through
a wireless link to make communication with other devices.
 Mobile and wired: some devices are wired, and some are mobile. They altogether make
communication with other devices.
 Mobile and wireless: the devices can communicate with each other irrespective of their
position. They can also connect to any network without the use of any wired device.
Mobile Hardware
Mobile hardware includes mobile devices or device components that receive or access the
service of mobility. They would range from portable laptops, smartphones, tablet Pc’s, Personal
Digital Assistants.
Mobile Software
A mobile Software, most commonly referred to as an app, is a type of application software
designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. Mobile
Supportive Technologies
 Wireless Communication networks
 Multiple networks “covering” the globe
 World-wide deregulation and spectrum actions
 Standard communication system and air link interfaces
 Portable information appliances
 Laptops, notebooks, sub-notebooks, and MNCs
 Hand-held computers
 PDAs and Smartphones
 Internet:
 TCP/IP & de-facto application protocols
 Ubiquitous web content
Mobile Computing
 Using:
 Small size portable computers, hand-helds MNC, and other small wearable devices,
 To run stand-alone applications (or access remote applications) via:
 Wireless networks: IR, Bluetooth, W-LANs, Cellular, W-Packet Data networks, SAT.
etc.
 By:
 Nomadic and mobile users (animals, agents, trains, cars, cell phones, …)
Nomadic computing is the use of mobile computing technology to connect to the global
internet or use specific data resources from a stored location while moving around from one
place to another.
Nomadic computing is also known as mobile computing.
Examples of Nomadic Computing
 Smartphones that allow users to carry their computing environment with them, accessing
emails, applications, and data irrespective of their physical location.
 Portable computing devices that enable users to work or consume content while on the go,
providing a consistent computing experience across different locations.
 Services like cloud storage and cloud-based applications that allow users to access their
data and software from various devices, promoting mobility and flexibility.
 Technologies that enable secure access to an organization's network from remote
locations, facilitating nomadic computing for remote workers.
  Work environments designed to support nomadic computing, where employees can move
between different offices or work remotely while maintaining access to necessary
resources and applications.

Ubiquitous computing is not a specific technology, but a scenario in which computers become
more numerous and fade into the background, providing information to human users and
embedding intelligence and computing capabilities in seemingly everyday objects.
Examples of Ubiquitous Computing
 Home automation systems that control lighting, temperature, security, and entertainment
systems based on user preferences and environmental conditions.
 Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearables that collect and provide information
about the user's health, activities, and notifications.
 Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags embedded in objects or products for tracking
and identification purposes in supply chain management or retail.
 Urban environments equipped with sensors and smart infrastructure to monitor and
manage traffic, energy consumption, waste disposal, and public services.
 Mobile apps that adapt their behavior based on the user's location, preferences, and the
surrounding context, providing relevant information and services.
Nomadic vs. Mobile
 Mobile most commonly refers to access in motion and is therefore unrestricted to a given
geographic location. Mobile may also, however, refer to access in a fixed location via
equipment that users can relocate as required, but is stationary while in operation. This
mode of operation is often called nomadic computing.
Advantages of Mobile Computing
 Location Flexibility. This has enabled users to work from anywhere as long as there is a
connection established…
 Saves Time…
 Enhanced Productivity…
 Ease of Research…
 Entertainment…
 Streamlining of Business Processes.
LIMITATIONS OF MOBILE COMPUTING
 Resource constraints: Battery.
 Interference: Radio transmission cannot be protected against interference using shielding
and result in higher loss rates for transmitted data or higher bit error rates respectively.
 Bandwidth: Although they are continuously increasing, transmission rates are still very low
for wireless devices compared to desktop systems. Researchers look for more efficient
communication protocols with low overhead.
 Dynamic changes in communication environment: variations in signal power within a
region, thus link delays and connection losses.
 Network Issues: discovery of the connection-service to destination and connection
stability.
 Interoperability issues: the varying protocol standards.
 Security constraints: Not only can portable devices be stolen more easily, but the radio
interface is also prone to the dangers of eavesdropping. Wireless access must always
include encryption, authentication, and other security mechanisms that must be efficient
and simple to use.
A Simplified Reference Model
 Physical layer: This is the lowest layer in a communication system and is responsible for
the conversion of a stream of bits into signals that can be transmitted on the sender side.
The physical layer of the receiver then transforms the signals back into a bit stream. For
wireless communication, the physical layer is responsible for frequency selection,
generation of the carrier frequency, signal detection (although heavy interference may
disturb the signal), modulation of data onto a carrier frequency and (depending on the
transmission scheme) encryption.
 Data link layer: The main tasks of this layer include accessing the medium, multiplexing
of different data streams, correction of transmission errors, and synchronization (i.e.,
detection of a data frame). Altogether, the data link layer is responsible for a reliable
point-to-point connection between two devices or a point-to-multipoint connection
between one sender and several receivers.
  Network layer: This third layer is responsible for routing packets through a network or
establishing a connection between two entities over many other intermediate systems.
Important functions are addressing, routing, device location, and handover between
different networks.
 Transport layer: This layer is used in the reference model to establish an end-to-end
connection. Quality of service, flow and congestion control are relevant, especially if the
transport protocols known from the Internet, TCP and UDP, are to be used over a wireless
link.
 Application layer: Finally, the applications (complemented by additional layers that can
support applications) are situated on top of all transmission oriented layers. Functions are
service location, support for multimedia applications, adaptive applications that can
handle the large variations in transmission characteristics, and wireless access to the
world-wide web using a portable device.
GLOBAL SYSTEM FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS (GSM)
 GSM is the most successful digital mobile telecommunication system in the world today. It
is used by over 800 million people in more than 190 countries. GSM permits the
integration of different voice and data services and the interworking with existing
networks. Services make a network interesting for customers. The primary goal of GSM
was to provide a mobile phone system that allows users to roam throughout Europe and
provides voice services compatible to ISDN and other PSTN systems.
Why Go Mobile?
 Enable anywhere/anytime connectivity
 Bring computer communications to areas without pre-existing infrastructure
 Enable mobility
 Enable new applications
 An exciting new research area

Mobile computing can be categorized into seven major categories of focus

Portability
 Reducing the size of hardware to enable the creation of computers that could be
physically moved around relatively easily
Miniaturization
 Creating new and significantly smaller mobile form factors that allowed the use of
personal mobile devices while on the move
Connectivity
 Developing devices and applications that allowed users to be online and communicate via
wireless data networks while on the move
Convergence
  Integrating emerging types of digital mobile devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants
(PDAs), mobile phones, music players, cameras, games, etc., into hybrid devices
Divergence
 Opposite approach to interaction design by promoting information appliances with
specialized functionality rather than generalized ones
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
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
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, …
App Store (iOS)
 2003: iTunes Music Store
 2008: iPhone App Store (iPhone 3G with App Store support)
 2015: > 100 billion app downloads
 2016: > 2 million apps
 2016: China biggest App Store market
 2016: App developers earned $20 billions
 Most downloaded app: Minecraft Pocket Edition (paid) and Pokemon GO (free)