Mobile Computing

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The emergence of mobile computing follows the revolution in web technologies. Mobile computing has triggered the development of software services in two directions. First, the advent of mobile computing has empowered service consumers with a device through which they can access services from anywhere and at any time. At the same time, it has empowered service providers with mechanisms to provide personalized and localized services to consumers.

This technology allows us to transfer data, voice and video through a device that is not physically connected to the network. The three main components of mobile computing include:

1. Hardware These includes devices such as laptops, smartphones, tablets or iPad and wearable computers. One of these devices' characteristics is that they are low-powered. They consume less electric power, small display size, and low memory than high-end computing devices such as desktops and server machines. Further, from the storage point of view, such devices include small memory to store software needed for bootstrapping, i.e. Basic Input Output Software (BIOS). The absence of a physical keyboard is also the characteristics of many mobile devices.

2. Software Different kinds of software have been designed to work in resource-constrained or limited hardware for mobile computing. It includes specially designed operating systems, human-computer interfaces, and application software. Android and iOS are some of the widely used OS for mobile computing purposes. Providing support to build location-specific services, mechanisms to handle audio, video, voice data, and security are prominent features that are commonly offered by this software.

3. Communication It includes a set of protocols and data formats that guides the development of communication infrastructure. These protocols include:

   1. 4G Protocols Fourth generation mobile communication protocols are currently being used in many mobile devices. It is a broadband cellular network protocol supporting web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high definition mobile TV, and video conferencing.

   2. Global Positioning System (GPS) It is a space-based satellite navigation system. It provides location and time information anywhere on or near the Earth. It works in all situations where there exists the line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. GPS is useful for air traffic control, weather, and location services.

   3. Long Term Evolution (LTE) This protocol is a part of 4G technology. It is used for high-speed data transfer over wireless medium by mobile phones. The high-speed data transfer is achieved through special-purpose modulation techniques designed for wireless medium.

   4. WiMax, The term WiMax, stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. It is a standard protocol for wireless communication supporting a data transfer rate of up to 30-40Mbps. It overcomes the physical distance limitation of 30 m in length for LAN and supports communication up to 50Km, extending to the metropolitan network.

Mobile computing offers various benefits such as location flexibility, saves travel time, streamlines business processes, and increases productivity. Simultaneously, this technology exposes users to certain risks by exposing location-specific information, which violates privacy and poses many security risks.