Introduction to Mobile Computing

The rapidly expanding technology of cellular communication, wireless LANs, and satellite services will make information accessible anywhere and at any time. In the near future, tens of millions of people will carry a portable palmtop or laptop computer. Smaller units, often called personal digital assistants or personal communicators, will run on AA batteries and may have only a small memory; larger ones will be powerful laptop computers with large memories and powerful processors. Regardless of size, most mobile computers will be equipped with a wireless connection to the fixed part of the network, and, perhaps, to other mobile computers. The resulting computing environment, which is often referred to as mobile or nomadic computing, no longer requires users to maintain a fixed and universally known position in the network and enables almost unrestricted mobility. Mobility and portability will create an entire new class of applications and, possibly, new massive markets combining personal computing and consumer electronics.