Mobile Computing: Module 1.1

UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU)

There are more mobile devices accessing the Internet than there are human beings living on Earth, according to

Mobile Computing

Refers to 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.

Mobile Communication

Refers to the infrastructure put in place to ensure that seamless and reliable communication goes on.

Mobile Hardware

Includes mobile devices or device components that receive or access the service of mobility.

Mobile Software

Actual program that runs on mobile hardware.

Mobile Platforms

Refer to the hardware-software environment for laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other portable devices.

Windows and Mac

Environments lead the field for laptops

Apple and Android

Environments lead in the area of smartphones and tablets

Mobile Apps

Computer programs that run in these hardware-software environments, specially designed for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

Information Retrieval

Mobile Apps are originally meant for what and general activities such as email, calendar, contacts, and so on.

Apps

Are downloaded to a target device such as the iPhone, Android, or Windows phone. Some can also be downloaded to laptops or desktops. Can be either free or paid.

Mobile Apps Market

More mobile subscribers prefer using mobile apps to browsing the web with more than 100 billion apps downloaded in a year (2013). Although most of them are free apps, they still generate revenues worth billions of dollars.

1G or First Generation

Since the introduction of this generation systems in 1981, each new generation of mobile technology has been characterized by new frequency bands, higher data rates, and non-backward compatible transmission technology.

Global System for Mobile Communications

Is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to describe protocols for second generation or 2G cellular networks.

GSM Evolution or EDGE

GSM has expanded to include data communications in Enhanced Data Rates for what?

LTE or Long-Term Evolution

Also referred to as 4G LTE. It is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals, which increases the capacity and speed of data networks.

Personal Digital Assistants (PDA)

The advent of portable computers and laptops, PC tablets and smartphones, has in turn made mobile computing very convenient.