Mobile Computing : A technology that allows transmission of data, via a computer, without having to be
connected to a fixed physical link.
Mobile voice communication is widely established throughout the world and has had a very rapid increase in the number of subscribers to the various cellular networks over the last few years. An extension of this technology is the ability to send and receive data across these cellular networks. This is the principle of mobile computing. Mobile data communication has become a very important and rapidly evolving technology as it allows users to transmit data from remote locations to other remote or fixed locations. This proves to be the solution to the biggest problem of business people on the move - mobility. Mobile Computing is "taking a computer and all necessary files and software out into the field. Mobile computing is any type of computing which use Internet or intranet and respective communications links, as WAN, LAN, WLAN etc. Mobile computers may form awireless personal network or a piconet. There are at least three different classes of mobile computing items: portable computers, compacted lightweight units including a full character set keyboard and primarily intended as hosts for software that may be parametrized, as laptops, notebooks, notepads, etc. mobile phones including a restricted key set primarily intended but not restricted to for vocal communications, as cell phones, smart phones, phonepads, etc. wearable computers, mostly limited to functional keys and primarily intended as incorporation of software agents, as watches, wristbands, necklaces, keyless implants, etc. The existence of these classes is expected to be long lasting, and complementary in personal usage, none replacing one the other in all features of convenience..
APPLICATIONS OF MOBILE COMPUTING The question that always arises when a business is thinking of buying a mobile computer is "Will it be worth it?" In many fields of work, the ability to keep on the move is vital in order to utilise time efficiently. Efficient utilisation of resources (ie: staff) can mean substantial savings in transportation costs and other non quantifyable costs such as increased customer attention, impact of on site maintenance and improved intercommunication within the business. The importance of Mobile Computers has been highlighted in many fields of which a few are described below: For Estate Agents Estate agents can work either at home or out in the field. With mobile computers they can be more productive. They can obtain current real estate information by accessing multiple listing services, which they can do from home, office or car when out with clients. They can provide clients with immediate feedback regarding specific homes or neighborhoods, and with faster loan approvals, since applications can be submitted on the spot. Therefore, mobile computers allow them to devote more time to clients. Emergency Services Ability to recieve information on the move is vital where the emergency services are involved. Information regarding the address, type and other details of an incident can be dispatched quickly, via a CDPD system using mobile computers, to one or several appropriate mobile units which are in the vicinity of the incident.Here the reliability and security implemented in the CDPD system would be of great advantage. In courts Defense counsels can take mobile computers in court. When the opposing counsel references a case which they are not familiar, they can use the computer to get direct, real-time access to on-line legal database services, where they can gather information on the case and related precedents. Therefore mobile computers allow immediate access to a wealth of information, making people better informed and prepared. In companies Managers can use mobile computers in, say, critical presentations to major customers. They can access the latest market share information. At a small recess, they can revise the presentation to take advantage of this information. They can communicate with the office about possible new offers and call meetings for discussing responds to the new proposals. Therefore, mobile computers can leverage competitive advantages. Stock Information Collation/Control In environments where access to stock is very limited ie: factory warehouses. The use of small portable electronic databases accessed via a mobile computer would be ideal. Data collated could be directly written to a central database, via a CDPD network, which holds all stock information hence the need for transfer of data to the central computer at a later date is not necessary. This ensures that from the time that a stock count is completed, there is no inconsistency between the data input on the portable computers and the central database. Credit Card Verification At Point of Sale (POS) terminals in shops and supermarkets, when customers use credit cards for transactions, the intercommunication required between the bank central computer and the POS terminal, in order to effect verification of the card usage, can take place quickly and securely over cellular channels using a mobile computer unit. This can speed up the transaction process and relieve congestion at the POS terminals. Taxi/Truck Dispatch Using the idea of a centrally controlled dispatcher with several mobile units (taxis), mobile computing allows the taxis to be given full details of the dispatched job as well as allowing the taxis to communicate information about their whereabouts back to the central dispatch office. This system is also extremely useful in secure deliveries ie: Securicor. This allows a central computer to be able to track and recieve status information from all of its mobile secure delivery vans. Again, the security and reliabilty properties of the CDPD system shine through. information storage and retrieval, the systematic process of collecting and cataloging data so that they can be located and displayed on request. Computers and data processing techniques have made possible the high- speed, selective retrieval of large amounts ofinformation for government, commercial, and academic purp oses. There are several basic types of information-storage-and-retrieval systems Document- retrieval systems store entire documents, which are usually retrieved by title or by key words associated with the document. Insome systems, the text of documents is stored as data. This permits full text searchi ng, enabling retrieval on the basis of any words in thedocument. In others, a digitized image of the docum ent is stored, usually on a write-once optical disc. Database systems store theinformation as a series of discrete records that are, in turn, divided into discrete fields (e.g., name, address, and phone number); records canbe searched and retrieved on the basis of the c ontent of the fields (e.g., all people who have a particular telephone area code). The data arestored within the computer, either in main storage or auxiliary storage, for ready access. Reference- retrieval systems store references todocuments rather than the documents themselves. Such systems, in re sponse to a search request, provide the titles of relevant documentsand frequently their physical locations. Such systems are efficient when large amounts of different types of printed data must be stored. Theyhav e proven extremely effective in libraries, where material is constantly changing. Data retrieval, in database management, involves extracting the wanted data from a database. The two primary forms of the retrieved data are reports and queries. In order to retrieve the desired data the user present a set of criteria by a query. Then the Database Management System (DBMS), software for managing databases, selects the demanded data from the database. The retrieved data may be stored in a file, printed, or viewed on the screen.
Outline The Main Business Applications of Mobile Computing and Describe The Importance of These Applications in The Wireless Business Domain. Answer Mobile Computing