Mobile Computing devices

Second Position Paper
By Kamakshi Samala

According to Wikipedia, Mobile Computing is a generic term that describes ones ability to use the 'untethered' technology, that is not physically connected, or the one that is in a remote or mobile (non static) environment. A mobile computing device allows storing, organizing, and accessing information through internet wireless connection or through a private network. It can run on a number of operating environments, like a compact version of Microsoft Windows and Linux, as well as also on the operating environments that are not available on desktop computers, such as the Palm OS and Research in Motion's RIM OS. A mobile device can feature a scaled-down keyboard, a pen-like stylus, or both. They are powered by batteries which have to be charged for usage. Their size usually ranges from business cards to a paperback book. They are portable and smaller and have more capacity. Example of mobile devices are Laptop computer with wireless WAN or LAN technology, Subnotebook, Personal digital assistant (PDA), Portable data terminal (PDT) with Bluetooth or IRDA interfaces, Mobile data terminal (MDT), Tablet personal computer, Smartphone, etc.

The emergence of powerful portable computers, along with the advances in wireless communication technologies, has made mobile computing a reality and a new era in data communication and processing. The days of being restricted to ones desk by cables and cords are gone. No use of a cable can mean loosing of control, and according to any IT manager’s perspective, every new device and protocol that enters a company, may create new management challenges.

Pros

• Mobile computing has both positive and negative impacts on both individual and business.
• The most common and the most significant benefit of mobile computing is that it keeps people in touch.
• Personal choice: If people are willing to pay the price for freedom, mobile computing devices can really help people do things in a different ways and in a much flexible manner. Of course, for example, laptops require a lot of peripherals to duplicate the abilities of a complete desktop system, but if an individual doesn’t mind spending the extra money for the ability to work, surf and play on the fly then a laptop may be their best solution.
• Benefit to Business:
  1. Mobile computing has had a positive impact on businesses by inspiring innovation or the improved exchange of ideas.
  2.Businesses benefits from using cell phones to reach employees in the field or by having workers use wireless laptops to run applications on-site. Surveys have indicated that this helped to increase communications and data sharing among employees. This way with better communication, the employees become more productive.
  3.IT managers who support home users, branch offices or employees who frequently travel may like to equip them with new portable mobile computing devices that are easy to set up and use, and may also increase the chances that users will actually back up their systems.
  4.Mobile Management Strategies: Today's workforce needs to be more mobile in order to compete. Mobile workers need access to company data and communications while on road and this needs to done in a secure and reliable way. This makes things handy for them to visit several company locations and have access to spreadsheets, email and the company WAN (wide area network) at each location. Also, IT departments must keep up with the challenges of securing and managing mobile access.
  5.Wireless and handhelds are witnessing better integration. PDAs for example, play a crucial role in tackling enterprise issues such as database access, supply chain management and sales force automation. Therefore, when devising a mobile computing strategy, enterprises should look internally first. This way IT enterprises can focus on developing good relationships with solution providers and integrate end-to-end, single point solutions with a targeted ROI (return on investment) in mind.
  
• Easy Backup: Most mobile computing devices come with software that provides one-button backup or automatic file synchronization between two or more computers. Sometimes the software can even store operating system and application configuration settings, allowing users to restore not only their data but also their preferred settings, applications and email on any available computer.
• Benefit to Individuals:
  
  1. Mobile computing devices have almost all the functionalities as regular desktop.
  2. Ensures speedy implementation.
  3. Ensures easy integration help.
  4. Ensures cross-platform capability: Numerous laptop models are made for both PCs and Macs, ensuring a smooth transition from existing technology.
  5. Student can benefit by having regular, reliable access to technology which makes the learning process easy
  
  
  Cons
• Size: Portable and handheld’s screen makes it difficult to read large bodies of text.
• Limited features: If one wants to create complex PowerPoint presentations or other extensive documents, the mobile computing device isn't the best option.
• Limited communication bandwidth.
• Frequent disconnection caused.
• Prototyping.
• Transactional properties.
• Optimization of location dependent query processing.
• Data visualization.
• Security:
  1. As the number and diversity of mobile computing devices and its users, and access locations are increasing, the ability to manage and control data security is the biggest concern. There has been increase in the security threat to mobile devices, and this has become a serious problem for organizations. An organization may have a layered network security approach for its headquarters or large offices, but the branch offices are often overlooked. Lapses in security in smaller locations can make the overall organization vulnerable to attacks. Therefore, to address the need for remote office security management, both security and networking vendors are offering a new form of security products that protect branch offices and provide central management as well.
  
  2. Mobile computing devices contain a lot of memory (disks and/or RAM), and are highly portable and frequently unprotected. They are relatively easy to be stolen or lost, and unless precautionary measures are taken, an unauthorized person can gain access to all the information stored inside them. The result can be a useless device infected with a virus, or a device whose data has been invisibly downloaded by an intruder. The worst situation can be when an intruder installs a spyware program that easily captures the owner's personal and valuable information’s (e.g., credit card numbers, passwords, etc.).
  
  The best practices to follow to minimize the security concerns can be:
  1.Keep the patches up to date if the device is a laptop computer.
  2.Use a password to lock the system.
  3.Use locking devices on portable computers.
  4.Use a personal firewall on computers.
  5.When using wireless connectivity features (e.g., 802.11, Bluetooth) make sure the device's security settings are set as strong as possible.
  6.Encryption is the most reliable way to prevent people from viewing confidential data.
  
  
  Therefore, in my opinion Mobile computing devices is an emerging technology and has made computing a reality. Among the applications that are finding their way to the mobile computing devices, it’s seen that market for these devices is growing rapidly and is predicted that it may grow to over $550 billion by 2008. But the growth of the mobile-device market is limited by problems related to cost, speed, security, privacy, usability, and trust. Lack of consumer trust is considered to be the most significant long-term barrier for mobile commerce. Therefore, ultimately it depends on the end user (for example, organization or an individual) to carefully compare their computing needs with the advantages and disadvantages and the chances are that whichever device they choose, it will prove to be an effective tool in day to day life and business.