Dan Mayer

dan@bandddesigns.com

Changing the Meaning of Mobile

Mobile computers serve a different purpose, so why is the software and hardware being designed as if they are used like desktops? Mobile devices are mobile and used on the go, and their design needs to consider this more. Mobile computers have applications developed for them that are emulating their desktop counterparts. Mobile computers have been built as stand alone devices that rely on synchronization to keep the data up to date with the data on a desktop computer. Mobile devices have really been designed as another peripheral for the desktop PC. Until mobile computers are designed and programmed for as a truly separate and superior entity users will never truly see the benefits of mobile computing. The design approach needs to change in several ways.

One of the largest problems holding back a true transformation of mobile computing is hardware design incentives. Currently mobile computers are designed with the idea that users want to be able to do everything we can do on our desktops anywhere. While this is good some of the time and certainly a goal worth trying to achieve, this doesn’t bring any of the real advantages of being mobile to you. Mobility allows you to work and play in ways that haven’t been explored by traditional programs. Building a mobile computer that is primarily trying to give desktop productivity “pigeonholes” mobile computing to always being a step behind and below traditional computer use. This design problem isn’t only limited to the hardware, but also to software design.

Use of a mobile device generally is very different than a desktop. On desktops users are working for productivity and design. The desktop is the producer of most of the information and the mobile device can be thought of as the consumer, or information retrieval device. This is not the case for everything, but is certainly true for many of the uses of mobile devices. Mobile devices are used to quickly find out anything that may be needed at the time a phone number, a meeting time, or a plane delay. Mobile users want this kind of information accessible to them at all times. The true use of a mobile device should be considered as a method to access and quickly make minor changes to any information required. Mobile devices generally aren't used to produce an entire file, they are used more to edit or view existing files.

What then should be focused on while designing new mobile computers? Hardware and software must be designed to utilize the advantages of being mobile and unattached to a location. Think of services that are really mobile services currently. GPS navigation and directions is one of the only widely used mobile service. This is an example of a great mobile solution. This is an application that was designed with being mobile specifically in mind. Now other applications that could truly take advantage of being mobile would be location based information retrieval. Imagine walking in New York and having your device inform you that an art festival is running that day about a block away. Imagine being in a part of the city you’re not familiar with and asking your device to find Italian restaurants within walking distance.

Location based information retrieval is a design aspect that is entirely ignored in current mobile hardware design. To truly have applications like this, the device needs access to data and access to its current location. For access to data some devices have began building in Wifi to the hardware design. Wifi is great when you have a connection, but it is in very limited areas. It isn’t a truly mobile solution because if you move you lose the connection. Mobile devices need to be built in a way to access data anywhere and while moving from place to place. The solution would be combining cell phone data capabilities into the device. This has only been done by a tiny percentage of the mobile computers being built. This is a connection that should be built into all mobile computers to truly be able to take advantage of being able to go anywhere.

Location based information retrieval also requires knowledge of the current location. This aspect also has been ignored in hardware designs. Not one consumer pocket pc has been created with built in GPS capabilities. Hardware has been design so that third party developers can create GPS add upgrades. Then the software is mostly priority software for that specific GPS device. Also since most users don’t have GPS, a tiny fraction of mobile applications have been created to take the location into account. When applications are designed to take this into account users will truly begin to see applications that could have never existed before.

To truly develop applications that can use locations in ways never thought of before require a connection to the Internet. All the information about locations just can’t be statically stored, it must be dynamically maintained. This is why the need for cellular data capabilities is also a must to foster a new revolution in mobile software design. Having these two capabilities together opens an entire new realm of software possibilities. This would create an opportunity for mobile applications that are not just extensions of desktop use. Instead applications that only exist with mobility, applications that would be next to useless on a traditional computer. This is one of the ways mobile computing should begin to innovate.

Adding these ideas to the design of mobile computers doesn’t go against existing uses. In fact it improves today’s traditional mobile use. With a new focus on mobility all applications developed to emulate desktop applications are still capable. Changing the design to take advantage of mobility does not sacrifice design concepts that are already in use. The new concepts only bring more and innovative capabilities to an already incredibly useful device. Speed, storage, and ease of use will only become increasingly important when moving on to more mobile uses of computers. It will encourage faster processors to handle other input methods such as voice recognition, which is more important on small mobile devices without good keyboards.

Instead of syncing only when sitting with your desktop, Changes could be synchronized instantly. If the concept of syncing was change to the idea of at all times sharing information, it would also allow new opportunities. Instead of a program such as Activesync comparing and copying files, it would be written to access and update information. The difference is small but important. Currently synchronization is the concept of comparing certain files and only making those files equal. When the concept is information there is now access not only to specific files that are specified to be moved, but to any information available to either device. If your mobile computer changes a phone number both situations would update the number on both computers. With information access when the mobile device needs an image stored on the computers hard drive it can access it just the same as accessing a phone number. Activesync wouldn’t be a program to copy and update. It would be written as an interface to access all information on a computer from anywhere. This kind of total information sharing can only be done when a device always has access to a connection to the Internet. Activesync would evolve into an intelligent personal server.

Mobile computing has come a long way. All the technology required to make devices for mobility have been around for some time now. Mobile computing now just needs be fully realized as a new way to work, surpassing its roots as a stationary and uninformed device. The concept of mobile computing needs to be changed more than the devices themselves. Mobile computing could bring about new methods of productivity and entertainment that couldn’t be considered until a few years ago. Change the concept of mobility and realize a mobile computer can be much more than just a new way to do old tricks.

Examples of a projects being designed to be true mobile computing:

http://www.cs.colorado.edu/%7El3d/clever/projects/lifeline.html

http://www.cs.colorado.edu/%7El3d/clever/projects/maps.html

To see some of my other thoughts visit: www.wastedbrains.com
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