1. Introduction

< BACK  NEXT >

[oR]

Chapter 1. Introduction

Around twenty years ago a computer revolution started when the IBM PC was released. The IBM PC took computing away from the air-conditioned environment of the mainframe and minicomputer and put it onto the desk of potentially everyone. Nowadays most workers have a PC on their desk, and many have a PC at home, too. Laptop computers allow users to have one computer that can be used both at home and at work, as well as on the road. PCs are generic computing devices providing tremendous computing power and flexibility, and all PCs in the world from laptops to desktop PCs and through to servers have fundamentally the same architecture. Living through the PC era has been fun, frustrating, and exciting. However, there is an even bigger revolution on the way with more potential and even more challenges the move to truly mobile-device-based computing.

In the last few years computing devices have been coming onto the market that provide unparalleled portability and accessibility. Microsoft Windows CE devices, such as the palm-size device and handheld PC, provide cutdown desktop PC capabilities in a really small footprint, and Palm Pilot has been a very successful PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Microsoft Pocket PC has tremendous features for enterprise computing, games, and entertainment. The Windows CE operating system has been embedded into many appliances (such as gas pumps and productions systems) for monitoring and control. Unlike the generic PC, these computing devices are not all the same and are designed for specific purposes.

We think of laptop PCs as being mobile devices, but really they are a convenient way of moving a PC from desktop to desktop. Think of a situation where I go to a client's offices, and as I walk through the door I want to check the names of the people I will be meeting. With a laptop computer, I have to power-on (assuming I haven't let the battery run down), wait for the operating system to boot, login, run my calendar application, and look up the information. This whole operation could take five minutes during which I have to suffer quizzical looks from the receptionist. The same scenario with a true mobile device is entirely different with instant power-on and one-click access to my calendar, I can have the information within 30 seconds.

Most people tend to think of a mobile worker as the typical road warrior, out of the office taking orders from customers and flying or driving from here to there and never visiting the office from one week to the next. Sales force automation (SFA) and field engineer support are classic applications for this type of activity. The reality, though, is that we are all mobile workers start thinking of a mobile worker as someone away from his or her desk. If I am at a project status meeting, I may be expected to take decisions or provide comments on a project's progress. I need to have the information in front of me, but chances are it is on my desktop PC back in the office. With a mobile device, I can bring the information withme.

The mobile devices are designed to fill in the gaps in our lives where we haven't had convenient access to computing. The desktop PC provides computing capability at the desk at work and at home. Mobile devices allow access to computing while commuting and traveling, at client meetings, on holidays, and anywhere else we may be. Computing is not just about work, so these devices can also entertain. I can listen to my favorite music, play a game, or read abook.

To date, most devices have worked their way into organizations through personal purchases. The devices arrive in the office on Monday morning and are hooked up to the desktop PC; information such as contacts and tasks are then downloaded onto the device. Of course, this doesn't always work the first time, so IT support staff are called in to try to support a device that may be new to them. Consequently, many organizations are now starting to produce strategies for adopting and supporting mobile devices. It soon becomes apparent that these devices should be enterprise players and have the capability of downloading, uploading, and manipulating data from databases, the Internet, and the intranet.

Mobile devices are not just about mobility. For example, desktop Windows CE devices are available that provide thin-client computing. They have Windows Terminal Server client installed, allowing them to effectively run Windows NT and 2000 applications. Being thin clients, they are easy to set up, configure, and maintain. Windows CE has successfully been embedded into many different custom devices by developers around the world.

As devices are produced which combine technologies, the possibilities become even more exciting. Combining a computing device with a GSM phone allows mobile computing with access to data even when a telephone connection is not present. Enterprise servers can push data down onto the devices without user intervention the device will even wake itself up to receive the data. By incorporating GPS (Global Positioning System) support, a device's location may be determined very accurately, and this can be used to direct the user to a local service, such as a coffee shop or gas station. Harnessing these possibilities requires applications, and this book shows how to do just that using the Windows CE operating system.

< BACK  NEXT >