Mobile computing

Mobile computing is a term used to describe an array of electronic devices that provide access to data at any time or place. Mobile computers include laptops, tablets, smartphones, e-book readers, portable media players, and digital cameras. Most mobile computing devices offer Internet access and include a wide variety of capabilities that serve users' needs. Some, however, are more specialized and are designed to serve one specific purpose. Mobile computers gradually evolved as an alternative to traditional desktop computers, which are comparatively stationary. Since the first portable computers began to appear in the early 1980s, mobile computing has come to represent the cutting edge of information technology. Innovative devices such as smartphones and tablets have transformed the way people access information and connect with one another on a daily basis. Moreover, such devices have completely revolutionized the very nature of computing through their increased versatility and portability.

Brief History

The idea of mobile computing first came to fruition with the emergence of the mobile computer in the early 1980s. By that time, the personal computer (PC) was rapidly becoming one of the twentieth century's most important technological innovations. Although the PCs of that era were much smaller and more capable than the massive, room-sized computers first developed in the 1940s and 1950s, they still were largely stationary devices that were too cumbersome to be easily transportable. As PCs gradually became more popular and the PC market grew, manufacturers began looking for new ways to get a piece of that market for themselves. One way of doing that was to create a computer that was more portable than the standard desktop PC and more convenient for people on the go. Ultimately, the effort to create such a device led to the development of the mobile computer, the forerunner of the modern laptop. The first mobile computer was the Osborne 1. Made by the Osborne Computer Corporation in 1981, the Osborne 1 was a hefty yet portable computer featuring a tiny built-in screen, a pair of floppy drives, a modem port, a battery pack, and a detachable keyboard. Although it was not a success, the Osborne 1 introduced the concept of mobile computing and paved the way for many of the devices that would follow in its footsteps.

By the 1990s, mobile computing was quickly emerging as a popular alternative to traditional computing. As a result, a wide array of new mobile computing devices began to appear, including tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and digital cameras. The 1990s also saw the debut of the first smartphones, which were portable telephones that doubled as simple computers. In the early twenty-first century, improved smartphones became some of the most widely used mobile computing devices. Even more mobile computer devices appeared in the 2000s and 2010s, including e-book readers and portable media players. In the modern marketplace, the popularity of mobile computing devices remains strong, with new devices being developed and released at a rapid pace. In fact, mobile computing devices have become some of the most sought-after consumer products available for purchase.

Overview

The most prominent type of mobile computer is the laptop computer. Laptops essentially are desktop computers that are designed to be more portable than their traditional counterparts. Most laptops have the same capabilities as desktop computers. The largest and most capable type of laptop is the notebook computer. Virtually identical to the typical desktop in everything but appearance, notebooks usually feature a keyboard and touchpad assembly that sits atop the system unit and a hinged flat-screen monitor that flips up from the unit. Unlike most desktops, notebooks can operate on battery power as well as AC power. In addition to notebooks, there are smaller laptops known as netbooks. These lightweight, ultra-thin devices often have only limited capabilities as compared to notebooks. As a result, they are considerably less common.

Similar to the netbook is the tablet, which is a flat computer device that the user manipulates with his or her fingers or with the help of a special pen called a stylus. The tablet originated in 1989 with the introduction of the GRidPad. Made by Grid Systems, the GRidPad was a five-pound device with a simple grayscale display screen. Modern tablets have dramatically improved the GRidPad's humble design. Popular contemporary tablets such as Apple's iPad and the Microsoft Surface offer many of the same capabilities as laptops and desktops, including high-speed Internet access and high-definition (HD) video displays.

The most common type of mobile computer is the smartphone. The smartphone was an attempt to build on another device that was quickly gaining prominence in the early 1990s: the cell phone. Cell phones were a cutting-edge technology that was just beginning to appear at the time. In 1994, IBM attempted to take the then-primitive cell phone to the next level with a device they called the Simon Personal Communicator. The Simon combined cell phone technology with computing technology similar to that of tablets. Although it was very limited and attracted little interest, the Simon was the first device that could accurately be called a smartphone. In the late 1990s, the smartphone concept was revived thanks to the success of the PDA, which essentially was a handheld tablet device. As cell phones became more advanced, manufacturers developed new phones that incorporated many of the PDA's capabilities and effectively created the first modern smartphones. Contemporary smartphones such as the iPhone have virtually all the same capabilities as tablet computers, in addition to normal cell phone capabilities.

A wide variety of other mobile computing devices also are available to the modern consumer. Some of the most popular of these include portable media players such as the iPod, which allows the user to store and play an array of digital audio recordings. Also popular are e-book readers such as Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook, which allow users to store and read books and magazines without having to purchase hard copies. Some e-book readers double as tablets. Despite serving only a single purpose, digital cameras also are considered mobile computing devices.

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