Page 190 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

6.2 The Enabling Infrastructure: Components and Services of Mobile Computing 173

TechTarget Bitpipe, wireless mobile computing, also known
• Expedites communication (e.g., locate people; get as nomadic computing, is the use of portable computing
fast answers to queries; compare prices while in devices (such as laptops and handheld computers) in con-
physical stores or via shopping comparison sites/ junction with mobile communications technologies to enable
apps). users access to the Internet and data on their home or work
• Increases affordability over the cost of using desk- computers from anywhere in the world (see bitpipe.com/
top computing in some countries. tlist/Wireless-Computing.html).
• Allows “smart” applications. This section briefly discusses the major technologies and
application areas of mobile computing systems. For an
extensive list of related terms, see mobileinfo.com/Glossary
and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_computing. For the
Benefits to Society importance and magnitude of mobile computing, see
Gannes (2013), who presents the relevant highlights from
There are many benefits to society. For example, self-driving Meeker’s 2013 Internet Trends. For the introduction and his-
cars can reduce accidents; smart cities can benefit the dwell- tory of mobile computing, see Livingston’s presentation at
ers and visitors. Contributions are in almost any field, from slideshare.net/davidjlivi/introduction-history-of-mobile-
medical care and education to law enforcement. Significant computing.
reductions in energy expenses are achieved by using smart
grids. Traffic jams can be reduced by using wireless sensors
and much more. Mobile Devices
There are some limitations to m-commerce, which are
discussed in Section 6.9. Mobile devices come in all shapes and sizes—laptops, thin-
and- light notebooks, tablet computers, smartphones, ultra
portables, and ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs). What distin-
SECTION 6.1 REVIEW QUESTIONS guishes one type of mobile computer from another are its dif-
ferent capabilities, such as physical dimensions, shape, and
1. Define m-commerce. the executions of the capabilities. Most of the major computer
2. Briefly describe the five value-added attributes of m-comm- manufacturers (HP, Apple, Dell, ASUS, Toshiba, ACER, and
erce. Lenovo) produce thin laptops and ultra portables.
3. List and briefly describe eight major drivers of m-com- A few years ago, portable computers, cell phones, and
merce (see Online File W6.1 and Figure 6.2). other mobile devices were different from each other and had
4. Describe the framework of m-commerce applications. unique features. Today, all of these devices are converging so
5. What are the major categories of m-commerce applications? that it is sometimes difficult to tell them apart (from a func-
6. Describe the landscape of m-commerce. tional perspective).
7. What are the major benefits of m-commerce? Mobile devices can be large. Several manufacturers offer
8. Describe the major online enterprise applications. special handheld devices and 23″ laptops or mobile worksta-
tions are available (e.g., Dell, HP, and Lenovo). For an exam-
ple, see Weiss (2015). Tablets are available in a 7″ or 13″
6.2 THE ENABLING INFRASTRUCTURE: screen. Smartphones come in a variety of sizes.
COMPONENTS AND SERVICES
OF MOBILE COMPUTING Smartphones

The technology that supports m-commerce is very diversi- A smartphone is a mobile phone with Internet access and
fied. Here we concentrate on some major technology items. PC-like functionality (such as iPhone).
There is a wide range and variety of smartphone manufac-
turers. Note that smartphones get “smarter” with time and
Overview of Mobile Computing add features and capabilities. There is also a wide variety of
operating systems, including Symbian, Google Apps,
In the traditional computing environment, users were con- Android, Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Apple OS/X, RIM
fined to desktop computers in fixed locations. A solution to BlackBerry, and Google’s Chrome OS. Like PDAs, smart-
this situation is wireless mobile computing (mobile com- phones have small screens, keyboards, memory, and storage.
puting), where computing is done by using mobile devices Most smartphones have built-in cameras and some are
at any place connected to a wireless network. According to GPS-enabled.