Fundamentals of Mobile
Computing
CE00375-2
Introduction to the Module
jjc1@staffs.ac.uk
Ext 3292, Room C203, Beacon Building
Mobile Computing

Content
• What is Mobile Computing ?
• Module Staff
• Teaching Schedule
Lectures
 Tutorials

• Assessment
Assignment
 Examination

Mobile Computing

Biggest problem with Mobile communications
like the Internet is too many acronyms
WSP/B PDC POS CCIR BW UPT BSS MCC FHSS HIPERLAN IFS FIB SNDCP S-SAP WWW MSISD N LAI PDA ATIM CW DVB-T
ICMP PSN TTL HEC GIF LAPD CSCW ISO ITU LED CCH CDMA PA ITU-R PDN IEEE IrDA AIDCS CAC HTML CC NDC CCA
SNACK IMF JPEG HDTP DPCH HDB HO GWL CC XOR TD-CDMA JDC ISI RTT CTS BCA GTP SIM MMF CEPT SCPAS-TP SFD
UBR DPCCH SDM PTP-CLNS RL URI PHS TLLI MOT ARP CU UIM PPP AIB MNC WRC IMT-MC WSP WAP ATM-CL LBR PMA
TCH/F M-PNNI HCSAP EMAS EIRP CATV DNS V+D FW CSMA DCE DSL FSK PLL AESA CSMA/CD VC DH HDLC TI RAS MN
SDP DVTR CORBA GEO EDTV HMQoS TCH/FS HEO PAD HO-HMPDU SAP SDMA WML EHF HIB FEC FIC TC-HMPDU VDB
AID ACT FR PRACH AFS CIF LI PACS RIP Loc AGCH ASA IWF BLIR TR-SAP UDP SCF IMT-FT Cnf ISDN HTTP BPSK TFO ESS
RTT TMN MSRN SN PDO GMSC SIG CN HDTV AUS TUSSD CT SMS DFWMAC DHCP BSC KID ROM ETSI ISM QPSK UTRA
GRE TM Req DVB-S FPLMTS CCCH ISL MUL DC COFDMOSI AM DVB RTR SEQN COMS RSS PS PM TOS PC DAB PCS LS
RSA RRM CN TE IS XML LF SS7 M-NNI HI T-SAP COA RFID VCC PTP DTE CS PTM WMLScript MTSA BLIRCS RR IMSI DAMA
RAND MIB GMM PCH RA NSS LIR SH SDT BSSAP SAAL MATM WTLS TIM FT JCT PDTCH GFSK D-AMPS CDM PCM CSD SW
UMTS IV PSK ZIGBEE STA RIB EMAS-E MSDU TA RFC CLMS IR NMT RLP ACID NFC TINA DQPSK TFI GPRS PACS-UB VHF
PT ABR NSA WCAC NTSC EY- PMA TMSI TDT WDP CPU HMPDU SDU PLW DVB-C HAD CSMA/CA ACL MOC MACA Disassoc
TDM LAN DPDCH PLMN DLC QAM EIR AuC HID RM DA PLCP CM SNAP LOS CAC VNDC UHF WCMP L2CAP ARIB MSK ECDH
TETRA PHY DSDV HA TCH/H ASCII SRES WTA GSN CRC W3C PAL BRAN PSTN MEO MCM CKSN CVSD I-TCP SUMR HSCSD
LC RT POTS 3G HDACS TTC ASK FDMA T-TCP VBR-rt LRU BER DIFS BSS PPG HDML EDGE PRMA MSC NA-TDMA BFSK
SDTV TCP GMSK MS VPN NAT AMA SCO IMT-DS HF HCPDU USIM TCH/HS DS GPS CGI PLI WIM SDCCH NMAS MCI IMTTCCPM OFDM TIB ANSI BCCH ASP NFS ITU-T SFN TFTS WMT FRAD MHEG ATM NIB RLC WAN SGSN DECT PMD WTAI
FCCH FM CAMEL FA COS QoS UE PI TDD SCDMA LMP ARQN DCS VLR SATM VBR-nrt HM ACK SwMI FACCH DCCH LAPDm
AK-HCPDU DT-HCPDU WLAN SHF VAD SIFS WLL RA MSC PSF W-CTRL GP FDD UWC BSSGP BCH MT ID SMRIB UTRAN NNI
PIFS GGSN HCSDU IMT OMC AAL WTP DCF SCH FCA PDU IN IMT-SC SA PSPDN GERAN GSM EDGE RAN M-UNI DSR TCH
MAC RNS BMP OSS W-CDMA SCPS AMES IP WATM SC Auth SEC-SAP MF MS CBR NRL DSMA DBPSK 3GPP HC TDMA ML
MTC NAV AP M-TCP MBS PTP- ONS SC UD TSF PDF GSM ADSL UNI LEO MSAP PIN FDM PCF SSL BTSM ISMA VLF OTA ADA
SACCH DSSS RACH PUK PPM SAMA MM LAPC IOT PAD RTS Res ICO DTIM HBR CD TLS VBR DVD MSIN HCQoS LA DDIB SS
PNNI CIDR DTMF MSC EIT IMEI Codec UP ARQ UN ILR WAE IETF CDV Assoc HP DCA MH CDPD GAP LLC BTS LM B-ISDN
HLR M-QoS TPC TV WPAN SI RAL GR WP-CDMA AMPS NIT BLI MPEG VHE PCS CCF NET DAB HSDPA
Mobile Computing

What is Mobile Computing
• Network computing on the move
• No need for wires to connect the computer

A number of hardware technologies have
become available allowing this
• Battery life has improved
• Screen Technology allows smaller, high resolution low
power
• Radio modulation techniques are now more battery
efficient
• Processors and memory are cheaper and draw less
power
• Improved input methods- Virtual keyboard
Mobile Computing

As the hardware though has developed
• So have the software and uses

Non laptop devices have user updatable operating
systems installed
• These are specifically written for the hardware and its
needs
 Windows CE and the variations
 Symbian
 Apple I-Phone OS – Cut down OSx

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“Standard” software installed allowing improving
productivity
Software specifically written for the devices giving
profitability
• Mobile TV – video clips
Mobile Computing

When is Mobile computing useful
• Depending on the scenario different technology is required.

Wireless is not always the best solution even today wired
communications will be better in a lot of scenarios
• Consider a business person with a laptop trying to use email to
stop in touch
Wireless
Mobile
Fixed
Office
Yes
No
Yes
Hotel
Yes
Yes
Yes
Home
On the move
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Mobile Computing

Benefits of Commercial Mobile Computing can be
• Increase in profitability

Reduced costs in terms of communications, and increased work
due to the fact that you can respond quickly
• Improvement in Performance

Instant access can allow you to adapt even though you are
away from the office
• Simple example would be a parcel company while out getting
information to pick up a parcel and a route to the location
• Cost Savings

Cheap easily available communications, messaging, email
• A connected workforce

Allowing instant access to data files from work for example for
the worker who is on the road
• Improved competitiveness

The improvements given can then allow to either stay ahead of
the competition, or increasingly today, just to match the
competition

Definitions
Mobile Computing
• Satellite

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Very limited throughput
Available on a global basis
Extremely expensive per Mb
• Wireless
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Data communications over a wireless interface
No/limited roaming support
Common example is IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi)
Throughput from 1Mb to 200Mb + (in theory)
Susceptible to interference
Medium cost, free at home, payment required when away from home
• Mobile

Data communications with large area roaming
• Can have a high error rate in transmissions when moving



Examples would be GSM, GPRS, UMTS, HSDPA
Throughput from 9.6 Kbps to 2 Mbps, 7.2Mbps (in theory)
Expensive per Mb, a typical 59p per Mb
• Fixed

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Wired Infrastructure, with no roaming
Common Example is Ethernet
Throughput from 10Mb to 2Gbps
High reliability/availability
Cheap per Mb
Mobile Computing

What is a wireless/mobile device
Sensors,
Embedded controllers
Palmtop
- Compact keyboards
- Good graphics
- Faster processing
- Reasonable Storage
Mobile phone
- Voice, text, data
- Limited displays
- Limited interface
- Limited expansion
Performance and size
Pagers
- text only
- receive only
PDA
- Limited browsing
- Reasonable graphics
- Character recognition
- May contain mobile /
wireless hardware
- Stylus based interface
- Reasonable expansion
- Often Infrared enabled
Notebook
- Fully functional
- OS not specifically
designed for mobile use
Mobile Computing

Mobile Computing
• The number of devices is growing

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Mobile phones
Laptops
Small Cheap Computers (SCC)/Mini laptops
PDA’s
Communicators ! (not the Star Trek kind)
Headphones
Computer peripherals
Cars
Portable Games consoles
Electric/GAS Meters
Number of devices is increasing all the time
Mobile Computing

Mobile Computing
• Locations where people can gain access is also on the
increase popular Wi-Fi hot spots are
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Virgin Trains
Railway Stations
McDonalds
Public Libraries
TheCloud
Star Bucks Coffee Shops
Hilton Hotels
• This list will keep growing

Staffordshire University 
• Network access anywhere using mobile phone technology

Wide scale use
•
•
•
•
2G –
2.5G
3G –
3.5G
GSM
– GPRS, EDGE
UMTS
HSDPA
Mobile Computing

One Solution for all ????
• No one solution is suitable for all situations

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Devices need to change
Air interface technology
• A wireless technology is designed for a task
• Design Considerations

The design of these devices is different from a desktop
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reduced battery power
Reduced processing power
Slower network communications (mostly)
Reduced screen size
Reduced input capabilities
Increased risk of losing the device and data !
Reduced control over the usage
Mobile Computing

Who is Driving this technology
• Military usage

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What they are using will become available to us at a later stage
They are using wireless communications
•
•
•
•

Real-time feedback for the battlefield
Movement of intelligence
Satellite photographs provided to the commanders in the field
Intelligent Autonomous Devices
 LANDriod (http://www.darpa.mil/ipto/solicitations/open/07-46_PIP.pdf)
 Allows communications within a battlefield situation, where it
would normally be hard
 The intention is for these to move until the generate a
communications MESH using ADHOC technology
Real-time status of personnel and the requesting of medical
evacuation
Mobile Computing

Who is Driving this technology
• What we are now looking at for 3G technology

The military have been using for 30 years
• The communications were secure if the sequence was not known
• Difficult to jam the entire signal
• Is not effected by limited signal degradation
• New uses of the technologies are being developed

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Large numbers of Supermarkets are using Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID), to improve stock taking
Airports are trialling the same technology for airport baggage
Ambulance services are developing live feedback of data to
hospitals
Police vehicles that have a live feed to the national computer
• As of the Quarter 2 2008

There are currently 3.6 Billion cellular users
• (http://www.gsmworld.com/news/statistics/pdf/gsma_stats_
q2_08.pdf)
• This is a very large possible market place
Mobile Computing
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The big growth areas
• For Mobile communications are
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China
India
Pakistan
Africa
• http://www.alpha-2.info/Wireless-Providers-See-Growth-PotentialIn-The-Last-Frontier_a3049.html
• These communications allow flexibility and relatively cheap
installation of communications technology

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It is not financially worth installing a cable to each house in a
sparsely populated area
You can though install one transmitter which will allow
communications for all of these people
All of the benefits then of telecommunications are available to
these areas such as Internet connections with all of the benefits
Fundamentals of Mobile Computing
The Course
Fundamentals of Mobile Computing

Teaching Staff
• Kelvin Hilton

Lectures and Tutorials
• Justin Champion

Lectures and Tutorials
Fundamentals of Mobile Computing

Your expectation
• You are expected to
Attend 2 lectures per week of 1 hour each
 Attend a 1 hour tutorial slot
 Allocate private study time of about 9½
hours per week

• All of the material will be put onto the
website
Both tutorial and lectures
 Useful links will be put on the website

• www.fcet.staffs.ac.uk/jjc1
Fundamentals of Mobile Computing

Lectures
• These will be split between myself and
Kelvin
• They will discuss the theory and standards
behind various mobile data aware
technologies
1G to 3G mobile phones
 Wireless PANS
 Wireless LANS
 Wireless MANS
 The technologies and infrastructure which keep
these running

Fundamentals of Mobile Computing

Tutorials
• These will look at the development of a
application for a mobile device.
• Please attend the tutorial slot which is
convenient to you

We MAY have to force people though to attend
different slots, depending on how the numbers
work out
• Application

Will be developed in Microsoft Visual Basic 2008
Compact Framework (VB.NET CF)
• The Pocket PC SDK5 will be used in the labs as well

Each week a work sheet will be made available on
the website, working towards the assignment
Fundamentals of Mobile Computing

Assessment
• One piece of course work
• One examination

This will be taken in the normal examination period
• Broken into two parts
 Multiple Choice
 Open Questions
• Assignment (Course Work)

Develop an application for a mobile device with a real-world
scenario using VB 2008 CF
• This will build upon the material in the tutorials and will some
of your own private studies
• A report will be submitted for the infrastructure you would
recommend to run this application
Fundamentals of Mobile Computing

The Important Stuff
• In this course we want students to do WELL

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If there is a problem please let us know
It is quite normal in this course for confusion
• There are so many terms which are used
• Particular of interest is when the same thing is called different
items when differing technology is attached


If you are struggling then please do ask either Myself or
Kelvin
It is a very large subject area
• A lot of technology is covered by the general title of Mobile
Computing!
• It is difficult to follow all of the developments and we intend to
discuss only the ones which you will at the moment regular see
/ employers will expect you to know about
Conclusion

What we have discussed today
• Introduction to some concepts
• Teaching Team
• Assessment
Examination (50%)
 In course assessment (50%)
