Introduction to Mobile Computing

with Android
Prof. Manish Kumar Joshi, Assistant Professor
IT & Computer Science
 CHAPTER-1
Road to Android
Introduction to Mobile Computing
It is a technology that allows transmission of data, voice and video via a
computer or any other wireless enabled device without having to be
connected to a fixed physical link.

Mobile Computing involves three things-

• Mobile Communication
• Mobile Hardware
• Mobile Software.
Mobile Communication

Mobile Communication

Mobile & Wired Fixed & Wireless

Fixed &Wired Fixed & Wireless

Mobile Hardware

Mobile hardware includes mobile

devices or device components that
receive or access the service of
mobility. They would range from
portable laptops, smart phones,
tablet Pc's, Personal Digital
Assistants.
Mobile Software

Mobile software is the actual

program that runs on the mobile
hardware. It deals with the
characteristics and requirements of
mobile applications. This is the
engine of the mobile device. In other
terms, it is the operating system of
the appliance. It's the essential
component that operates the mobile
device.
Evolution of Mobile Computing

In today's computing world, different

technologies have emerged. These
have grown to support the existing
computer networks all over the
world. With mobile computing, we
find that the need to be confined
within one physical location has
been eradicated. We hear of terms
such as telecommuting, which is
being able to work from home or the
field but at the same time accessing
resources as if one is in the office.
Advantages Mobile Computing

1. Location Flexibility
2. Saves Time
3. Enhanced Productivity
4. Ease of Research
5. Entertainment
6. Streaming of Business Processes
Current Trends in Mobile Computing

• 3G
• GPS
• LTE
• WIMAX
• NFC
Applications of Mobile Computing

• Web or Internet Access

• GPS
• Emergency Services
• Entertainment Services
• Educational Services.
Limitations of Mobile Computing
• Insufficient bandwidth
• Security standards
• Power consumption
• Transmission interferences
• Potential health hazards
• Human interface with device.
Architecture of Mobile Computing
Architecture of Mobile Computing

One of the most interesting things about a cell phone is that it is actually a
radio – an extremely sophisticated radio, but a radio nonetheless.
The telephone was invented by
“Alexander Graham Bell’ in
1876, and wireless
communication can trace its
roots to the invention of the
radio by Nikolai Tesla in the
1880s. It was only natural that
these two great technologies
would eventually be combined!
Cellular Approach

The cellular approach requires a large number of base stations in a city of

any size. A typical large city can have hundreds of towers. But because so
many people are using cell phones,
costs remain low per user. Each
carrier in each city also runs one
central office called the Mobile
Telephone Switching Office (MTSO).
This office handles all of the phone
connections to the normal land-based
phone system, and controls all of the
base stations in the region.
Cellular Networks

• First Generation (1G)

• Second Generation (2G)
• Third Generation (3G)
• Fourth Generation (4G)
Mobile IP
Mobile IP is a communication protocol (created by extending Internet
Protocol, IP) that allows the users to move from one network to another
with the same IP address. It ensures that the communication will continue
without user’s sessions or connections being dropped.
Key Mechanism in Mobile IP

• Agent Discovery
• Agent Registration
• Tunneling
Route Optimization in Mobile IP
The route optimization adds a conceptual data structure, the binding
cache, to the correspondent node. The binding cache contains bindings
for mobile node’s home address and its current care-of-address. Every
time the home agent receives a IP datagram that is destined to a mobile
node currently away from the home network, it sends a binding update to
the correspondent node to update the information in the correspondent
node’s binding cache. After this the correspondent node can directly
tunnel packets to the mobile node.
Mobile Software Development
The mobile development community is at a tipping point. Mobile users
demand more choice, more opportunities to customize their phones, and
more functionality. Mobile operators want to provide value-added content
to their subscribers in a manageable and lucrative way. Mobile
developers want the freedom to develop the powerful mobile applications
users demand with minimal roadblocks to success. Finally, handset
manufacturers want a stable, secure, and affordable platform to power
their devices. Upuntil now single mobile platform has adequately
addressed the needs of all the parties.
Mobile Software Development in Past
Early mobile phones were not particularly full featured. These early
phones did little more than make and receive calls and, if you were lucky,
there was a simple contacts application that wasn’t impossible to use.
These first-generation mobile phones were designed and developed by
the handset manufacturers. Competition was fierce and trade secrets
were closely guarded. Manufacturers didn’t want to expose the internal
workings of their handsets, so they usually developed the phone software
in-house. As a developer, if you weren’t part of this inner circle, you had
no opportunity to write applications for the phones.
Wireless Application Protocol
The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) standard emerged to address
these concerns. Simply put, WAP was a stripped-down version of HTTP,
which is the backbone protocol of the Internet. Unlike traditional Web
browsers, WAP browsers were designed to run within the memory and
bandwidth constraints of the phone. Third-party WAP sites served up
pages written in a markup language called Wireless Markup Language
(WML). These pages were then displayed on the phone’s WAP browser.
Users navigated as they would on the Web, but the pages were much
simpler in design.
Proprietary Mobile Platform
A variety of different proprietary platforms emerged and developers are
still actively creating applications for them. Some Smartphone devices
ran Palm OS and RIM Blackberry OS. Sun Microsystems took its popular
Java platform and J2ME emerged. Chipset maker Qualcomm developed
and licensed its Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW). Other
platforms, such as Symbian OS, were developed by handset
manufacturers such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and Samsung.
The Apple iPhone OS joined the ranks in 2008.
Proprietary Mobile Platform
The mobile developer community has become as fragmented as the
market. It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the changes in the
market. Developer specialty niches have formed. The platform
development requirements vary greatly. Mobile software developers work
with distinctly different programming environments, different tools, and
different programming languages. Porting among the platforms is often
costly and not straightforward. Keeping track of handset configurations
and testing requirements, signing and certification programs, carrier
relationships, and application marketplaces have become complex spin-
off businesses of their own.
Android: A Next Generation Platform
Android is the first in a new generation of mobile platforms, giving its
platform developers a distinct edge on the competition. Android’s
designers examined the benefits and drawbacks of existing platforms
and then incorporate their most successful features. At the same time,
Android’s designers avoided the mistakes others suffered in the past.
Open Handset Alliance
The search advertising giant Google has shown an interest in spreading
its vision, its brand, its search and ad-revenue-based platform, and its
suite of tools to the wireless marketplace. The company's business
model has been amazingly successful on the Internet and technically
speaking, wireless isn't that different.
Forming Open Handset Alliance
Google, with its user-centric, democratic design philosophies, Google
has led a movement to turn the existing closely guarded wireless market
into one where phone users can move between carriers easily and have
unfettered access to applications and services. With its vast resources,
Google has taken a broad approach, examining the wireless
infrastructure from the FCC wireless spectrum policies to the handset
manufacturer‘s requirements, application developer needs, and mobile
operator desires.
Forming Open Handset Alliance
Google joined with other like-minded members in the wireless community
and posed the following question: What would it take to build a better
mobile phone?
The Open Handset Alliance (OHA) was formed in November 2007 to
answer that very question. The OHA is a business alliance comprised of
many of the largest and most successful mobile companies on the
planet. Its members include chip makers, handset manufacturers,
software developers, and service providers. The entire mobile supply
chain is well represented.
Forming Open Handset Alliance
Andy Rubin has been
credited as the father of
the Android platform. His
company, Android Inc.,
was acquired by Google in
2005. Andy Rubin has
been credited as the father
of the Android platform.
His company, Android Inc.,
was acquired by Google in
2005.
Forming Open Handset Alliance
Working together, OHA members, including Google, began developing a
nonproprietary open standard platform based upon technology developed at
Android Inc. that would aim to alleviate the aforementioned problems hindering
the mobile community. The result is the Android project. To this day, most
Android platform development is completed by Rubin's team at Google, where
he acts as VP of Engineering and manages the Android platform roadmap.
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