Mobile device
A mobile device or handheld device is a computer small enough to hold and operate in hand.
Mobile devices are typically battery-powered and possess a flat-panel display and one or more built-
in input devices, such as a touchscreen or keypad. Modern mobile devices often emphasize
wireless networking, to both the Internet and to other devices in their vicinity, such as headsets or in-
car entertainment systems, via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular networks, or near-field communication.[1]
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra - example of
mobile devices
Characteristics
Device mobility can be viewed in the context of several qualities:[2]
Physical dimensions and weight
Whether the device is mobile or some kind of host to which it is attached is mobile
What kind of host devices it can be bound with
How devices communicate with a host
When mobility occurs
Strictly speaking, many so-called mobile devices are not mobile. It is the host that is mobile, i.e., a
mobile human host carries a non-mobile smartphone device. An example of a true mobile
computing device, where the device itself is mobile, is a robot. Another example is an autonomous
vehicle.
There are three basic ways mobile devices can be physically bound to mobile hosts:
Accompanied,
Surface-mounted, or
Embedded into the fabric of a host, e.g., an embedded controller in a host device.
Accompanied refers to an object being loosely bound and accompanying a mobile host, e.g., a
smartphone can be carried in a bag or pocket but can easily be misplaced.[2] Hence, mobile hosts
with embedded devices such as an autonomous vehicle can appear larger than pocket-sized.
The most common size of a mobile computing device is pocket-sized, but other sizes for mobile
devices exist. Mark Weiser, known as the father of ubiquitous computing,[3] referred to device sizes
that are tab-sized, pad, and board sized,[4] where tabs are defined as accompanied or wearable
centimeter-sized devices, e.g. smartphones, phablets and tablets are defined as hand-held
decimeter-sized devices. If one changes the form of the mobile devices in terms of being non-
planar, one can also have skin devices and tiny dust-sized devices.[2]
Dust refers to miniaturized devices without direct HCI interfaces, e.g., micro-electromechanical
systems (MEMS), ranging from nanometers through micrometers to millimeters. See also Smart
dust. Skin: fabrics based upon light emitting and conductive polymers and organic computer
devices. These can be formed into more flexible non-planar display surfaces and products such as
clothes and curtains, see OLED display. Also, see smart device.
Although mobility is often regarded as synonymous with having wireless connectivity, these terms
are different. Not all network access by mobile users, applications, and devices needs to be via
wireless networks and vice versa. Wireless access devices can be static and mobile users can
move between wired and wireless hotspots such as in Internet cafés.[2] Some mobile devices can be
used as mobile Internet devices to access the Internet while moving, but they do not need to do this
and many phone functions or applications are still operational even while disconnected from the
Internet.
What makes the mobile device unique compared to other technologies is the inherent flexibility in
the hardware and software. Flexible applications include video chat, web browsing, payment
systems, near field communication, audio recording etc.[5] As mobile devices become ubiquitous,
there will be an increase of services which include the use of the cloud.[6] Although a common form
of mobile device, a smartphone, has a display, another perhaps even more common form of smart
computing device, the smart card, e.g., used as a bank card or travel card, does not have a display.
This mobile device often has a CPU and memory but needs to connect or be inserted into a reader
to display its internal data or state.
Types
Smartphones, handheld mobile devices
Android tablet computer
Smartwatches, wearable mobile devices
Smart glasses, wearable computer glasses
There are many kinds of mobile devices, designed for different applications. They include, but are
not limited to:
Mobile computers
Tablet computer
Netbook
Digital media player
Enterprise digital assistant (EDA)
Graphing calculator
Handheld game console
Handheld PC
Laptop
Mobile digital computer (MDC)
Mobile Internet device (MID)
Personal digital assistant (PDA)
Pocket calculator
Pocket computer
Portable media player
Ultra-mobile PC
Mobile phone
Camera phone
Feature phone
Smartphone
Foldable smartphone
Digital camera
Digital camcorder
Digital still camera (DSC)
Digital video camera (DVC)
Front-facing camera
Pager
Satellite navigation device
Personal navigation assistant (PNA)
Wearable computer
Calculator watch
Smartwatch
Smartglasses
Head-mounted display
Smart ring
Smart card
History
The history of the mobile device has been marked by increasing technological convergence. Early
mobile devices—such as pocket calculators, portable media players, satellite navigation devices,
and digital camera—excelled at their intended use but were not multifaceted. Personal digital
assistants (PDAs) proliferated in the 1990s as a way to quickly write down notes, schedule business
appointments, and set personal reminders, as a handheld supplement to bulkier laptops.
During the same period, the mobile phone evolved from supporting voice communication only to
accommodating text messaging, Internet connectivity, multimedia, and videotelephony.[7] These
feature phones eventually gave way to the modern smartphone, which combined all the
aforementioned devices, and more, into one device. Since the late 2000s, smartphones have been
the most common mobile device in the world, in terms of quantity sold, owing to their great
convergence of technologies.[8][9][10]
Uses
By the early 2010s, mobile devices began integrating sensors such as accelerometers,
magnetometers, and gyroscopes, allowing the detection of orientation and motion.[11] Mobile
devices may provide biometric user authentication, such as face recognition or fingerprint
recognition.
Handheld devices such as enterprise digital assistants have become more rugged for use in mobile
field management. This involves tasks such as digitizing notes, sending and receiving invoices,
asset management, recording signatures, managing parts, and scanning barcodes and RFID tags.
In 2009, developments in mobile collaboration systems enabled the use of handheld devices that
combine video, audio, and on-screen drawing capabilities to enable multi-party conferencing in real-
time, independent of location.[12] Handheld computers are available in a variety of form factors,
including smartphones, handheld PDAs, Ultra-mobile PC and tablet computers (Palm OS,
WebOS).[13] Users can watch television through the Internet by IPTV on some mobile devices.
Mobile television receivers have existed since 1960,[14] and, in the 21st-century, mobile phone
providers began making television available on cellular phones.[15]
In the 2010s, mobile devices were observed to frequently include the ability to sync and share a
variety of data despite the distance or specifications of the devices. In the medical field, mobile
devices are quickly becoming essential tools for accessing clinical information such as drugs,
treatment, and even medical calculations.[16] Due to the popularity of mobile gaming, the gambling
industry started offering casino games on mobile devices, which led to the inclusion of these
devices in the anti-hazard legislature as devices that could potentially be used for illegal gambling.
Additional potentially unlawful actions could encompass the utilization of mobile devices in
disseminating explicit material involving minors. Moreover, the legitimate adult entertainment
sector's incorporation of mobile apps and technology to advance its operations raises concerns.
There is also a prospect of leveraging mobile devices to facilitate cross-border services, warranting
regulatory attention.
Within the military domain, mobile devices have introduced novel prospects for delivering training
and educational resources to soldiers, irrespective of their stationed location.[17]
See also
Mobile interaction
Problematic smartphone use
References
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