2Vice President, American Universal Enterprises, Inc., P. O. Box 2319, W. Lafayette, IN 47906-0319

(317) 463-5725; ^{dr_jagdish_agrawal@yahoo.com}

Worldwide demand for mobile computing is expected to increase dramatically over the next five years. The mobile computing market is expected to increase at a compound annual rate of 36.6 % through the year 2000 and reach $85.3 billion in sales worldwide. The mobile computing market includes notebook computers, pen or touch screen based personal digital assistants (PDAs), palmtops, electronic organizers, portable peripherals and remote access software. The pen computer market is expected to grow the fastest with a 67.7% compound annual growth rate until year 2000.

The proliferation of portable computers and the development of high and low bandwidth cordless networking technology will soon provide a foundation for mobile computing. The objective of this paper is to provide a brief review of the latest advancements in the mobile computing and to recommend some strategies to the IS managers to integrate this technology into their corporate IT environment.

Mobile computing, personal digital assistants, palmtops, electronic organizers, portable peripherals, remote access software, file synchronization, wireless.

The worldwide demand for mobile computing equipment is expected to increase dramatically over the next five years. This market is expected to increase at a compound annual rate of 36.7% through 1999 and reach $69.6 billion in sales worldwide. The mobile computing market The mobile computing market includes notebook computers, pen or touch screen based personal digital assistants (PDA) computers, palmtops, and electronic organizers, portable peripherals and remote access software. The pen computer market is expected to grow the fastest with a 67.7% compound annual growth rate until 1999 (Hubbard, p. 44, 1994).

The proliferation of portable computers and the development of high and low bandwidth cordless networking technology will soon provide a foundation for mobile computing. Mobile computing systems are limited in many important ways when compared to static systems (such as desktop PCs) but are not simply shortcomings of current technology. Among these limitations are:

• Mobile elements are resource poor relative to static elements,
• Mobile elements are more prone to loss, destruction, and theft than static elements, and
• Mobile elements must operate under a wider range of networking conditions.

Mobile computing systems will require the ability to access critical data regardless of location; they will also need to be robust when encountering network and remote site failures, which requires that clients be as autonomous as possible. The Coda file system developed at Carnegie Mellon University facilitates use of shared data in mobile computers by simplifying preaching of files, allowing autonomous operation while disconnected, and transparently reintegrating changes upon reconnection (Satyanarayanan, p. 81, 1993).

The key to making mobile computing cost effective, productive technology for the business industry is the integration of hardware, software, and remote communications including wireless technology. Wireless technology is moving rapidly into the office environment, but some companies still find the high costs and variety of products too prohibitive. As a result, the companies moving into wireless first are those that rely on instant access to information like manufacturing operations and hospitals. For these companies, wireless has become regarded as an accessory to current systems rather than a replacement. Consequently, the companies making wireless technology are reluctant to fill the market with products that no one will buy. The cost of wireless voice communication can be $720 to $1200 per user as opposed to a few hundred dollars for a wired network. Nevertheless, wireless access can provide a tremendous increase in the productivity for remote users as well as improve their ability to react to changes in the fast paced business world (Korzeniowski, p.10, 1994).

On the other hand, while wireless computing can make companies much more competitive and improve their business, the costs of highly customized wireless solutions may not be balanced by the increased productivity. It is necessary for existing enterprise applications to be suitable for wireless access; it can be expensive to make them compatible and the costs may not be worth it. Remote computing is now considered a necessary part of many business operations and the associated costs are merely a part of doing business (Rash, p. 19, 1993).

Cellular digital packet data (CDPD) is one communications technology that is taking hold in large cities and is becoming widely accepted among mobile computing companies and resellers. CDPD offers various advantages. For example, CDPD is an efficient technology that can transmit both voice and data messages on the same cellular channel. CDPD is supported by the major cellular service providers, and a cellular infrastructure is already in place. Moreover, industry experts say CDPD will be cost-effective compared with other technologies, and CDPD covers more geographical areas (Edstrom, p. 579, 1994)

While many users are trying to justify the costs of wireless computing, others are finding the technology necessary in order to keep competitive. Wireless applications require a communications infrastructure that needs to be built or accessed. Part of establishing the infrastructure is determining what is available and what needs to be built (Rash, p.19, 1993). Therefore, IS Managers need to tread cautiously in implementing mobile computing systems. A thoughtful implementation can yield tremendous benefits. Because different mobile users have different computing needs, issuing it the same year to all workers will result in some who are under equipped and some who are over equipped. Service workers, for example, might need hand held monochrome systems with two way wireless connectivity, while sales personnel are better off with color systems for presentations, and land based modems (Seybold, p. 90, 1993).

Engineers should pay close attention to portability, mobility, and communication issues when they design software for mobile computing devices because of the unique architecture of mobile devices. Designers can implement Coda file systems to solve wireless network problems such as dropped connections due to blocked signal paths and environmental noise. Engineers are also challenged by the low bandwidth and higher error rates of wireless networks. Data encryption schemes should also be included as a function of wireless networks to protect data. Software design for mobile devices should also include dynamic addressing to match users’ changing network access points. Engineers should focus on units that are light weight, rugged, and able to operate under a wide variety of environmental conditions (Zahorjan, p. 38, 1994).

How close are we to a mobile computing workforce? Some say the promise of improvement in people’s daily lives as a result of technological innovation remains largely unfulfilled. While technology has introduced many conveniences, people still commute to work in large numbers, the use of paper has not been significantly reduced and basic work habits have not changed.

New technologies arriving within the next few years will be tailored to benefit the personal life and increase the productivity. The technology offering the greatest potential in this effort is the field of mobile computing. Studies show that over 23 percent of US workers are already mobile; they are away from their desks at least 20 percent of the time. Mobile computing will create virtual communities in which factors such as time, location, and language will not impact productivity. Virtual corporations will bring teams of individuals together to accomplish a specific task regardless of location (Noorda, p. 569, 1994).

Advances in hardware and software are making mobile computing an ever more viable solution to many business users’ needs. An example is the Frenchay Healthcare Trust (Bristol, UK) hospital’s support of mobile computer miniaturization, smaller printers, internal fax and modem cards, the PCMCIA standard, and communications and applications software designed for efficient mobile use. The Frenchay hospital is running a trial project that provides seven local general practitioners with remote access to the huge amounts of useful information contained in the hospital’s DEC VAX cluster. XcellNet’s RemoreWare software was used to provide the access through a graphical user interface (GUI) that gives the look and feel of working on a local area network (Dudman, p. 30, 1994).

IBM, Ernst and Young, Chiat/Day, and Arthur Anderson are among the companies using mobile computing and communications devices to implement the concept of virtual offices which consist of employees using cellular telephones and portable computers to conduct most of their business from their homes or on the road while the office building is often used only as a place for the file server for employee networks. About seven million people use some form of a virtual office today and market analysts estimate that number will grow to 25 million by the year 2000. Companies that have begun using virtual offices are seeing improvements in productivity because employees can work at their leisure and tend to work more hours as a result. IBM has implemented a comprehensive mobile worker program in the Midwest and a recent survey of 300 employees in Indiana revealed that almost 75% had become more productive (Illingworth, p. 42, 1994).

As for the major players in the mobile computing market, the positioning battle has begun. AT&T, LUCENT, GTE, and MCI Communications are all positioning themselves for the ensuing battle for market dominance in mobile computing. AT&T has licensed patent technologies from Spectrum Information Technologies, Inc. Parts of the frequency spectrum have been reallocated by the FCC to support personal communications service (PCS). PCS networks do not have the range of conventional cellular services, but they are more cost effective and the transmitter stations are easier to install than cellular stations. Low orbiting satellites have also been proposed as communications relays for wireless networks. They are different from geostationary satellites because they require less power and can receive signals from weaker transmitters. However, they need to be launched in a series as their low orbit makes them appear to move across the sky from horizon to horizon (Edwards, p. 39, 1993).

To further stake a claim on the mobile computing marker, AT&T has been busy with its investment strategy that includes the acquisition of cellular provider McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc., for $12.6 billion and thumbs up for a merger between Eo, Inc., and pen-based operating system vendor Go Corp. AT&T controls a majority stake in Eo, Inc. The merger between Eo and Go will make the Eo Personal Communicator a more effective competitor in a market that includes Apple Computer, Inc’s Newton personal digital assistant. The telecommunications giant believes that an integrated solution in the mobile computing market is the key to long-term success. The acquisition of McCaw will give AT&T a wireless communications option for its personal communicator line of devices. Motorola, Inc., is also positioning itself to be a major player in mobile computing. In March 1994, the company entered the personal digital assistant (PDA) market with Envoy, a 1.7 pound hand held device that uses general Magic, Inc’s Magic Cap platform and Telescript communications language. Although, the PDA market has not grown as fast as some industry observers expected, Motorola has an advantage because of its expertise in wireless communications. Motorola is partnered with IBM in ARDIS Co., which maintains ARDIS, a nation wide wireless radio data network. Even so, Motorola says it will support other network technologies. The company is working on a wireless modem and wireless LAN card, which supports PCMCIA. Meanwhile, Microsoft plans to include a variety of mobile computing features in Windows 4.0 code named Chicago, the next generation of the popular graphic user interface. The features will enable user to synchronize files between laptops and microcomputers as well as provide remote access to networks. Other features include electronic mail client software drivers for a wide variety of wireless E-mail services, as well as the ability to tell users how long a data transfer will take, enabling them to disconnect if it would be more convenient at a later time. Windows 4.0 will also interoperate with Microsoft’s upcoming WinPad operating system for personal digital assistants (PDA) and support advanced power management functions, PCMCIA cards and pen based input.

Banyan Systems, Inc., also plans to enter the mobile computing market with such products as specialized network management applications and a mobile transaction processing scheme, as well as a set of remote access applications. The new mobile computing products are expected to include technology from Beyond Inc., and electronic messaging vendor that Banyan intends to acquire. Banyan’s new products are targeted for users of notebook and hand held computers. The company is developing a mobile computing application development environment that integrate its own messaging technology as well as that of Beyond. Banyan intends to offer separate products for terminal emulation and access to network devices, along with remote management, file access, and messaging, and it will provide a comprehensive product suite featuring all of these functions (Smalley, p.1, 1994). Another major player, Apple Inc., is currently negotiating with several potential suppliers of mission critical mobile applications base on the Apple Newton Technology. The advent of the OpenDoc application programming environment, a consortium comprised of Apple, IBM, WordPerfect Corp., Novell Inc., and other vendors, is expected to make interoperability between platforms and applications a reality.

As for the mobile computing user, here are a few tips for executive use of portable computers on the road:

• Portable computers are often as powerful as their desktop counterparts, but they have very limited battery lives and little room for expansion.
• Users should test drive the machine before buying it.
• Entire travelling kit should be carried around for a while.
• Users should look for power saving processor, APM compatible BIOS, hard drive, PCMCIA slot, fax modem, nickel mental hydride rather than nickel cadmium batteries, built in battery charge display, built in pointing device, easy to use external display controls, and data compression utilities.

Dudman, Jane, "Office on the move: mobile computing," Computer Weekly, March 1994.

Edstrom, Jennifer, "Industry Focus: Mobile Computing Beckons," Computer Reseller News, May 23, 1994.

Edwards Morris, "Leaders vie for position in mobile computing," Communications News, July 1993.

Hubbard, Holly, "Global Growth for Mobile Computing," Computer Reseller News, Jan. 17, 1994.

Illingworth, Montieth, "Virtual Managers," Information Week, June 13, 1994.

Korzeniowski, Paulk, "The Wireless Office," Communications Week, March 7, 1994.

Noorda, Raymond, "Going along for the mobile computing ride," Computer Reseller News, March 14, 1994.

Rash, Wayne, Jr., "The Cost of Mobility," Communications Week, October 25, 1993.

Satyanarayanan, M., "Mobile Computing," Computing, September 1993.

Seybold, Andrew, "Product Listing: A Look at Available Computing Hardware, Software, and Services that Spans Enterprise," Communications Week, October 25, 1993.

Smalley, Eric, "Banyan unfolds road map for mobile computing," PC Week, February 14, 1994.

Zahorjan, John, "The challenges of mobile computing," Computer, April 1994.