Mobile computing

In the inaugural issue of MC2R in April 1997 24, I highlighted the seminal influence of mobility in computing. At that time, the goal of "information at your fingertips anywhere, anytime" was only a dream. Today, through relentless pursuit of innovations in wireless technology, energy-efficient portable hardware and adaptive software, we have largely attained this goal. Ubiquitous email and Web access is a reality that is experienced by millions of users worldwide through their Blackberries, iPhones, iPads, Windows Phone devices, and Android-based devices. Mobile Web-based services and location-aware advertising opportunities have emerged, triggering large commercial investments. Mobile computing has arrived as a lucrative business proposition. Looking ahead, what are the dreams that will inspire our future efforts in mobile computing? We begin this paper by considering some imaginary mobile computing scenarios from the future. We then extract the deep assumptions implicit in these scenarios, and use them to speculate on the future trajectory of mobile computing.