An overview of the PARCTAB ubiquitous computing experiment

The PARCTAB system integrates a palm-sized mobile computer into an office network. The PARCTAB project serves as a preliminary testbed for ubiquitous computing, a philosophy originating at Xerox PARC that aims to enrich our computing environment by emphasizing context sensitivity, casual interaction and the spatial arrangement of computers. This article describes the ubiquitous computing philosophy, the PARCTAB system, user interface issues for small devices, and our experience in developing and testing a variety of mobile applications.