Network Mobility and Mobile Applications Development

Abstract

The use of mobile devices with possible connection to the Internet is increasing tremendously. This mobility poses new challenges at various levels, including hardware, network services, and the development of applications. The user searches small and lightweight devices, easy to use, and with vast autonomy in terms of energy. She/He seeks also to connect the Internet “every time, everywhere”, possibly using different access technologies. Given the interface limitations, and processing capabilities of small mobile devices, the software and the operating system used must be necessarily adapted. This chapter overviews the mobility area, provides deep insight in the field, and presents the main existing problems. Mobility and the development of mobile applications are closed related. The advances in network mobility lead to different approaches in the mobile applications development. The chapter proposes a model for developing mobile applications, based on our research.

Key Terms in this Chapter

IP Mobility: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard communications protocol that allows for a user to move between networks without disturbing its communications.

Device Autonomy: Maximum time span a device remains turned on allowing interaction with the user.

Multimedia: Combination of multiple forms of information content, usually containing audio or video.

Mobile Operating System: It is the main platform of a mobile device. Its purpose is to provide an efficient mean of access to the device's physical resources.

Mobile Applications: Applications specifically designed for mobile devices that are developed bearing in mind the physical limitations of the device, such as screen area and available memory.

Mobile Devices: Devices with processing power, designed with ease of transportation in mind.