01-03-2013, 09:59 AM
Mobile Cloud Computing by Preston Cox
Mobile Cloud.pptx (Size: 82.62 KB / Downloads: 117)
General Information
Smart phones, tablets, and cloud computing are converging
1 trillion cloud-ready devices
Gartner predicts that mobile cloud computing will reach a market value of US$9.5 billion by 2014
Cloud computing enables convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (such as networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
Definition
Mobile cloud computing was defined in a 5 March 2010 entry in the Open Gardens blog as "the availability of cloud computing services in a mobile ecosystem. This incorporates many elements, including consumer, enterprise, femtocells, transcoding, end-to-end security, home gateways, and mobile broadband-enabled services." (A femtocell is a small cellular base station.)
Plateforms
There are many smart phone manufacturers, but the devices themselves can be grouped by operating system. The most-used mobile operating systems are the Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry operating system, the Windows™ Mobile® operating system, Nokia's Symbian platform, and UNIX® variations such as Google Android and Apple iOS.
Operating Systems
The BlackBerry operating system, developed by RIM, is a proprietary mobile operating system. For application developers, it offers a Java™ development environment that includes a BlackBerry IDE, a smart phone simulator, and APIs for Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) and BlackBerry. Applications are distributed through BlackBerry App World and third-party vendors such as MobiHand.
The Android mobile operating system is built on a modified Linux® kernel. Initially developed by Android, Inc., and bought by Google in 2005, Android development and maintenance is now performed by the Android Open Source Project led by Google. Android application developers write code mainly in the Java language using the Android SDK, which includes an emulator of a run time environment for testing and debugging. Applications are distributed through the Google Android Market and other distribution channels, such as GetJar and Handango.
Apple iOS is derived from Apple Mac OS X, which itself is a set of UNIX-based operating systems and GUIs. Developers build applications—mainly in Objective-C—using the Apple iOS SDK, Xcode, and Interface Builder. Applications are distributed through Apple's App Store, which currently contains more than 300,000 applications.
Plateforms
Tablet computers are larger than a smart phone but interact with the user in much the same way, using a touchscreen as a primary input device. They often don't have a keyboard. Unlike laptops, they are single-user personal devices; however, tablets access the cloud in the same manner as smart phones. As of the end of 2010, the top-selling tablets were the Apple iPad and Android tablets made by Samsung, Motorola, and Acer.
Visitors at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 2011 saw a rain of tablets that will enter the market in 2011. Many will be based on the Android operating system. RIM will introduce its BlackBerry PlayBook, which uses the BlackBerry Tablet OS. Motorola will introduce its Android-based Xoom tablet. Apple will release its second- and third-generation iPad tablets. Expected improvements include a dual-core processor, a higher-quality display, a front-facing camera, and an SD card slot.
Enabling Technologies
The growth of the mobile computing market will be enhanced by a wide range of enabling technologies. The impact of the broad introduction of tablet computers throughout 2011 could be an added motivator for advancements, as well.
4G
Certainly, one of the biggest enablers will be the full roll-out of 4G technology, which will help with issues of latency and bandwidth. For example, Samsung introduced the Yes Buzz 4G cloud phone in Malaysia in January 2011. It has no SIM card and allows contacts to be saved and synchronized on the Internet.
In February 2011, Motorola introduced the Atrix, a 4G phone with a fingerprint reader for use in unlocking the phone. It also fits into an optional dock that connects to a keyboard and mouse, converting the phone into a laptop. Reports say this new phone is buggy, but Motorola claims that it shows how we'll be using mobile devices in 10 years. The Atrix began shipping in March 2011, following pre-orders in February.
Problems
There are some potential issues that could be barriers to this shift in mobile computing. The most notable problem is the lack of speedy mobile Internet access everywhere. Here in the US, for example, 3G coverage is spotty outside urban areas, leading to intermittent connection issues and slow speeds. Other markets may have it even worse.
However, new technologies like HTML5, which does local caching, could help mobile cloud apps get past those sorts of issues. And there's even a chance that the browser could one day be replaced - at least in some markets - with another technology altogether which provides a better way to access the mobile web.