| Computers anytime, anyplace. This long-term research goal is daily becoming more and more of a focused reality. The mobiles are amongst us. And devices we carry around in our pockets are more powerful than those on board the rockets that took the first people to the moon. But where are we going, today? How should these handhelds, smartphones, PDAs, embedded systems and even implants change our lives?
Mobile marketing tells us they will transport us, not to a new planet, but to a whole new world of exciting, life-enhancing possibilities. We will communicate and relate in better ways; become more creative, better informed, better educated; and live in enhanced communities and societies as smart mobs swarm into action – all the while becoming more efficient and effective in our working lives. And yet, back home, unset digital clocks on microwaves, VCRs and DVDs blink a stark warning: ‘00-00’. The dazzling possibilities on offer as we buy a new mobile, or are given one by our work IT department, seem all too often to crumble in our hands. Resigned disappointment follows. It shouldn’t be this way.
We tell our students that computing is awe-inspiring, and humbling because it is about changing the world, for good. It’s the new architecture – about building the places (that have been called ‘interspaces’) in which people will work and play. We expect much of our buildings: they need to have firm foundations, solid structures, pleasing esthetics. We should expect the same of emerging mobile systems. All too often, though, they are more akin to summer sandcastles, decorated with alluring shells, overwhelmed by the ocean of real-life contexts and needs. There are, of course, great examples of mobile design, and we celebrate some of these in the book: our aim is not to berate designers, but to look for ways of dealing with the challenging issues they face every day.
We focus on providing advice and examples that will help overcome the human factor and usability problems seen in many mobile products and services, so that their potential can be fully met. Anytime, anywhere? No, what’s needed is mobiles that work at the right time, and that know their place – that fit in. |