Cloud Computing, 2nd Edition

The Evolution of Mobile Computing

If you list inventions that have made the biggest impact on society, from the automobile to airplanes to television and the telephone, the cell phone may (and likely will) eventually top the list. It is important to note that the cell phone has gone from a heavy cumbersome device, as shown in FIGURE 14-1, to a small handheld device with more than 1-billion users in less than 40 years. Today, most phones are considered “smartphones,” which mean they integrate computing capabilities and often a web browser, allowing the phones to provide a wide range of solutions. Beyond traditional phone calls, smartphones also have the following uses:

• Browse sites on the web, which includes Google, Facebook, and more.