Mobile Devices: Definition

In order to start working on the exploration of mobile devices, I first need to define what a mobile device is.  I started with the collective wisdom of the world on Wikipedia to obtain ideas on how the world defines the term compared to my personal thoughts.

The types of devices that Wikipedia includes are PDAs (personal digital assistants), smart phones, mobile internet devices, calculators, handheld game consoles, portable media players, digital still cameras, digital video cameras, mobile phones, pagers and personal navigation devices.  Some of these devices connect to voice networks, some connect to data networks, some to no network at all. A number of the devices have multiple functions while others have a single function.

The other factor that seems to identify a device as a mobile device is that it should be easily held in one's hand. This particular feature rules out laptop computers as a mobile device.  The introduction of the iPad brings a slightly larger form factor into play.  I will consider the iPad a mobile device for the purposes of my exploration.

There three more devices that I have seen in practice in education that I would like to add to the list.  These include student response systems, portable book readers, and the TeacherMate.  These devices fit in the hand and are geared toward a specific purpose.  I will expand on these purposes later.

My definition of a mobile device:
A computing device that fits in the user's hand and may be used for a specific use or a variety of uses.  These devices are capable of connecting to a network or a computer for data installation or updates.  Each device allows the user to interact with the software to complete tasks.  The device brings a level of productivity to the user wherever the user might be.

Resources:
Wikipedia:  Mobile device.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_device  accessed July 8, 2010.