Σπύρος ΒερονίκηςMSE Electrical and Computer Engineer

Digital Libraries and Electronic Publishing Laboratory(http://dlib.ionio.gr)

Dept. of Archives and Library SciencesIonian UniversityEleftherias Sq.Corfu, Greece, ©2007

Handheld devices: Technologies and capabilities

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Presentation outline

Goal: introduction to handheld devices and their capabilities for information access and communication in environments with hybrid information collections.

Presentation sections

• Getting to know PDAs/Smartphones• The price of mobility• Proposed usage context and topology• Services for handhelds and open issues

• Hands-on experience with PDAs

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The 3 computing eras

t

1. Mainframe computer systems(1 computer – many users)

2. Personal computer (1 computer – 1 user)

3. Ubiquitous computing (Many computers - many users, and 24/7 – anywhere access)

1950 1980 2030 (?!)1995

2.5 Mobile Computing

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Ubiquitous Computing

Ubiquitous Computing:Ubiquitous computing has as its goal the enhancing computer use by making many computers available throughout the physical environment, but making them effectively invisible to the user. Ubiquitous computing requires extreme artificial intelligence.

~ Mark Weiser (1991)

Example:In a smart house, the corridors and rooms automaticaly adjust the lighting and temperature level, based on time or the preferences of persons being around.

UC can be obtained thanks to:a great number of sensors that collect data,distributed computing systems that turn data into information,a network that moves the data and information,artificial intelligence that makes the decisions.

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Mobile Computing

Mobile Computing: is a generic term describing your ability to use technology 'untethered', that is not physically connected, or in remote or mobile (non static) environments.

~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_computing

Characteristics: The ability to move while maintaining the connection to a network,Automaticaly reconnect to a networkThe commands and actions are initiated by the userThe devices are at the size of your palm.

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Types of portable devices

Ultra Mobile Personal Computers - UMPCsThey are at the size of a little book. They have approx. 7” (18cm) touchscreens, stylus and virtual keyboards. They run software suites (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook) and they can connect to the Internet. A built-in storage media allows for file saving. Optionaly, they can have a GPS module.

Personal Digital Assistants - PDAsThese are small computers, usually at the size of a pocket. They don't execute software developed for other devices. However, with the appropriate viewers they can display files created in other computers (e.g. desktop). They can connect wirelessly to other devices.

SmartphonesThese are basicaly PDAs with cellular telephony capabilities. This can be easily achieved with a GSM module.

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Personal Digital Assistant - PDA

Agenda functions• calculator, • calendar, • phone book

Wireless connection:• with other devices• with the internet

Email exchangeA/V recording

Multimedia playback• text files• sound/ music files• video files

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Smartphones

They have most of the PDA capabilities

They also support cellular telephony

They have a small or virtual keyboard

Usually they have smaller screens, compared to

PDAs.

Apart from WiFi, they support other wireless

protocols, like WAP and GPRS

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Calculator – Calendar - Agenda

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The notepad application

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File viewers

The user can see on the screen the most popular text-file types:.txt, .doc, .pdf, .html,.xls, .ppt

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Multimedia playback

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Telephony & SMS

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Skype and Instant Messaging (IM)

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The electronic mail application

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Web navigation

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Three obstacles to mobility

1. Wireless CommunicationsIt's about issues and problems arising when the user needs to exchange data with other users/devices without using a fixed wireline communication channel.

2. MobilityIt's about the issues and problems arising when the user is moving.

3. PortabilityIt's about the issues and problems arising by the need of using equipment that can be easily transfered.

In more detail...

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Wireless communications and mobility

Wireless communications means: mobile connectivity that can vary in performance and reliability using heterogeneous networks (GSM, WiMAX, WiFi, BT) Security and privacy issues

Mobility has some inherent dangers!A handheld device might be: dropped and damaged missed stolen

Also, roaming is a major problem since the identity of the device is changing as the user is moving.

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Portability

Portable devices are resource-poor compared to their static counterpartsThey have smaller user interfacesTyping long texts can be cumbersome.Presenting large amounts of information can be difficult when using a small

screen.

The energy autonomy of the device depends on their battery life.

Portability theatens data loss.(non-synchronized personal files, damage due to extreme temperature or humidity exposure, and in general due to presence in non-controlled environments)

The storage media of handheld devices lack speed and capacity compared to the desktop ones.

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Inserting text

Text input can be with:

• a 12 key k/b (thumbnail K/B)• a small k/b (smartphone K/B)• a virtual k/b (soft K/B)• an external k/b (ΒΤ K/B)• handwritting recognision (Pen gestures, Graffitti)

It can be supported by lexicons (Τ9 lexicon)

Certain words can be easily inserted by using:• drop-down lists• optical recognision (barcodes, QR codes)• object presence (RFID sense)

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Presenting content on the small screen

Currently, two methods are available

• On-the-fly content forming, suitable for small screen devices (AvantGo, OpenWave)

• Progressively Zooming approach (Deepfish)

In special cases, text-to-speech converters can be used.(Audio books, short descriptions, etc)

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The benefit of using handhelds in a closed, controlled environment

In a library or museum the situation is like this:

The area is clearly defined and the radio coverage can be complete

Communication can be carried out through the already installed and secure channels

The computing needs are small

The information retrieval tools are simple, just to cover basic needs.

The amount of information to be presented is small.

There is a need for short-text input.

The data to be stored localy is usually small.

The batteries can be charged while in the library

The device can be synchronized with a desktop/infokiosk terminal

The number of objects present is determined and they can have smart-tags, making interaction easier.

The device can be borrowed from the institution, like in the Louvre

A device being stolen in highly unlike in a library or museum because of the survailance cameras

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The Client/Server modelCentrality – access, resources and security can be controlled from a main server

Scaling – every component can be changed when neededFlexibility – blocks are only upgraded when it is needed to

Interoperation – it allows for cooperation among different devicesImmunity – Terminal problems (on the client side) do not affect the main system (server side)

Lower costs – Have an expensive server but much cheaper clients

Proposed topology

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Proposed topology

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A library and a museum example of handheld usage

Hybrid information environment: conventional material

+electronic information sources

Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde), is a 16th century oil painting on a poplar panel by Leonardo Da Vinci. It is one of the most famous paintings in the world, and few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody. It is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris. The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewer's with an expression often described as enigmatic.

Paperback: 208 pages Publisher: Information Today (March 30, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 1573872563 ISBN-13: 978-1573872560 Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches

Dynamic content:4 Reviews 5 star:  (2)4 star:  (1)3 star:   (0)2 star:   (0)1 star:  (1)

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Services for mobile devices

Information services• Reference (indexes, thesauri, lexicons, personal files), • Information retrieval tools

a) mOPAC, b) search engines (mobile Google, mobile Answers, etc), c) Thematic directoriesd) Photo2search και sense2search

• Information content deliverancea) Full-text from ebooks and electronic articles (.doc, .pdf, .ppt, .xls, etc),

b) web browsing c) access to on-line DataBases d) access to audible content (e.g., Audio-Books, San Francisco Public Library,

http://sfpl.org/sfplonline/ebooks.htm)Management services (e.g. SirsiDynix)• (Circulation, metadata editing, etc)

Alerts and announcements• RSS (Really Simple Syndication): a way to distribute headers, notes and other information content to a large

number of people

Navigation assistance• Maps and sitemaps

Remote user-support• On-line librarian

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Real life examples

In libraries:University of Oulu - Finland(http://www.kirjasto.oulu.fi/english/palvelut/mobileservices/paikannuspalvelu.html)

Duke University, Medical Center Library – North Carolina, USA(http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/training/pda)

Wayne State University Library, School of Medicine - Detroit, Michigan, USA(http://www.lib.wayne.edu/shiffman/pda/shiffmanlibrarytogo.php)

University of Alberta - Edmonton, Canada(http://www.library.ualberta.ca/pdazone/index.cfm)

University of Illinois - Chicago, USA(http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/lhs/resources/pda/journals.shtml)

SirsiDynix (http://www.sirsidynix.com/Solutions/Products/productivity.php#pdacirc)(staff support for circulation, on/off-line tasks, help at the point of need, etc)

In museums:Exploratorium – California, USA (http://www.exploratorium.org/)Dulwich Picture Gallery – London, UK (http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/sackler/elearning.aspx)

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Applications for...

Libraries: information retrieval tools and information integration with e-sourcesmanagement tools, regarding the information content (e.g. metadata editing fomrs for handhelds)tools to distribute information contentE.g. The Panteion University Library, Athens, Greece

Museums:electronic guides and exhibit description,interaction applications to enhance the learning processE.g. The D. Solomos Museum in Zakynthos, Greece

Medical/paramedical personel:Make history records available right at the point-of-care.

Mobile Learning:Collaboration tasks for learning, e-notes, fast 'n easy dissemination of educative material, portable reference tools (encyclopedias, lexicons, tables, etc)

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Relative research fields 1/3

Communication issues (Real/past-time communication)Personalize and simplify the communication service so that the user can focus on the task, not the procedure. For example, let the computer decide which method to choose (IM, SMS, MMS, email, voice mail) to send a message. Users must be able to be served, no matter HOW or WHERE-FROM they connect to the communication network.

Content Issues (Locating and Retrieving)The information content must be properly formed so that all types of information can be easily located and deliverd to the user. We need to study the strategies and techniques that users choose when looking for information, so that we can assist them in satisfying their information needs, especially when using handhelds in environments with diverse collections, in nature.

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Relative research fields 2/3

Interaction issuesWe need to study the ways of organizing and presenting information through small size screens. Determine WHAT and HOW to deliver to the user, so that they are satisfied.

We also need to study usability issues. Especially focus on • ease of learning how to use the device,• effectiveness of the device usage,• memorability,• error reduction and• user satisfaction

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Relative research fields 3/3

Evaluation issues for handheld devices

We need to determine:• The appropriate method to collect data, regarding the user experience from the interaction with the hybrid information environment. (E.g. observation, interviews, questionnaires, log files, etc)

• The appropriate evaluation criteria (π.χ. ευχρηστία, χρησιμότητα, ποιότητα πληροφόρησης)

• The appropriate metrics to assess the criteria. (e.g. number of errors, time to complete a task, etc)

We also need to develop evaluation models and make generate a Hypothesis to study

Try to justify or drop the model and hypothesis

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For the future: Personalized services

Services depended on the user location• alerts on new arrivals in the nearby thematic region• Point-out nearby content that might interest the user, based on his profile/history

For the long-term future...Profile is not enough. Services must be based on the user's experiences, i.e. HOW application

are used, and WHERE the user is located. Also, nearby resources (WHAT) and persons (WHO) may affect the outcome of a decision.

So services are based on a number of parameters, like:• The user context• The user profile (e.g. preferences and user history)• The device capabilities (e.g. computing power available, connection capabilities, storage

capacity)• Available infrastructures (e.g. network status, available bandwidth, transfer rates, etc)

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More information

This file and other links are available at the project's site:

http://dlib.ionio.gr/hls

Also see the following sites:Megan Κ. Fox homepage http://web.simmons.edu/~fox/pda/

PDAs and Museum & Cultural Sector Usagehttp://www.chin.gc.ca/English/Digital_Content/Tip_Sheets/Pda/tip_sheet8.html

LibrarySupportStaffhttp://www.librarysupportstaff.com/pdas4libs.html