Using mobile computing technology to support people “on the move” is one of the latest frontiers of technology development and deployment. From a research point of view, it is a challenging area as mobility introduces a number of constraints and difficulties that are not present in traditional human-computer interaction settings featuring, for example, users sitting in front of bulky desktop computers. Examples of technical constraints introduced by mobility include the need for small, lightweight devices, small screens, limited screen resolution, unreliable network connectivity (if available at all), limited battery life, and so on. More activity-related constraints include the kind of information that is needed in a certain situation and how the information is presented.

Industry-oriented research in mobile computing typically has focused on enabling mobile business or mobile work. Researchers also have started to look into using mobile technology to support what is often referred to as leisure activities, such as tourists visiting museums, and exploring unknown terrain. Work in this area has focused on providing information to guide people to local attractions and/or provide additional information about artifacts. Researchers also looked into providing information about what other people in an area have been doing during their visits.

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