Part Overview

Mobile and wireless computing has the power to change the way business is conducted. It allows employees, partners, and customers to access corporate data from almost anywhere. Universal data access, combined with increased worker productivity and effectiveness, is driving the demand for enterprise mobile applications. As the demand continues to increase, the mobile infrastructure that makes creating sophisticated mobile applications possible is maturing. We have moved past the irrational exuberance that surrounded consumer wireless applications into the reality of creating advanced, integrated enterprise solutions that bring true value to enterprises that are adopting mobile and wireless technology as part of their core infrastructure.

Creating successful mobile and wireless applications requires a profound knowledge of various technologies, including network protocols, portable devices, application design and development, and security. In addition, enterprise managers need to understand the risks and rewards of introducing mobility into their organizations. The combination of business rationale and technical expertise can lead to the successful development and deployment of mobile and wireless solutions today!

The first part of this book is aimed at introducing the reader to the mobile and wireless landscape. It lays the foundation on which the rest of the book is based, covering mobile devices, wireless networks, mobile application architectures, mobile and wireless security, and messaging technology. Each of these topics is covered in its own chapter, as follows, to provide a concise introduction to mobile and wireless computing.