Mobile Internet and Handheld Devices for Virtual Communities

With the introduction of the Internet, virtual communities have revolutionized traditional communities and boosted sharing and exchanges of information, and common interests, ideas, and feelings. Recently, the emergence of wireless and mobile networks has made possible the admission of the Internet accessed by desktop or notebook computers to the mobile Internet accessed by handheld devices, which has brought great impact on virtual communities. Figure 1 shows the growth in demand for handheld computing devices (not including smart cellular phones) through 2007, as predicted by the research firm In-Stat/MDR (PalmInfocenter.com, 2003). The mobile Internet has introduced new virtual communities and has the existing communities reach new members or topics because it allows the community members to communicate with each other from anywhere and at anytime. This article discusses the mobile technologies, especially the mobile Internet and handheld devices, for virtual communities and their influence on the communities. Three themes of this discussion are as follows: 1. The mobile Internet: It is a part of the Internet whose contents are specifically designed for mobile users who use handheld devices such as smart cellular phone to access the mobile contents. The following topics related to the mobile Internet will be discussed: (1) mobile applications, (2) mobile handheld devices, (3) mobile middleware, (4) wireless and wired networks, and v) host computers. 2. Internet-enabled mobile handheld devices: They are small general-purpose, programmable, battery-powered computers such as PDAs (personal digital assistants) and smart cellular phones. The following components of handheld devices will be examined: (1) mobile operating systems, (2) mobile central processing units, (3) microbrowsers, (4) input/output devices, (5) memory, and (6) batteries. 3. The virtual communities using mobile technologies: Many traditional virtual communities have been greatly affected by mobile technologies because they allow the community members to communicate with each other from anywhere and at anytime. This boosts sharing and exchanges of information, and common interests, ideas, and feelings.