Pervasive computing is the trend towards increasingly ubiquitous (another name is ubiquitous computing), connected computing devices in the environment. It is a trend being brought about by a convergence of advanced electronic - and particularly, wireless - technologies and the Internet. Pervasive computing devices are not personal computers, but very tiny devices. They can either be mobile or embedded in almost any type of object such as cars, tools, appliances and various consumer goods; which are communicating through interconnected networks. Researchers expect that in the future smart devices all around us will maintain current information about their locations, the contexts in which they are being used, and relevant data about the users.
The goal of researchers is to create a system that is pervasively and unobtrusively embedded in the environment, completely connected, intuitive, effortlessly portable, and constantly available. Among the emerging technologies expected to prevail in the pervasive computing environment of the future are wearable computers, smart homes and smart buildings.
Pervasive computing is about enabling people to gain immediate access to information and services anywhere, anytime, without having to scrounge for a phone jack. However, while mobility and wireless technology are a big part of it, it's really about making e-business personal. Thanks to the explosive growth of the Internet, people will soon expect to be able to engage in electronic business effortlessly.
The PC is designed as a general-purpose platform that can run many different kinds of applications. Yet it is found that individuals prefer separate appliances. Many people have a home PC as well as a separate fax machine and a stand-alone answering machine. Of course, in principle, you could use your PC for faxing and answering the phone; it's probably even cheaper. Most people don?t use that because it's not convenient. A product that's tailored to a specific task will always be more convenient than a general-purpose device.
On the software side, Java could play a critical role as an interface standard. And in infrastructure, there's an emerging area of "connectivity services" that require a new class of server. Different classes of devices will have different functions and capabilities, so they will not be able to access the same kind of content. Rather than write separate applications on the server side, the idea is to create an intermediate server that will sit between the network computing content and the devices. It will take content written in HTML or XML, say, and transcode it into a format for a particular device.
These new proxy, or content connectivity, servers also provide other functions, such as persistence in the network. For example, if I drive into a tunnel and lose my connection as I'm making an airline reservation, a proxy server will be able to complete the transaction and then notify me later.
Aspects of Pervasive Computing
Security is also going to be key and Standards will be critical for pervasive computing.
The current phase of pervasive computing, in which computers are already being embedded in many devices, can be thought of in various ways. There are four major aspects of pervasive computing that appeal to the general population:
? Computing is spread throughout the environment
? Users are mobile
? Information appliances are becoming increasingly available
? Communication is made easier--between individuals, between individuals and things, and between things
Computers will not only be increasingly mobile, but information will be accessible from any mobile position. Pervasive computing is all about access to your information, anytime, anywhere, from any device.
Today computing is already embedded in more places than just our desktop computers. Computers make our cars run properly with antilock braking systems and power steering. These examples illustrate what seamless computing should be?it can provide wonderful functionality without requiring that the user understand its inner workings.
Computers will not only be increasingly mobile, but information will be accessible from any mobile position. We should not have to carry around devices containing our information. Rather, devices will recognize who we are and obtain information about us, through ?remembrance agents? or adaptive user models, Internet information storage, or other means.
Information appliances have human-computer interfaces. An information appliance should be easy for anyone to use and the interaction with the device should be intuitive. Careful design is critical for an intuitive interaction with the device. Although the desktop computer can do many things, this functionality can be separated into more appropriate devices.
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