ABSTRACT
Scott Campbell has pointed to the spectrum of use for media that has three points: fixed, portable, and mobile. Campbell’s distinction is found in everyday use and must be understood as a spectrum in which the line between categories bleeds over into each term based on context and the particulars of use. Pervasive computing culture has been dawning for well over a decade; however, with the high use of mobile devices on a global level, the theories are finally beginning to take hold. In contrast to desktop computing and fixed broadband access—and especially in contrast to everyday objects that integrate computing technologies such as wired clothing— mobile phones with internet access are spreading globally at an amazing pace. De Souza e Silva and Sutko continue: “The popularity of cell phones and PDAs indicates that portable handheld technologies partly fulfill Weiser’s prediction of ubiquitous computing. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.
