We are participating in the biggest shift in the way computers are used since
the PC was popularized nearly fifteen years ago. Employees are breaking away
from the confines of their offices and taking to the road. Virtual
corporations are springing up and with them the demand for new types of
portable computing capabilities. As integrated circuits and microprocessors
get progressively smaller, computerized intelligence is popping up in
unexpected places, from mini cell phones and wristwatches to smart credit
cards, telephone displays and digital ink painted on walls. The functions
performed by yesterday's computers and telephones are starting to insinuate
themselves into our home appliances, our office furniture, even our clothing
- a concept known as "ubiquitous computing."
As mobile work forces and portable computing devices become more and more
popular, we softw... (more)