2011

Alahuhta, Petteri

The vision of ubiquitous computing dates back to the early 1990s. Ubiquitous computing is a model of human-computer interaction in which information processing is seamlessly integrated into everyday objects and environments. During the 2000s the ubiquitous computing vision has extended and blended with wireless mobile communications to become ubiquitous computing and communication. If earlier information processing was done mainly in static office environments, new advances in mobile technologies offer access to the information and services that are relevant to us in this very situation and right now. In this research an attempt is made to better understand the development of the digital mobile phone as a platform for ubiquitous services. Ubiquitous services are mobile services that are capable of using contextual information and ICTbased resources in proximity to the user of the mobile phone. The hypothesis of the research is that there is a technology trajectory that makes the mobile phone a host, providing gateway and hub functionality to the ubiquitous services. We introduce a theoretical framework for analyzing the evolution of mobile devices. The framework is based on several theories of innovation. It addresses aspects of the introduction new technology, dominant designs, technology diffusion, and users' needs. According to the analysis of empirical material using our theoretical framework, the mobile phone has the potential to become a gateway to ubiquitous services, largely due to the new technologies integrated with it. New functionalities and technologies, such as local connectivity and sensortechnology in mobile phones play a key role in helping developers implement ubiquitous services utilizing contextual information. Potential challenges for the diffusion of ubiquitous services are privacy and to some extend environmental issues. © VTT 2011.