Enabling Technologies (2)

• Unintelligent gadgets. This includes devices such as sensors and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. Unintelligent gadgets typically contain little or no processing power. However, these types of devices can pack a great of functionality in a small device. A good example of RFID in use is vehicle-tracking tags. The idea here is that a small sticker-like RFID tag is placed on the inside windshield of the vehicle. The tag stores critical information about the car, the person driving the vehicle, or other data that can be used to identify the vehicle. Using radio transmitters, the car can be located, say in a parking lot at an airport, or if the vehicle was stolen. RFID tags can be used in many types of applications. To some extent, they are like mobile wallets; they can store credit card information, allowing purchases to be made at restaurants and any retail establishment willing to accept the technology.
• Cellular phones (mobile phones). This device category is probably the most familiar to most of us. It includes voice technology along with WAP, Short Message Services (SMS), and wireless Internet capabilities. As 3G phones are finding their way into the market, these services are now becoming commonplace throughout the world.
• Smartphones. These devices are still maturing in the mobility market space. They typically offer a combination of voice, data, and an operating system like Pocket PC or Palm OS. They provide multifunctional displays and usually appear as combination mobile phone and PDA, like the Orange SPV Windows Smartphone. Many of these devices also support the disconnected or occasionally connected modes of operations described in the previous section. They are capable of supporting thick as well as thin clients, which allows them to operate with a wide range of applications.

Taken From : Enterprise Guide to Gaining Business Value from Mobile Technologies