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Mobile device

A mobile device (or handheld computer), also referred to as a digital assistant (or DA), is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical keyboard. Many mobile devices can connect to the Internet and connect with other devices, such as car entertainment systems or headsets, via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular networks, or near-field communication. Integrated cameras, the ability to place and receive voice and video telephone calls, video games, and Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities are common. Power is typically provided by a lithium-ion battery. Mobile devices may run mobile operating systems that allow third-party applications to be installed and run.

"Hand Held" redirects here. For the 2010 documentary film, see Hand Held (film).

Early smartphones were joined in the late 2000s by larger tablets. Input and output are usually via a touchscreen interface. Phones/tablets and personal digital assistants may provide much of the functionality of a laptop/desktop computer in addition to exclusive features.[1] Enterprise digital assistants can provide additional business functionality, such as integrated data capture via barcode, RFID, and smart card readers.


By 2010, mobile devices often contained sensors such as accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes,[2] allowing the detection of orientation and motion. Mobile devices may provide biometric user authentication, such as face recognition or fingerprint recognition.


Some of the major global manufacturers of mobile devices include Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, Realme, Motorola and OnePlus.

Physical dimensions and weight

Whether the device is mobile or some kind of host to which it is attached is mobile

What kind of host devices it can be bound with

How devices communicate with a host

When mobility occurs

Device mobility can be viewed in the context of several qualities:[3]


Strictly speaking, many so-called mobile devices are not mobile. It is the host that is mobile, i.e., a mobile human host carries a non-mobile smartphone device. An example of a true mobile computing device, where the device itself is mobile, is a robot. Another example is an autonomous vehicle.


There are three basic ways mobile devices can be physically bound to mobile hosts:


Accompanied refers to an object being loosely bound and accompanying a mobile host, e.g., a smartphone can be carried in a bag or pocket but can easily be misplaced.[3] Hence, mobile hosts with embedded devices such as an autonomous vehicle can appear larger than pocket-sized.


The most common size of a mobile computing device is pocket-sized, but other sizes for mobile devices exist. Mark Weiser, known as the father of ubiquitous computing,[4] referred to device sizes that are tab-sized, pad, and board sized,[5] where tabs are defined as accompanied or wearable centimeter-sized devices, e.g. smartphones, phablets and pads are defined as hand-held decimeter-sized devices. If one changes the form of the mobile devices in terms of being non-planar, one can also have skin devices and tiny dust-sized devices.[3] Dust refers to miniaturized devices without direct HCI interfaces, e.g., micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), ranging from nanometers through micrometers to millimeters. See also Smart dust. Skin: fabrics based upon light emitting and conductive polymers and organic computer devices. These can be formed into more flexible non-planar display surfaces and products such as clothes and curtains, see OLED display. Also, see smart device.


Although mobility is often regarded as synonymous with having wireless connectivity, these terms are different. Not all network access by mobile users, applications, and devices needs to be via wireless networks and vice versa. Wireless access devices can be static and mobile users can move between wired and wireless hotspots such as in Internet cafés.[3] Some mobile devices can be used as mobile Internet devices to access the Internet while moving, but they do not need to do this and many phone functions or applications are still operational even while disconnected from the Internet.


What makes the mobile device unique compared to other technologies is the inherent flexibility in the hardware and software. Flexible applications include video chat, web browsing, payment systems, near field communication, audio recording etc.[6] As mobile devices become ubiquitous, there will be an increase of services which include the use of the cloud.[7] Although a common form of mobile device, a smartphone, has a display, another perhaps even more common form of smart computing device, the smart card, e.g., used as a bank card or travel card, does not have a display. This mobile device often has a CPU and memory but needs to connect or be inserted into a reader to display its internal data or state.

Converged device

List of emerging technologies

Mobile interaction

Near field communication

Smart device

. Library Technology Reports. 44 (5): 10–15. 2008.

"Mobile Devices"

Hanson, C. W. (2011). . Library Technology Reports. 47 (2): 11–23.

"Chapter 2: Mobile Devices in 2011"