Mobile Computing Books

This was the only book specific to handheld/mobile devices that discussed usability testing.

It is divided into short, concise sections that are easy to read and understand. The sections form a good basis on how to approach designing and testing a system. It has some very good pointers. The only thing was that it was too short!

The book was very, very helpful but it wasn't long enough and doesn't provide working examples. It just tells you the points that you should be considering when you are building a usable system. It doesn't go too in depth on any of the sections either.

Zipf's law states that common words are very common, and that uncommon words are combinations of uncommon words. For example if you start typing the letters `th' then you are probably trying to write the word `the' rather than `theologian'. Applying this simple insight to mobile phones gave us predictive text entry, where a small dictionary allows the phone to guess the word that the user is most likely trying to enter. For example if you press the keys `82' while entering a text message on a modern phone, the phone will predict `the' as your word. This invention allows QWERTY-snobs like me to approach the speeds of Finnish teenagers in tapping text messages on a mobile phone.

Such innovation is just amusingly clever on a PC, but on the small screens of handheld devices, it is essential. A good user interface converts a small device from a limiting gadget to a useful tool. European consumers' `wapathetic' response to WAP-enable phones was due to over hyping by the telecommunications industry, but also poor usability of the devices.
So a textbook on the topic is certainly appropriate.

Handheld usability defines handheld devices as highly portable machines that can operate with no cables and can be operated within one's hand. In addition, they must either allow the addition of applications or support internet connectivity. So the book's focus includes handheld computers (such as Palm-powered machines and Pocket PCs) and mobile phones (with WAP, i-mode or email connectivity) but excludes devices such as music players.

Naturally the discussion includes details of devices that are obsolete. Such is usually the case with any discussion of the details in information technology. But the principles are timeless and the practices will remain practical.
Perhaps the most useful chapter is the one on prototyping. Weiss' advice is that this should be done with a pen and several pieces of paper. For example the designer would draw the first screen on the paper. The user would then say what he or she expects to see on interacting with each element of the "screen". During this feedback, the designer would draw the next screen, and again ask the user what he or she expects. This technique is of course cheap but I was surprised by its effectiveness. No doubt Weiss' clients also found it useful.

If your team is designing applications for handheld devices, consider hiring Weiss. If you cannot afford that, buy his book. You cannot afford not to.

Review appeared in British Medical Informatics Today, Issue 41

I am an experienced interface designer who has never designed for a handheld. So, when I faced a new project that would be deployed on a handheld, I looked here to further my education. This is the only book I could find that is specific to handhelds.

When I was considering this book I read seven glowing reviews, and one total pan. The pan got it right. This book may be more useful for someone who knows very little about interaction design, usability testing, prototyping, and all that, and who isn't interested in gaining more than a superficial understanding of these topics. (If you are new to usability design, you'll find a much better place to start with Mayhew's "The Usability Engineering Lifecycle: A Practitioner's Handbook for User Interface Design.") If, however, you are a usability professional looking for insight on how you need to think differently now that your screen is the size of a Post-it note, wait for the next book to be written. I could have written this book, and the sum of my handheld experience is that I own a Palm and a cell phone.

Don't buy this book.
I cannot find any usabiltiy testing technique in this book. Just explain what PDA and Palms are and all thing we already knew. Alsom appendix is too long.
I don't want to know Palm history. Why author explain detail about each funtion of Palm or PDA?
Save your money!

I truly cannot recommend this book to anybody who has any knowledge about UI design. Not even if you don't have experience in designing for handheld devices. This book has nothing to offer for you. If you are just starting to study usability, there are far better books out there.

I bought this book when it came out due to fact that there are no books about handheld usability. I had high hopes that it would provide new information about the area. Instead I found out that it was merely a copy paste book, which had nothing to offer. Many of my colleagues read the book also and none had anything good to say about the book.

Scott Weiss probably noticed that there are no books about the subject and decided to make money. With a price as high as 60$ he is probably succeeding.

Coming from a PHP world, Object-Oriented Programming can be difficult to wrap your mind around. Thankfully the introduction chapters here aren't too far overhead. OOP concepts are a must-have for modern programmers, and this book makes no contentions to teach you Objective-C directly. However, the author has included some good references to where you can take beginner OOP courses.

Through the first year of iPhone's being and well into the pre-2.0 and post-2.0 environment, this book proves invaluable for its chapters on the UIKit, a large part of the API that is used to build graphical apps on the device. Extensive coverage of UIKit classes, as well as undocumented 1.0 enumerations for certain components makes this a frequent reader when you are getting started.

The examples within the chapters cover just about anything you can think of doing with the UI, within reason. You will be able to confidently build apps that rival the ones included by Apple itself. Chapters on audio and graphics subsystems are as complete as could be at the time, and offer some examples that would be useful for game developers.

Quirks about the Ojective-C language are briefly discussed, then wonderfully mastered and repeated frequently to drive the point home. Object delegates, high-level messging, inherritence; you will get a full course of modern OOP goodness.

By the time you are done working with the chapter's examples you will feel like a million bucks. The iPhone platform is now your own lump of clay for you to mold and shape to your will. Couple this with some in-depth cocoa publications and you have the all the keys needed to swing the doors wide open. Feel smart, be informed and discover the tremendously versatile API that is iPhone OS.

The 2.0 version of Apple software makes some important changes, but for the most part, this book is still very useful. Great for beginners -- even if you don't know OOP, you can learn from examples on the 'Net and be way very soon.

This book was a life saver. A few months ago, when I first started coding for the iPhone, I had no clue what to do with anything. There was literally NO DOCUMENTATION whatsoever. However, this book make learning the iPhone's API a breeze. Since then, I've gone on to make several well known iPhone 1.x applications, including PocketTouch, FontSwap, and StatusStyle.

I would highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to learn how to start coding great applications for the iPhone.

As the other reviewers mentioned this book doesn't specifically talk about the Apple Official SDK, but ALOT of the information is the same. In fact there is no other source that you can find with such clean and simple instructions. Also, if you are planning on NOT using IB to make your UI this book is gold since that info is hard if not impossible to find.

While this book was well written and informative, it is well past its prime now. Apple's Official SDK is no longer beta, and thrid-party apps are flowing on the AppStore. While there may still be a reason to jailbreak and write completely open and un-restricted apps, this book is still stuck way in the past. The v2.0 firmware has changed so radically that the examples and teaching in this book will only hurt the would-be developer.

Wait for the new batch of books about the offical SDK coming out this fall, and in the mean-time check out a book on plain-old Objective-C instead.

Be warned this book is for unlocked iPhone application development only; not the official Apple iPhone SDK. If you are interested in hacking iPhones, this may be for you. But for most iPhone application developers, the material here will be of little use.

Very easy to maneuver around the book finding what I need to know and ignoring the usual Dummies blather.

I think the book gives a great overview of BlackBerry and many details into common applications!! If you are expecting an advanced book on topics like "hacking tips" then that is out of scope. The content does provide a lot of insight and it's a great read.

If this is for dummies, then I need the one for idiots! Seriously! This is not a book for beginners. (I'm still looking for that one, I'll keep you posted) It reminds me of the software books written by people who are so knowledgeable about the subject that they've lost their ability to "break it down" for the common folk. Hard to find some of the most basic information. Very, very frustrating and disappointing. If you're new to the berry - don't start here.

You don't have to be a CEO of a start-up IT company to own a blackberry now-a-days. This technology has become very popular and affordable and this book is a great way to learn the product and experience the technological revolution that's happening now in front of us by puting powerful tools literally at the palm of your hand. The book breaks down the main concepts into simple steps and shows how to become an expert user. This is a great buy. Highly recommended to users of all levels.

When I purchased my BlackBerry ("BB") 8830 and turned it on, I knew I was in trouble. The "Getting Started Guide" that comes with the 8830 is GROSSLY inadequate for first-time BB users. With the help of the staff at the Sprint Store (they were very helpful and friendly), I was able to get the basic functions going and use them. But, I knew that to maximize the use of my 8830 that I would have to find a way to better self-educate myself on how to setup and use my new BB.

Because I have used the "Dummies" books for several years with great success, I ordered this book. Unfortunately, this is the first really bad Dummies book I have ever used. Here are my reasons for this assessment.
1. The omissions (tethering, robust use of the internet, etc) are significant.
2. The book spends too much time on concepts that are fundamental and actually covered in the Getting Started Guide and too little time on the next level of sophistication that the average user will find helpful.
3. The instructions are often confusing, contain too few illustrations, and use descriptions with multiple meanings. (I have long believed that persons who write technical manuals come from a pool of US citizens who could greatly benefit from ESL training; this book proves the point!)

The more I learn about my new BB, the more convinced I am of its capabilities and how useful they will be in my daily life. But, my recommendation is to let the staff know at the store at which you purchase your BB that you will need help and get their commitment to spending more than a few minutes with you when it is delivered and for a couple of weeks thereafter.

Confessing incompetence and asking for help is a much better choice than buying this book.

We're a small IT group in a growing manufacturing company. We know about NT, wired and lately wireless networks, databases, and client workstations. We knew little about ubiquitous, wireless, WPA based, handheld PDA's. And it seems the industry has not decided how to integrate security of these devices with the enterprise. This book serves as a starting point for someone that wants to evolve with the industry and extend the production enterprise.
This is a good book made great by it's early entry. Five stars, because it helps make sense of the "stew". Good luck to us all.

This is a collection of information already on internet and by doing a few searches you can get it all. I would not pay for this.

I bought this book to learn more about the subject matter as we define policy for our company, however this looks like it's advertising about a product the author sells.

Waste of my time and money.

This book provides a wealth of information for network and security administrators struggling to address the security risks posed by PDA's within their networks. It stands out as pretty much the only book addressing the security concerns of these convenient and valuable tools.

The book opens with a fairly comprehensive overview of PDA technology and the security features available. It then moves on to talk about other ways to secure the PDA such as encryption. Most importantly though, the book provides a wide range strategies and advice to help managers deploy and manage PDA's in their networks securely.

As the subtitle "Incorporating Handhelds Into The Enterprise" implies, the book is aimed at network and security administrators and not at the actual PDA users per se. The book serves as a great tool to help administrators begin to tackle the new security issues created by PDA's and to develop and implement structured policies to control PDA security in the enterprise.

PDA's are pretty much here to stay. I recommend that any network or security administrator with users using PDA's take a look at this book to get a grip on securing them.

(...)

Most security managers wouldn't dream of leaving file servers or laptops filled with proprietary information unprotected. But the protection could be for naught if the same data is transferred to a personal digital assistant (PDA), which often is overlooked when security is considered. PDA Security: Incorporating Handhelds into the Enterprise trumpets the importance of PDA security and guides system administrators through protective measures.

When PDAs first appeared commercially, their capabilities were limited and their risks minimal. Today's PDAs have scores of megabytes of memory and well-developed networking capabilities, making them as important to protect as PCs and laptops.

PDA Security is valuable for corporate system administrators who need a PDA-protection architecture for their organizations. The book provides tactics on how to deploy, manage, and secure PDAs in the workplace.

Section one of the book offers a comprehensive introduction to PDA technology and security, with sections two and three exploring security mechanisms and strategies such as cryptography in greater detail. The book is not designed for end users; its information is far too technical for the casual PDA user. But administrators who must support and secure many PDAs will find a good resource here.

This is a good book about a forgotten subject: PDA Security.

People put loads on confidential information on their PDA's w/o thinking about security.

Hopefully, those types will read this book.

The Fox and Box dynamic duo have created a wonderful book that really explains how to be sucessful with your Compact Framework projects. The chapter on Localization saved me a lot of time when needing to make a large-scale Compact Framework application world-ready for a current client. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Go get it!

I purchased 8 books when decided to jump from VB6 to Pocket PC programming with VB .Net. Some were good and some were bad. This book rates at the bottom of the list. I found absolutely no value in the information provided. Just about every other book was better written and provided more information.

I returned the Book.

This is a well written book with a nice overall structure and easy-to-follow language. Each discussion starts with an executive summary and ends with references to other resources for further reading, thus making it a very straightforward read. I will not enumerate the subjects covered, since you can do that by looking at the contents table.

Although the title tells us this is a .NETcf book, you should pay attention to the subtitle, as the topics of architecture and general advice on mobile development are also covered at considerable length. This may or may not please you, depending on your role. For example, the chapter on security includes general theoretical principles on the topic but omits examples of using the Cryptography API. We notice this in other parts of the book, and in fact the first chapter is a pure retrospection into the history of mobile devices as supported by Microsoft. Add to my previous comments that the book is only 350 pages long and the fact that there are no complete/end-to-end code examples, and you can see why it is not aimed at programmers. To be fair, the authors don't hide this and they state in their preface that the target audiences are technical managers and architects.

Like anything that goes to print, there are some errors including: the recommendation of using ResEditor (it simply does not work with the CF); the suggestion that C# is 100% compatible between desktop and compact frameworks (what about `volatile'?); and the claim that the class loader ignores the build & revision number (or that for private assemblies the version number is not consulted), which is not true. Overall, though, the content is correct and for technical managers this is probably the best book on the subject (but certainly not for developers). Finally, a small note that there is no mention of SmartPhone 2003 since the writing must have been completed prior to its launch (or indeed prior to CE 4.2).

As an avid Compact Framework enthusiast, I buy every book on the CF that I can find. As you may be aware, there aren't a whole lot of them out there, but they are all really good. This one is no exception. If you do much with .NET, then you probably know these authors already, and they lived up to their reputations with this one!

Why would you want this book? Well, most importantly it really explains the Why's of Compact Framework development. There really are a lot of considerations and while the CF is very similar to the full framework, there are a lot of differences. As a developer, this book thoroughly explains what you are getting into and how to avoid many common mistakes. However, even if you are a non-technical person this book will prove to be a great asset if you are involved in decision making. After all, who wouldn't want a mobile presence for their company? Well, like everything else, it comes with some strings attached. In most instances they are trivial compared to what you get. In others they may not be. Architectural considerations are critical because you are dealing with limited battery life, smaller processors and memory and reduced real estate. It's also a lot easier to lose a PDA than it is a desktop and since many of the advantages of using Handhelds are only realized when you have wireless access, issues like bandwidth and security can make or break any mobile initiative.

I think the best part of this book is its theoretical focus. It's very easy to run off and start coding, forgetting architectural concerns. In these instances, many find that getting a great little app that works great in a test environment isn't so good once you get it into production. This book can help you minimize the chances of that happening. Furthermore, it gives you a very sober perspective on what you will need to deal with. Due to the fact that the CF has only been commercially released for under a year, and PDA development hasn't been a practical reality for more that a few years, there just isnt' that much literature out there. And this book's focus on architectural issues and HOW TO Deal with them effectively will prove how hip the authors really are.

I've been really impressed with the recent direction of AW and they've been pumping out some really great titles. Couple a good publisher with some really informed and talented writers and you have a winner. Undoubtedly, this book is a winner.

It's just a basic web app which are a combile of AJAX and CSS. Not much new.

I've never owned a Mac (until now) and never done any development for that platform. While this book doesn't intend to cover the recently released iPhone SDK (it was published before the SDK's release), it does provide excellent coverage of web-based development for the iPhone (and iPod Touch). It leverages a free, open-source library to take much of the grunt work out of it, but also provides detailed code samples and examples and enough information so you could probably do it without the library should you desire. If you're interested in making your site look and feel like an iPhone app, this book will get you there. You should understand HTML, CSS and, preferably, a modicum of Javascript to get the most out of the book.

This book contains quite some materials from the book you can also find them in Apple's documentations. It also has quite some details on Joe Hewitt's iUI framework. But generally speaking, it lacks more detailed explanation (on CSS, AJAX, JavaScript). Here's the dilema: if you are an experienced CSS and JavaScript developer, you will find it lacking the depth. It barely scratches the surface of what real AJAX-powered iPhone applications can do. If you are somewhat a newbie developer, you will need more explanation on the subject. Unfortunately, this book falls in-between the above 2 scenarios.

After all, this is the first and only book on iPhone programming, it's a nice start for anyone that's interested.

Love it.

It taught me everything I needed to know to design a flash site for a mobile phone. The site allows users to order alcohol at rock bottom prices in Spain.

By the way, I know this guy and he is great.

This really seems like a recycled and rehashed book quickly put together in order to rush a "new topic" to print. I'm pretty sure I recognize this content from other books I've seen on the shelf. Even the paper quality seems recycled! I got this one in the mail, and it already was yellowed - the pages seem like newsprint. I found very little value in this book, content wise. There are definitely better ones out on the market by the gurus on the subject!

A collection of useful information for users - new and old - of Microsoft Windows Mobile Smartphones. The format makes the book very easy to either read or to use as a reference, with lots of pictures, tips, and notes. The book is well organized, and full of real-world examples and advice. It covers both the included basics, and additional software and accessories. As someone who develops and supports Smartphone software, I know how much a book like this is needed by the Smartphone community!

Unfortunately this is not the best format to get up to date information on this subject. I suspected this but still bought the book. It read a lot like the owner's manual that came with my smartphone. Some the recommended links didn't work. I found a lot more useful information in current magazines or online forums.

it is a good starting book, which covers nearly every aspect a marketer should know if he/she wants to understand wireless marketing. however, if you are not a beginner, try others.

Not really help for the marketers who are familiar with wireless marketing.

This books covers Windows Mobile 5. Most new phones come with version 6. This greatly limited the value of the book.

Very sophomoric approach to explaining how to use Windows Mobile. If you have never before seen a Windows Mobile device and have no intuitive capacity whatsoever, this is the book for you. If you are looking to solve a problem or change a feature, forget it -- you won't find the answer here mostly because there is no answer. This book takes 433 pages to explain a four page topic.

This is a very useful book, either for beginners or for more advanced users. Whether you're looking for a reference manual or a users' guide, you'll be sure to find the information you need here. The many pictures and highlighted tips and notes make "How to Do Everything with Windows Mobile" easy to read, and easy to quickly find the information you're looking for.

This very thorough book covers both Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Smartphones, whether running standalone or connected. There's a lot of information on using wifi or bluetooth connections, which I'm sure many of the new Windows Mobile device owners want to know.

The information is all current, the pictures useful, and the tips excellent. Whether you're a newcomer to Windows Mobile looking for basic information, or a more sophisticated user looking for reference information, you'll be sure to get a lot of good information from this guide.

If you have a mobile computer (for example, a PocketPC) that runs on a Windows platform, you probably found the instruction manual grossly inadequate. I know I did. I also found some basic, expected functionality missing from my PocketPC and immediately set about finding third-party applications to resolve those deficiencies. Along the way, I found out just how frustrating it is to set up or even use a mobile computer without something other than just the manual to serve as an information source.

What a jewel I found in this book on Windows Mobile! Most computer-related books are either way too simple to be of any use, or they are written for people who don't need a manual in the first place. This one is targeted squarely at the typical user.

I have a real problem with "newbie" books that assume you can't read a display menu. This book doesn't start at that point. It starts with the assumption you don't live under a rock and aren't too lazy to click a few things to see what they do. It also doesn't assume you have an advanced degree in computer programming. My first reaction when reading this was, "Pinch me--I must be dreaming!" Definitely a great value for every penny spent and definitely worth the time spent reading it.

The book is arranged logically, with five major parts. Part One focuses on the "get started" issues. It starts off by explaining the Windows Mobile platform. It then provides some basics about the devices that run on Windows Mobile, so you're not lost in later sections. After this, it explains various settings--what they mean and what you can do with them. It ends by addressing specifics with Smartphones.

Part II helps you master using your laptop or desktop PC with your Windows Mobile device. I found this extraordinarily helpful, because the manual for my device left me to bumble and stumble in needless pain and misery. But now, I am very comfortable using my laptop to manage my Pocket PC. If you are wondering what the heck "manage" means in this context, you need to read this book!

One operation I don't do is synchronization--I find that far too scary. What if it wipes out the files on the computer? The first time I tried this process, it created all kinds of problems and I had to restore my computer's calendar and e-mail from a backup. To prevent a disaster, I now use my laptop rather than my desktop to do things on my Pocket PC.

A weakness in the book is it doesn't explain how to selectively synchronize. It gives a hint, though--setting up a special mail profile for this may solve the problem of unwanted "updates." But it doesn't address this problem directly. The synchronization function needs to be fixed, so that a person can use it without the risk of losing data. A well-explained workaround would have been nice.

Part III addresses many issues I don't care about and that don't affect people who have broadband service with their Pocket PC. If you have to use a dialup, though, this information is indispensable.

Part IV talks mostly about various applications that strike me as laptop or desktop stuff. For example, running spreadsheets and databases on your Pocket PC. Maybe my view is just too narrow. To me, the small screen and tiny keyboard mean you pretty much stick to calling, e-mailing, and doing minor text work. In an age where 21-inch CRTs and 17-inch LCDs dominate desktops, it seems ridiculous to try to cram those same applications into a screen that is 1.75 x 2.75 inches. If you can't have a laptop with you, then maybe the actual work can wait. It may seem unbelievable, but there was a time when people weren't expected to respond to a call 24 hrs a day and were expected to go back to the office to update a file.

Throughout the book, there are resource recommendations with accurate URLs provided. I followed up on many of these and found some excellent applications at reasonable prices.

If you are looking at any kind of computer/phone combo, get this book first. Yes, that applies to thinking about a Blackberry or PalmPilot, too. I was originally going to buy a Blackberry, but my product research led me to select a PocketPC instead. I have never regretted that choice. I bought this book several months after buying my device (I didn't know there was such a book, until then). My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner.

I suppose the word "Everything" lead me astray here. Perhaps, also, I expected too much otherwise.

The book does help you to learn the basics of using a Windows Mobile Smartphone or PDA, but I felt like I expected it to go into some slightly more advanced topics in detail, like installing and configuring software, or more advanced configuration of the system itself. My failing there could very well be in my expectations, though.

If you just need to learn how to use your Windows Mobile phone, then I suppose this is a decent book. I would wonder what else is out there along those lines, though, since that's not really what I was looking for.