Mobile and ubiquitous information access

The ongoing migration of computing and information access from the desktop and te- phone to mobile computing devices such as PDAs, tablet PCs, and next-generation (3G) phones poses critical challenges for research on information access. Desktop computer users are now used to accessing vast quantities of complex data either directly on their PC or via the Internet – with many services now blurring that distinction. The current state-of-practice of mobile computing devices, be they mobile phones, hand-held computers, or personal digital assistants (PDAs), is very variable. Most mobile phones have no or very limited information storage and very poor Internet access. Furthermore, very few end-users make any, never mind extensive, use of the services that are provided. Hand-held computers, on the other hand, tend to have no wireless network capabilities and tend to be used very much as electronic diaries, with users tending not to go beyond basic diary applications.