The reconstruction of portable computers: On the flexibility of mobile computing in mobile activities

Abstract

The remote distribution of contemporary activities has direct implications for the mobility of humans and associated actions. Remote distribution inherently entails parameters such as the mobility of individuals, artifacts, tasks, and information; and potential conflicts between objective and personal motives of individuals. The interactions of these parameters bear directly on the range of mobile computing services derivable from the use of these artefacts. Based on an activity-theoretical perspective, this paper presents a discussion of the dynamics of mobile computing services through an analysis of the process of reconstruction of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in a mobility-saturated work-integrated learning project. Upon this analysis, the flexibility of mobile computing as a direct function of the reconstruction process is discussed and a conceptual framework for the analysis of flexible mobile computing in mobile activities proposed. © 2005 by International Federation for Information Processing.