Mobile+Devices

= Mobile Devices = toc

How mobile devices can affect and be utilized by the LIS profession
As the various types of mobile media improve their applications, their use in LIS services increases, from mobile question answering to inventory management. Rapid communication between a front desk or office and a knowledgeable employee at a distance can help to resolve issues quickly, while office-type applications for smart-phones, iPads and so on, allow for quick surveys of inventory and ensure the ability to update facility records. Many off-site storage apps and sites now provide mobile access for storage of data. Mobile phones help staff keep in touch during and after disasters, to plan the facility's hours of operation, if any, and coordinate recovery of items. Books can be lent to patrons with e-readers such as Kindle and Nook. Cell phones may pose a hazard to a pacemaker recipient if it is placed too near a pacemaker, something to be aware of if a patron or staff member with a pacemaker develops distress. Keep cell phones away from the chest of a person in distress who may, or who does, have a pacemaker.

A brief history
The first hand-held, wireless devices for communication were what became known as, "walkie-talkies." The first device was produced, by Alfred J. Gross, in 1938. His two-way, air to ground communications system was used during World War II - this information was only unclassified in 1976. Motorola's SCR 536, by Gavin Manufacturing Corp., was called the "handie-talkie." These devices all operated primarily on the AM frequencies. In 1943, the first 2-way, portable FM units were produced. Motorola's SCR 300 was the first device to be called a "walkie-talkie." It weighed 35 pounds and had a range of 10 - 20 miles. As the illustration shows, the device was carried in a ruck-sack.

After World War II, transistors became important in electronics, particularly in circuitry boards. The first pocket-sized transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, developed with Texas Instruments, debuted in 1954. The second company to market a transistor radio was Raytheon, in 1955; the third was Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (now Sony): shortly thereafter. TTK's success helped Japan's ailing post-war economy. Master engineer Dick Koch designed feedback circuit soldered directly to boards without manual selection of transistors, paving the way for automation, and for affordable products. Until that time, transistors were selected by hand for use on each circuit board.

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) replaced radio tube wiring with circuitry. Single-sided boards were the most common. In the 1960s to the 1970s, copper plating allowed top and bottom circuitry to be electrically connected. Double-sided circuit boards were used in consumer products and computer peripheral equipment. Multi-layered PCBs developed by the mid-1980s, used for computers, aerospace equipment, and instrumentation and telecommunication gear.

The first cell phone was the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, released in 1982. It was more than a foot long and weighed almost two pounds, and cost $3,995.00 when it was commercially released in 1983. Its battery gave an hour of talk time; its memory held thirty phone numbers. The Nokia Mobira Senator, also developed in 1982, weighed about 21 lbs. The first mobile phone to incorporate a pager, calculator, address book, fax machine and e-mail device, was the BellSouth / IBM Simon Personal Communicator, released in 1993. It weighed 20 ounces and cost $900.00.

Examples
Users of e-readers make up a growing portion of library lending patrons. This may change as Penguin Group USA has opted out of e-book lending, citing security concerns. Other book publishers also have either decided not to participate in e-book lending or have reconsidered, though at least one publisher is considering returning to e-book lending. When a publisher decides to opt out of e-book lending, libraries need to be prepared for complaints from patrons who suddenly lost access to their reading material.

Mobile devices that can access the internet can also access library catalogs and databases, if they are made available. Many databases have mobile apps for cell phones. Libraries around the world are offering mobile interfaces or apps for mobile devices, in order to be more accessible to their patrons. Some facilities enter into social networking, providing Twitter "tweets" and FaceBook announcements of upcoming events or exhibits. The British Museum regularly "tweets" about its current exhibit; followers can "tweet" back, giving input about an exhibit, a policy, or join in a discussion.

Office applications on smartphones, iPads, and other mobile devices, can be used to record inventory or note damage; internet or intranet connections can provide fast answers to questions, or notifications of problems. Inventory, records and other official documentation and communications can be uploaded to, or downloaded from, a cloud device, such as DropBox, using a mobile device.

**References**
[|History of Walkie-Talkies - Parxy.com] [|Regency TR-1 Transistor Radio History] [|Printed Circuit Board HIstory / Printed Wiring Board] [|In Pictures: A History of Cell Phones, PCWorld] [|Telecommunications History: American Personal Communications, from Walkie Talkie to Cell Phone]

[|Cell phones - Heart Disease and Other Cardiovascular Conditions on MedicineNet] [|Penguin Group USA to No Longer Allow Library Lending of New Ebook Titles] [|M-Libraries - Libsuccess.org]

Pictures:
[|Motorola SRC-300] [|Regency TR-1] [|Motorola DynaTAC 8000X]