An optimized mobile app works within the constraints of mobile devices, especially handhelds, and makes effective use of available networks, usually wireless connections.
This is harder than it sounds, and the vendors we spoke with use various approaches to get there. For smartphones, the user interface is particularly important, because entering text is cumbersome and the display is small. Differences in form factor, types of operations and the manner in which users interact with the devices will be inherently different than with larger laptop platforms. A well-designed mobile application, for instance, won't require any more user input than absolutely necessary and should go to the network only for the information it needs. For more detail on mobile app design, see "10 Steps to Mobilization".
Application operation may be fundamentally different on a mobile device than on a desktop. For example, while desktop apps leverage free bandwidth to poll servers for information, in a wireless environment it's more efficient from both network utilization and power management standpoints to deliver data to the mobile system only when there's new information. The most vivid example is today's wireless e-mail systems that push messages in real time, but the concept can apply to any dynamic information that mobile workers need to receive right away. Currently, however, it's only e-mail systems that widely employ this push model. Other mobile applications and middleware generally use time-based polling.
Security requirements also are fundamentally different than on a desktop. People constantly lose their phones, and with the huge amount of storage available on these devices--up to 8 GB with today's Secure Digital cards--as well as their ability to access sensitive data, it's crucial that you protect this data. The big question is whether your app will incorporate security features, or whether you must employ a separate security system.
Features to look for include encryption of data on the device itself and while in transit, user authentication with an inactivity time-out and the ability to remotely wipe data on devices or kill them entirely if lost. Note that VPNs protect data transmission, but typically do nothing to safeguard data on the device. The trend is for mobile applications to incorporate security capabilities. In the RFI responses we received, all the application vendors provided a robust set of security features.
The new HPE Aruba 730 series Wi-Fi 7 access points tout high performance, enhanced security, location tracking capabilities, and more.
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
As we move closer to fully realizing the potential of Wi-Fi 7, it becomes evident that the RF, signaling, and throughput tests are not merely procedural checkpoints but the pillars of excellence in wireless communication.
