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A computing environment is said to be “mobile” when either the sender or receiver of information can move (mobile) while transmitting or receiving information. The following are the important characteristics of a mobile computing environment.

 Ubiquity: The definition of ubiquity is “the state of being everywhere all the time.” Mobile computing allows a user to perform computation from anywhere, anytime. For example, a business executive can receive business notifications and issue business transactions as long he/she is in wireless coverage area.

 Location awareness: A handheld device equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) can provide information about the current location of a user. Many applications ranging from strategic to personalized services require or get value additions with location-based services. For example, while a person is on the move, he/she may be on the lookout for car maintenance services available nearby. This can be very easily achieved through mobile computing. Of the numerous applications, a few example applications are traffic control, fleet management and emergency and security services.

 Adaptation: Adaptation implies the ability of a system to adjust to bandwidth fluctuation without inconveniencing the user. In a mobile environment, adaptation is crucial because of intermittent disconnections and bandwidth fluctuations that arise due to handoff, obstacles, environmental noise, etc.

 Broadcasting: Efficient delivery of data to hundreds of mobile users simultaneously is possible in the mobile environment due to the fundamental broadcast nature of the underlying communication.

 Personalization: Services in the mobile environment can be tailored to the user’s profile. This is required to let users easily avail information with handheld devices. For example, a mobile user may need certain information from specific sources, which can be easily achieved through personalization.