Mobile Computing

5. Connections

5.1 The ability to back up data is essential.

• Most PDAs come with a connection device, and software you install on your PC, which allows you to transfer data from one to the other. Suitable software allows you to 'synchronise' your PC and PDA, ensuring that changes you have made on one (eg updated contact details or appointments) are copied over to the other.
• The easiest way to back up a laptop is usually to connect it to your network (see 5.2).

5.2 There can be several options for connecting your laptop to the office network.

• Most laptops have a network card built in, or have a PC-card expansion slot or a USB port into which you can insert a network adaptor card. If you have a wireless network, you can connect your laptop without any cabling.
• A cable plugged into the laptop's printer port, and suitable software, can allow you to exchange files with a desktop computer.
• Many laptops have an infrared port (complying with the 'IrDA standard') which allows you to transfer information to other IrDA compatible devices.

5.3 You can connect a laptop to the Internet using a modem. With suitable software, this will allow you to send and receive email, browse the Internet, or connect to your office network server.

• You can use a phone line to make the connection (eg in a hotel), or connect your laptop to a GSM mobile phone.
• Ensure that you use an ISP covering all the areas you travel to.

5.4 PDAs and other similar devices often offer a range of communication features.

• These can include the ability to connect wirelessly to the office network, or to link the PDA with a mobile phone for email or Internet access.
• The ability to send and receive emails is an increasingly common option for mobile phones.
• Some PDAs provide an 'always-on' connection to your office email server, so that emails can be automatically forwarded to you as soon as they are received.