Using Mobile Phones for Domain Specific Information Appliances

We have investigated how mobile phones can be used as basis for domain specific information appliances. In many areas in service and production industry mobile workers use specifically designed handheld information appliances. Such appliances are developed to be highly suitable for the task that has to be performed. However the development of such appliances is fairly expensive and only makes sense for settings where there are large numbers of mobile workers doing similar tasks. In our work we analyse the domain of policing inner city parking. We developed a prototype based on a camera-equipped mobile phone which could be used in this context. In this case study we highlight advantages and shortcomings of the use of mobile phones as domain specific information appliances.