This article presents a comprehensive literature review to investigate whether and why older adults accept handheld computers and how to design elderly-friendly handheld computers. Findings about acceptance, input devices, menu and functions, and output devices are summarized. First, older adults were under social pressure to use mobile phones, but they had low acceptance of advanced functions....

Though there have been many studies of computer based text reading, only a few have considered the small screens of handheld computers. This paper presents an investigation into the effect of varying font size between 2 and 16 point on reading text on a handheld computer. By using both older and younger participants the possible effects of age were examined. Reading speed and accuracy were meas...

The academic world is at the beginning of a major shift in the library computing paradigm. Librarians have participated in the movement from paper-based systems to mainframe computing. This was followed by the movement to personal computing based on ever more sophisticated and powerful personal computers. In the past few years we have begun to see the development of the use of portable laptop c...

OBJECTIVE To compare users' speed, number of entry errors and satisfaction in using two current devices for electronic data collection in clinical research: handheld and laptop computers. DESIGN The authors performed a randomized cross-over trial using 160 different paper-based questionnaires and representing altogether 45,440 variables. Four data coders were instructed to record, according t...

This paper presents the DynaDOOM Visualization Agent, a system for providing first-person visualization of live-action multiplayer games. Participants carry a handheld computer instrumented with location sensing devices and a wireless 802.11b connection. A smooth trajectory of each player’s motion is automatically generated from position estimates using the Dynadraw algorithm, and translated in...

Web-based services mobile learning can enable collaborative learning and access to different information sources in actual problem-solving situations. The PDA’s are now designed to be smaller and sleeker and are popular due to its portability and facility for wireless connection. Handheld computers can become an integral part of the learning activities. But due to the very small screen, limited...

Small computing devices are everywhere changing the way people communicate and interact, however applications for these devices are developed more or less with the same tools used for conventional computer applications. Developers of handheld computer applications can find few options for development. In this paper we present MADEE a development and execution environment for mobile information ...

Everyday appliances, including telephones, ovens, and home stereos, increasingly contain embedded computers to provide greater functionality. Unfortunately, as these appliances become more complex, their interfaces are becoming harder to use. At the same time, more people than ever are carrying computerized devices that can communicate, such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, ...

At the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome we have been using wireless networks and portable devices for more than three years to improve the quality of service. In this paper we describe the design of an application for handheld devices created to support the activity of the surgical ward, where daily documentation and maintenance of medical record quality is a crucial issue. We tested the in...