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Top Ten Pitfalls of Wireless Application Development
Selecting The Right/Wrong Devices -
Decisions made at the front end of your application development process are often the most crucial. And
if the foundation is shaky the project is bound to tumble somewhere down the road. Selecting your
application's target wireless devices is a good example. It's an early pitfall that's not often given enough
consideration.
Everyone is enamored with wireless devices and you've probably got preferences of your own. Can't live
without that Palm Pilot - right? Or maybe you agree cell phones are the ultimate mobile companions.
Well, before you lock your application to a personal preference - or the device du jour - consider device
selection from the application's perspective.
For example, if text input is involved - even in small doses - a cell phone may not be an ideal choice.
And while some alternative devices offer keyboards, are your users thumb-typing dynamos or dolts?
Then there are display and battery-life considerations, or how well the device holds up in the field,
surviving the elements or a clumsy user.
Selecting the right combination of devices - or even a single device - for your application should be a
logical process. But many companies make device decisions without fully understanding potential
limitations or future impacts. And making an inappropriate choice is somewhat akin to racing the Indy
500 in a Ford Escort. Sure it gets you around the track, but you're not going to grab the checkered flag.
Choosing the Right/Wrong Network -
Networks go hand-in-hand with devices and selection of one often limits or determines the other. The
problem is, not all networks are created equal. Some offer wider coverage while others have better in-
building penetration. Then there’s circuit-switched versus packet data issues plus a variety of current
and future transmission rates.
Speaking of which, how well do you understand higher-bandwidth future network hype versus current
network reality? Everyone’s heard about third generation wireless systems and Dick Tracy-style video
or downloadable MP3 music on a cell phone. But did you realize these capabilities are still a number of
years away from commercial availability?
The pitfall in choosing a network(s) for your application is understanding the capabilities of what’s out
there, when its available and whether its right for what you’re trying to accomplish. Many entrepreneurs
and companies don’t fully consider the implications of their network choice - until it’s too late.
Knowing a little about network congestion, packet size, transmission characteristics or network upgrade
potential goes a long way towards creating an efficient wireless application. None of these networks
may actually give you everything you’d like or need. But separating the hype from reality and making
an informed choice - even with a few peculiarities and limitations - is a great place to start.
Not Realizing You Need Custom Development -
Networks and devices are crucial development considerations but everybody knows it’s the application,
stupid! So how well have you thought yours through? Of course you know what it’s supposed to do but
the real question is how do you make those things happen?
One common mistake is settling for a thin-client solution when a custom application is warranted. For
example, browser-based applications using WAP or Palm’s Web Clippings are great thin client solutions
for targeting a wide variety of devices. But developing with a text-based “least common denominator”
solution can limit your application options.
Do you require off-line as well as online data access? Integration with other application software? Tight
interface control or detailed graphics? How about infrared or Bluetooth networking? If you answered
yes to even one of these queries a custom-developed solution is your only option.
Yes, you can probably shoehorn any application into a thin-client solution. And just like the wired
Internet, wireless browser features and capabilities will continue to expand. But until then it may not be
a good idea to ignore the custom development option.
Understanding Your Security Risks -
The “www” in wireless Internet doesn’t stand for Wild Wild West but it isn’t far off. The territory is
wide open, there are few hard-and-fast rules and no one’s security is widely assured.
Odds are you aren’t ignoring wireless security issues but you may not be paying enough attention to
them either. Wireless applications are so new that many potential trouble spots have yet to be identified.
And device-side security concerns deserve particular attention.
PDAs and other intelligent wireless devices are quickly becoming extensions of the desktop computer
and business office. And thanks to wireless connections, access to corporate data is a mere key click or
touch screen away. But these devices - and the data inside them- are vulnerable. Do you understand the
consequences of a user losing one? Or a rogue application accessing data on yours?
If not, take a hard look at your application’s security needs in light of what the device does or doesn’t
provide. If you’re going the thin-client route, remember that built-in security is limited but getting better
with each new version. Better yet, with a custom approach you control the protection and encryption
options.
But regardless of the development route, it’s your job to play wireless “sheriff.” Security must be an
integral part of your project to prevent accidental or malicious deeds from compromising an otherwise
promising application.
Putting The Pieces Together -
Wireless applications are like complex jigsaw puzzles. You never know how it’s going to look until you
try to bring it all together. But the pitfall in integrating the carrier, host and device components isn’t the
process itself; it’s the puzzle pieces they left out of the box.
For example, the carrier component can be one big puzzle piece - a huge black box. You put data in one
end and it comes out the other. Problem is it doesn’t always come out the way you expect it to.
Carriers optimize their networks for different types of data and what your application is sending could
be different from what the network is optimized for. In some, it’s human readable text and for others --
binary data transfer. How these network gateways “massage” your data could have unforeseen and
unpleasant impacts on your application, if you’re not adequately prepared.
To be on the safe side, be ready for the unexpected, the undocumented, the unknown. And most
importantly, allow plenty of time for puzzle assembly. Wireless networks are unpredictable but they can
be conquered.
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