So what devices are mobile? And how many do I need?

Laptop, hybrid laptop, tablet, eRreader, phablet, smartphone and iPod. And this is by far not a full list. Thus the question arises what makes a device mobile? Certainly, all of them are easily portable because they typically do not weigh more than 3 kilograms or measure more than 15''. But is it enough to call all of them mobile?

 

Without launching into long and overly excited descriptions of features of these marvels of innovative thought, this post will try to pinpoint what makes a device mobile. 

The nature of mLearning (excluding the aspect of it that overlaps with blended learning) is such that it could be summarised as 'on-the-go'. Information is consumed in small doses over short and irregular time periods and knowledge production does not require high levels of concentration (Quinn, 2011).  Learning and teaching happens at one's convenience in any situation that can be described as intermission. For example, while commuting or waiting for an appointment. These intervals are typically and quite comfortably filled in by gaming or scrolling news feeds and social media. Thus, learning activities, if they are to fit into this pattern, should be of similar nature. The examples often provided are flashcards, educational games, jotting down ideas that can be later developed at the comfort on one's desk or collaboration. Another application of mobile devices is collection of real-life data and it's immediate editing and sharing. Quinn (2011) offers the following brief summary of what constitutes a mobile device:

"A subset of the laptop, however, can be considered a mobile device. Tablet computers are typically run with laptop-style processors and sport operating systems that are laptop-scale but with special stylus-capable interfaces instead of standard keyboards. They are also typically both thinner and lighter than laptops. Tablets have been used in medical situations, where doctors carry them around and use the interface to access custom applications for medical information, engineering, and aviation, among other things. ...
These devices can differ on a variety of dimensions. They can take a wide variety of form factors, have a variety of different ways to communicate with the digital world and with users, and may incorporate a variety of ways of sensing the non-digital world, but all share the portable processor and communication with the digital world and the user."

However, it is worth to go deeper and investigate what a device has to have in order to perform on par with the requirements above. Ideally, is should have the following features: 

• cellular and/or wireless internet access and bluetooth
• Camera and microphone 
• Speakers and headphones jack
• Display between 4" and 10''
• Weight up to 0,7 kg
• Touchscreen
• Enough storage space and RAM to store and process data (This is indeed rather unspecific, but tech reviews are outside the scope of this post, and the number of memory chips and processors is so big that it would require substantial time investments to provide a comprehensive review. Moreover, most of popular devices these days are equipped with powerful enough hardware not to have a lot of performance issues.)
• Software to collect, process and share data. Ideally, should be sychronizable with Cloud services.

Furthermore:

• It should fit in one hand and be navigable with a thumb or at least be comfortably held in one hand and worked on with another. 

In fact, it seems that this last point represents one of the key features that make a device mobile. It needs to be small and light enough to be comfortably held for longer periods of time in various situations, especially ones when it is impossible to sit down. For example, when standing in line or on public transport. 

The issue of comfort in possibly not so comfortable situations tags along all of the above points. The device needs to allow for easy audio and, especially, video recording and playing (usually, this is achieved by equipping a device with 2 cameras, one on the back and one on the front). The screen needs to be large but still conform to the one-hand rule. The content should be shareable without the need to for devices to be in proximity of each other or a cable. 

Thus, 

• laptops do not make the cut. 
• Hybrid laptops can be considered mobile when they are used separately from the keyboard.
• iPods and other audio players are somewhat more complicated. They seem to have become somewhat redundant today due to ever increasing storage capacity and battery lives of smartphones, phablets and tablets. Devices similar to iPod Touch may still have a niche and barely qualify as mobile because of possibilities of internet access, video and audio recording and data storage, processing and sharing. iPod Touch has been, indeed, described as an iPhone that does not ring. It also has an advantage of price over more expensive smartphones, but it brings up a question of multiplication of mobile devices, which is dealt with later on.
• eRearders. For all intents and purposes, an eReader is not a mobile device because it is so purpose specific, while a mobile device has to be versatile. Even if it has internet access, it lacks the software to process and share text on a level expected of a mobile device, leave alone do anything else. This does not mean, however, that it has no future in learning. Its case is similar to that of iPod and also dealt with later on.
• Smartphones and tablets, quite obviously, represent the epitome of mobile devices. The requirements specified above seemed unrealistic even 5 years ago when iPhone 3G came out, and it was already a huge leap compared to 2007 when the first iPhone was introduced. Today, they are a prerequisite for a middle-of-the-road smartphone available for the average price of $314 (Hamblen, 2014).

But again, the rate of progress is so fast and the mobile device market is so unpredictable that any new intermediate device might catch up and undermine all the above suppositions. For example, Apple, who has held a trendsetter position in the digital world for a while now, is rumoured to come out with a larger iPad in 2015; in fact, it might be as large as 12.7'', but it will not be a hybrid laptop (Macworld, 2014). 

This brings to light a larger discrepancy between mLearning (or any new learning model) theory and practice. The theory is reactive to practices that happen naturally in the real world. It has to come up with new branches and new approaches to incorporate what is already happening in the world into itself. On the one hand, it shows its flexibility, but on the other hand, it shows its inaptitude. In natural sciences when faced with contradicting theories, we accept as true the one that can account for more facts of the reality. Similarly, educational theory might be argued to need a more comprehensive model that would be applicable to practice regardless of the device used or a situation where learning/teaching occurs. This, of course, would be long-term goal. In the meantime, stakeholders have to deal with reality at hand in the most efficient way possible, which is exactly the purpose of the present discourse. 

Now, returning to the question of complimentarily of mobile devices. The most logical thing would seem to be to have one mobile device, albeit on the expensive side, that would be able to perform all necessary support all social and educational activities. It is particularly relevant if learning is to become a part of daily routine even when outside of formal education institutions. If a learner has to carry around and reach for a different device than they normally would in order to learn, than it can be perceived as an interruption of workflow, not its natural continuation. In institutions that can afford to take this view, it has become known as BYOD. Indeed, why spend time and resources on a separate device when an app on an already exciting device can perform the same functions. If accessing, for example, a flashcard app is as simple as picking up a device that is in your pocket anyway, maybe it could alleviate the anxiety sometimes connected with learning as well as rituals some surround the whole process with (such as social network binges as breaks).  

An eReader, however, could be a valuable addition to one's gadget collection. It has an incomparably long battery life (around 2 weeks), is more sparing to the eyes than a tablet (especially if it uses electronic paper technology), is light and slim (compared to a 500-page book) and is an eco-conscious choice. Of course, the question of material retention read on a screen versus a book is a whole other matter. 

As for the iPod Touch and other audio players with internet access and lager touch screens, they make sense for mLearning as tradeoffs for those who do not wish to splurge on/cannot afford a smartphone or a tablet. The main point of owning one is access to software and cloud services. For example, iPod Touch retails for about $200, while iPhone 6 in the basic configuration is around $650. Yes, iPod Touch is less powerful, but it offers the access to the App Store with thousands of apps for learning, sharing data and collaboration. 

References:

iPad Pro (or iPad Plus) release date rumours, leaked images: New concept video of the iPad Pro. (2014, Dec 5). Retrieved from http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/ipad/bigger-screen-ipad-pro-release-date-rumours-leaked-images-photo-3492180/

Humble, M. (2014, May 29). Smartphone prices are dropping, and will continue to dip through '18. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/article/2489944/smartphones/smartphone-prices-are-dropping--and-will-continue-to-dip-through--18.html

Quinn, C. N. (2011). Designing MLearning : Tapping Into the Mobile Revolution for Organizational Performance. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.