Mobility
The pros and cons of fat and thin mobile
clients
Assessing the availability of a
network connection and computing power
required may help with purchasing decisions.
by Mukund Balasubramanian
The growing prevalence of wireless networks
has fueled an increase in wireless hand-held
devices. Market research and analysis firm
International Data Corporation (IDC)
predicts that worldwide shipments of smart
phones will more than double, from 164.7
million units this year to 363.2 million
units by 2012.
These mobile hand-held devices typically
operate as thin clients or fat clients. Fat
and thin client platforms each have
advantages and disadvantages, so when
choosing between fat and thin clients,
desired applications, user experience,
performance and return on investment are the
key considerations when making a purchasing
decision.
Users should first consider where and how
the device will be used. Thin clients
require a constant connection with the
server, since that is their source for
updating and obtaining data, while fat
clients are capable of storing applications
and data on the device when a connection to
the server is unavailable.
Fat clients typically have one to three
layers of application code and can operate
independently from a server. Fat clients
support working in a disconnected or
occasionally connected mode, with the option
of client side application logic and local
persistence. Fat client platforms are
designed for applications that require
in-the-field data collection.
A fat client can accept input and store
data until connectivity with the server can
be established; the data can be synchronized
with the server in a wired or wireless mode
later. This allows the user to continue
working even if he is out of contact with
the server.
Fat client applications are general used
for personal information management software
(e.g., e-mail, SMS, calendaring, contacts,
tasks). An insurance agent, for example, can
update photos collected in the field and
synchronize it to a server later. A health
care professional could log in data during
patient visits and synchronize with the
server periodically. Workers in the field
can log inventory while offline or in areas
with no wireless connectivity available.
The fat client design offers these key
benefits:
- offline and online use;
- reduced over the air (OTA) network
costs;
- wired and wireless modes;
- prolonged battery life due to offline
usage;
- a wide variety of applications
available; and
- end-to-end security solutions possible
on client and server side.
Some disadvantages of fat client
solutions include:
- purchasing and maintaining applications
on numerous devices increases costs;
- some platforms have limited application
options;
- distribution of latest updates can be
difficult to coordinate;
- need to create back-end services to
support the use of access points specific to
a phone or network; and
- device and data security is required,
since the device stores data.
Thin client devices have become a popular
alternative. A thin-client system consists
of a server and a client that communicate
over a network using a remote display
protocol. A thin client approach may be more
suitable in the context of accessing Web
applications that have a known user base.
This often calls for redesigning the
presentation layer of existing Web sites to
suit hand-held device form factors and
download size restrictions.
The use of thin clients in mobile
commerce allows digital content to be
purchased on the Web, behind a secure
enterprise firewall. Thin clients can be
used to make mobile payments, enabling
users, for example, to use the mobile phone
as a wallet, transferring funds securely
over the air. Multimedia content (e.g.,
audio, video, photos, RSS feeds)
subscriptions from multiple sources can be
streamed and shared from a hosted
environment.
The thin client supports the use of
location-based services, which allow users
to gather information specific to a location
in real time. Thin clients also support
message-based services using SMS and push
alerts for immediate notification.
The thin client design offers a variety
of benefits:
- supports existing Web sites;
- if the device is lost or stolen, it can
be disabled remotely;
- no software deployment necessary on
client side;
- updates take place over the air;
- all processing and management occurs at
the server, so the mobile device has fewer
points of contact with processing activity;
- offers vendor-neutral, standard
integration with third- party Web 2.0 sites
(e.g., Flickr, Facebook, MySpace); and
- data collected can be uploaded
immediately to Web 2.0 communities.
Some of the disadvantages of thin client
applications include:
- high-performance, scalable servers
required;
- high bandwidth must be available for
multimedia applications;
- additional thin clients place more
demands on the server;
- if the network is down, the thin client
cannot access the server and required
processing power; and
- scaled screens and less robust
applications.
Mukund Balasubramanian is CTO of
Photon InfoTech, Tamil Nadu, India.
For more information
(click here)