<s>
Construction	B-Device
field	I-Device
computing	I-Device
is	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
handheld	B-Application
devices	I-Application
that	O
augment	O
the	O
construction	O
superintendent	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
manage	O
the	O
operations	O
on	O
a	O
construction	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
information	B-Device
appliances	I-Device
(	O
IA	O
)	O
must	O
be	O
portable	B-Application
devices	I-Application
which	O
can	O
be	O
carried	O
or	O
worn	O
by	O
the	O
user	O
,	O
and	O
have	O
computational	O
and	O
connectivity	O
capacity	O
to	O
perform	O
the	O
tasks	O
of	O
communication	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
these	O
devices	O
are	O
the	O
PDA	B-Application
,	O
tablet	B-Device
PC	I-Device
modern	O
tablet	B-Device
devices	I-Device
including	O
iPad	O
and	O
Android	O
Tablets	B-Device
and	O
smartphone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Construction	O
industry	O
field	O
personnel	O
were	O
quick	O
to	O
adopt	O
new	O
technologies	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
FAX	O
machine	O
and	O
mobile	O
phone	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
been	O
slower	O
to	O
embrace	O
the	O
PC	O
,	O
tablet	B-Device
PC	I-Device
,	O
PDA	B-Application
,	O
and	O
other	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
learning	B-General_Concept
curve	I-General_Concept
is	O
perceived	O
to	O
be	O
too	O
steep	O
to	O
justify	O
implementing	O
new	O
technologies	O
or	O
methods	O
not	O
mandated	O
by	O
governing	O
authorities	O
or	O
required	O
by	O
the	O
contract	O
documents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
information	B-Device
appliance	I-Device
makes	O
it	O
possible	O
field	O
supervisors	O
to	O
access	O
needed	O
information	O
,	O
communicate	O
requirements	O
to	O
others	O
,	O
and	O
document	O
the	O
process	O
effectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Extra	O
steps	O
to	O
upload	B-Application
and	O
download	O
information	O
will	O
be	O
perceived	O
as	O
a	O
nuisance	O
or	O
waste	O
of	O
time	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
and	O
cause	O
the	O
device	O
to	O
be	O
underutilized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
IAs	O
are	O
self-contained	O
in	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
computing	O
capacity	O
and	O
software	O
to	O
perform	O
required	O
tasks	O
independent	O
of	O
a	O
server	B-Application
or	O
other	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
rely	O
on	O
connectivity	O
with	O
other	O
devices	O
and/or	O
a	O
server	B-Application
to	O
perform	O
required	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fat	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
refers	O
to	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
has	O
sufficient	O
speed	O
and	O
size	O
to	O
run	O
programs	O
and	O
is	O
loaded	O
locally	O
with	O
software	O
needed	O
for	O
operation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
need	O
for	O
continuous	O
Wi-Fi	O
,	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
,	O
cell	O
connection	O
or	O
other	O
connectivity	O
instrument	O
for	O
continuous	O
operation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	O
generally	O
has	O
more	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
interface	B-Application
so	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
adapt	O
it	O
to	O
his/her	O
own	O
preferences	O
and	O
operational	O
needs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
that	O
another	O
device	O
or	O
a	O
central	O
server	B-Application
controls	O
the	O
process	O
is	O
disturbing	O
to	O
many	O
free-spirited	O
construction	O
personnel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Can	O
be	O
faster	O
operationally	O
than	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
since	O
the	O
device	O
does	O
not	O
need	O
to	O
wait	O
for	O
transmitting	O
data	O
and	O
server	B-Application
access	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
refers	O
to	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
acts	O
as	O
a	O
terminal	B-General_Concept
or	O
interface	B-Application
with	O
a	O
server	B-Application
or	O
other	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sometimes	O
called	O
dumb	O
terminal	B-General_Concept
,	O
these	O
devices	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
sufficient	O
computing	O
capacity	O
or	O
data	O
storage	O
capacity	O
of	O
process	O
information	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
allow	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
software	O
and	O
data	O
needed	O
by	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Communication	O
or	O
directives	O
are	O
performed	O
and	O
recorded	O
instantly	O
rather	O
than	O
occurring	O
when	O
the	O
information	O
is	O
uploaded	B-Application
by	O
the	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lower	O
software	O
and	O
hardware	O
costs	O
since	O
only	O
minimal	O
computing	O
capacity	O
is	O
needed	O
on	O
the	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
device	O
and	O
separate	O
software	O
for	O
each	O
unit	O
is	O
not	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
device	O
is	O
not	O
useful	O
as	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
so	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
attractive	O
to	O
fencers	O
and	O
thus	O
a	O
less	O
likely	O
target	O
of	O
theft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stolen	O
devices	O
are	O
unlikely	O
to	O
be	O
usable	B-General_Concept
to	O
non-authorized	O
personnel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
transparency	B-Operating_System
is	O
important	O
in	O
construction	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
requirements	O
listed	O
in	O
the	O
'	O
usages	O
 '	O
section	O
in	O
this	O
article	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	B-General_Concept
friendliness	I-General_Concept
is	O
needed	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
varied	O
level	O
of	O
knowledge	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
will	O
in	O
large	O
part	O
determine	O
whether	O
or	O
not	O
the	O
device	O
and/or	O
system	O
is	O
utilized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laptop	B-Device
or	O
notebook	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
small	O
enough	O
to	O
be	O
carried	O
around	O
the	O
construction	O
site	O
,	O
but	O
too	O
big	O
to	O
do	O
so	O
comfortably	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
laptops	B-Device
are	O
not	O
durable	O
enough	O
to	O
stand	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
dirt	O
,	O
moisture	O
,	O
and	O
rough	O
handling	O
prevalent	O
on	O
most	O
job	O
sites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
tablet	B-Device
PC	I-Device
is	O
basically	O
a	O
scaled	O
down	O
laptop	B-Device
with	O
a	O
touch	O
screen	O
that	O
accepts	O
handwriting	O
rather	O
than	O
keyboard	O
entry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
do	O
have	O
keyboards	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
must	O
be	O
set	O
down	O
to	O
operate	O
and	O
thus	O
suffer	O
the	O
same	O
problem	O
of	O
not	O
being	O
usable	B-General_Concept
and	O
portable	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PDA	B-Application
has	O
been	O
accepted	O
by	O
many	O
construction	O
firms	O
to	O
aid	O
the	O
management	O
of	O
punch	O
lists	O
,	O
safety	O
inspections	O
,	O
and	O
maintenance	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PDAs	B-Application
are	O
durable	O
,	O
inexpensive	O
,	O
and	O
very	O
portable	O
(	O
being	O
worn	O
on	O
a	O
clip	O
or	O
carried	O
in	O
a	O
pocket	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
smart	B-Application
phone	I-Application
is	O
basically	O
a	O
mobile	O
phone	O
and	O
PDA	B-Application
combined	O
into	O
one	O
IA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
functionalities	O
such	O
as	O
digital	B-Device
camera	I-Device
and	O
voice	O
recorder	O
are	O
common	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Data	O
entry	O
,	O
like	O
with	O
the	O
PDA	B-Application
,	O
is	O
by	O
stylus	B-Device
or	O
keypad	O
and	O
cumbersome	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
PDA	B-Application
and	O
smart	B-Application
phones	I-Application
have	O
calendars	O
,	O
task	O
lists	O
,	O
and	O
phone	O
lists	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
are	O
useful	O
to	O
superintendents	O
when	O
coupled	O
with	O
the	O
phone	O
functions	O
as	O
is	O
the	O
case	O
with	O
the	O
latter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Popular	O
devices	O
include	O
the	O
Blackberry	O
and	O
Treo	O
,	O
the	O
pocket	O
pc	O
,	O
iPhone	O
and	O
Droid	O
all	O
are	O
popular	O
because	O
of	O
their	O
web/email	O
abilities	O
and	O
ease	B-General_Concept
of	I-General_Concept
use	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
advent	O
of	O
modern	O
tablets	B-Device
including	O
the	O
iPad	O
and	O
Android	O
tablets	B-Device
the	O
area	O
of	O
mobile	O
IT	O
in	O
construction	O
is	O
moving	O
into	O
a	O
new	O
era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
devices	O
overcome	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
limitations	O
of	O
the	O
rugged	O
PDAs	B-Application
in	O
terms	O
of	O
data	O
entry	O
,	O
data	O
access	O
in	O
field	O
and	O
its	O
timely	O
communication	O
to	O
others	O
who	O
need	O
to	O
act	O
on	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	B-Device
cameras	I-Device
are	O
often	O
included	O
in	O
smart	B-Application
phones	I-Application
and	O
PDAs	B-Application
,	O
but	O
their	O
resolution	O
is	O
lower	O
than	O
the	O
dedicated	O
camera	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
brands	O
share	O
information	O
by	O
USB	B-Protocol
or	O
flash	B-Device
memory	I-Device
card	I-Device
which	O
is	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
camera	O
and	O
inserted	O
in	O
complementary	O
devices	O
(	O
most	O
PDAs	B-Application
accept	O
these	O
cards	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
methods	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Infrared	O
Communications	O
or	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
are	O
also	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Data	O
,	O
queries	B-Language
,	O
commands	O
,	O
or	O
responses	O
must	O
be	O
entered	O
into	O
the	O
computer	O
through	O
some	O
sort	O
of	O
interface	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
touch	O
screen	O
and	O
stylus	B-Device
is	O
effective	O
for	O
construction	O
applications	O
as	O
it	O
allows	O
handwriting	B-Application
recognition	I-Application
for	O
those	O
who	O
do	O
not	O
feel	O
comfortable	O
with	O
keyboards	O
or	O
the	O
small	O
size	O
of	O
keyboards	O
on	O
portable	O
IAs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
digital	O
image	O
of	O
the	O
sketch	O
can	O
be	O
transmitted	O
to	O
others	O
or	O
converted	O
to	O
another	O
format	O
after	O
uploading	B-Application
to	O
a	O
printer	O
or	O
other	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
may	O
be	O
suitable	O
for	O
numeric	O
entry	O
into	O
data	B-Application
fields	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speech	B-Application
recognition	I-Application
refers	O
to	O
the	O
capacity	O
of	O
the	O
IA	O
to	O
convert	O
voice	O
entry	O
into	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
touch	O
screen	O
is	O
the	O
standard	O
display	O
method	O
for	O
tablet	B-Device
PC	I-Device
and	O
smaller	O
IAs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Organization	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
is	O
challenging	O
on	O
the	O
small	O
screen	O
and	O
the	O
user	O
should	O
be	O
considered	O
when	O
designing	O
the	O
interface	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
See	O
section	O
2.2	O
and	O
2.3	O
in	O
Ben	O
Shneiderman	O
's	O
"	O
Designing	O
the	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
"	O
(	O
)	O
concerning	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
interface	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Systems	O
such	O
as	O
JAWS	B-Application
screen	I-Application
reader	I-Application
for	O
the	O
visually	O
impaired	O
do	O
exist	O
,	O
but	O
are	O
not	O
practical	O
for	O
construction	O
site	O
users	O
and	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eyetap	B-General_Concept
is	O
a	O
technology	O
being	O
developed	O
that	O
may	O
have	O
construction	O
applications	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
'	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
 '	O
devices	O
and	O
methods	O
are	O
being	O
developed	O
but	O
the	O
usable	B-General_Concept
products	O
have	O
yet	O
to	O
be	O
'	O
beamed	O
down	O
 '	O
to	O
planet	O
Earth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
section	O
on	O
transparency	B-Operating_System
in	O
this	O
article	O
discusses	O
some	O
requirements	O
for	O
usability	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cloud	O
based	O
tablet	B-Device
and	O
PC	O
systems	O
provide	O
not	O
just	O
mobile	O
capture	O
and	O
access	O
to	O
data	O
in	O
field	O
but	O
also	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
they	O
both	O
computerise	O
and	O
move	O
to	O
the	O
cloud	O
the	O
quality	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
