Seamless interconnection of smart mobile devices and cloud services is a key goal in modern mobile computing. Mobile Cloud Computing is the holistic integration of contextually-rich mobile devices with computationally-powerful cloud services to create high value products for end users, such as Apple's Siri and Google's Google Now product. This coupling has enabled new paradigms and fields of research, such as crowdsourced data collection, and has helped spur substantial changes in research fields such as vehicular ad hoc networking. However, the growth of Mobile Cloud Computing has resulted in a number of new challenges, such as testing large-scale Mobile Cloud Computing systems, and increased the importance of established challenges, such as ensuring that a user's privacy is not compromised when interacting with a location-aware service. Moreover, the concurrent development of the Infrastructure as a Service paradigm has created inefficiency in how Mobile Cloud Computing systems are executed on cloud platforms. To address these gaps in the existing research, this dissertation presents a number of software and algorithmic solutions to 1) preserve user locational privacy, 2) improve the speed and effectiveness of deploying and executing Mobile Cloud Computing systems on modern cloud infrastructure, and 3) enable large-scale research on Mobile Cloud Computing systems without requiring substantial domain expertise. / Ph. D.

Yes / In this manuscript, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array system with identical compact antenna elements providing wide radiation and diversity function is introduced for sub 6 GHz fifth-generation (5G) cellular applications. The introduced design contains four pairs of miniaturized square-loop resonators with dual-polarization and independently coupled T-shaped feed lines which have been placed symmetrically at the edge corners of the smartphone mainboard with an overall size of 75 mm × 150 mm. Therefore, in total, the introduced array design encompasses four pairs of horizontally and vertically polarized resonators. The elements are very compact and utilize at 3.6 GHz, a potential 5G candidate band. In order to improve the frequency bandwidth and radiation coverage, a square slot has been placed and excited under each loop resonator. Desirable isolation has been observed for the adjacent elements without any decoupling structures. Therefore, they can be considered self-isolated elements. The presented smartphone antenna not only exhibits desirable radiation but also supports different polarizations at various sides of the printed circuit board (PCB). It exhibits good bandwidth of 400 MHz (3.4-3.8 GHz), high-gain patterns, improved radiation coverage, and low ECC/TARC (better than 0.004 and -30 dB at 3.6 GHz, respectively). Experimental measurements were conducted on an array manufactured on a standard smartphone board. The simulated properties of this MIMO array are compared with the measurements, and it is found that they are in good agreement. Furthermore, the introduced smartphone array offers adequate efficiency in both the user interface and components integrated into the device. As a result, it could be suitable for 5G handheld devices. / The authors extend their appreciation to the Deputyship for Research & Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for funding this research work through project number RI-44-0422.

Smartphone games are very popular and have the highest revenue of all smartphone application categories. Some even suggest that the the games can create an addiction. This addiction has however not been classified as a disorder and the components in the games that create an addiction have not been determined. This thesis had two goals. The first was to investigate and identify addictive components in smartphone games. The second goal was to use these components to develop an addictive proof of concept smartphone game prototype. The prototype was also to be evaluated regarding usability and how well it included the addictive components. The components in these games that create an addiction were identified using a literature study. After establishing a theoretical framework, eight different areas of addictive smartphone game components were found. These areas were further condensed into 16 guidelines of how to make a smartphone game addictive. The guidelines were used to create a prototype which later was evaluated with a supervised play test, a short interview, a usability questionnaire and a survey with questions regarding how well the guidelines were implemented. The usability of the game prototype was regarded as good and 13 of 14 implemented guidelines received positive results in the survey. In addition to this, all test users also regarded the game prototype as fun to play and wanted to play it again. Based on these results, the implemented smartphone game prototype was concluded to be addictive.

<p dir="ltr">In this era of digital surveillance and data breaches, it is important to understand how users protect their smartphone privacy. There needs to be more detailed information regarding the prevalence, factors, and motivations influencing the adoption of privacy-enhancing tools and settings on mobile devices. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by investigating the use of privacy tools among smartphone users and examining the impact of factors like demographics, awareness levels, and device platforms.</p><p dir="ltr">The study surveyed 342 participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), and the data were analyzed. The survey gathered data on user characteristics, privacy concerns, experiences with breaches, and use of various privacy tools. Statistical analysis showed that demographic factors, particularly age, significantly influenced the use of privacy tools, aligning with previous research. Users with a higher awareness of digital privacy risks were likelier to adopt privacy-enhancing tools. The study found no significant difference in the prevalence and type of privacy tools used between iOS and Android users.</p><p dir="ltr">The study's focus on privacy-enhancing tools among smartphone users and the proposed hypotheses provide valuable insights for law enforcement and forensic practitioners, aiding in digital investigations, evidence collection, and understanding user behavior related to smartphone privacy measures. The study's outcomes contribute to digital forensics, cybersecurity, and privacy domains by providing insights into user behaviors, motivations, and the factors shaping privacy tool adoption on smartphones. These findings can inform the development of more user-centric privacy tools, policies, and educational campaigns, ultimately enhancing digital privacy protection and supporting law enforcement investigations in the digital age.</p>

Användningen av informations- och kommunikationsteknik (IKT) ökar kraftigt och påverkar både samhället och människan. Smartphonen är en del av denna teknik och har påverkat människan samt samhället i ännu större utsträckning på grund av sin portabilitet. Denna påverkan är viktig att belysa då den innebär nya utmaningar som måste hanteras för att kunna bibehålla ett hållbart samhälle. Denna studie har undersökt hur smartphones påverkar människor i deras vardagliga liv med en djupare inblick i de sociala sammanhangen. Teorier inom IKT, smartphoneanvändning, samt beroende har legat till grund för det teoretiska ramverket medan observationer samt en enkätundersökning har legat till grund för empirin. Fokus har legat på unga vuxna och datan som samlats in har analyserats kvalitativt och sedan diskuterats utifrån teorin. Undersökningen visade på ett tydligt mönster gällande negativ inverkan på sociala konversationer. Det framgick tydligt att mycket fokus tillägnades smartphonen istället för konversationen i sig. Förutom en identifikation kring att de sociala sammanhangen påverkades negativt så gick det även att påvisa andra faktorer som påverkades. Det är tydligt att lagar har brutits, sömn påverkats och att individer har blivit överväldigade av information på grund av smartphonen. Sammanfattningsvis så är det viktigt att lyfta fram den psykiska påverkan som studien påvisar att smartphones haft på människor, så att medvetenheten gällande detta kan öka. / The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is evolving in a fast pace and effects both society and humans. Smartphones is a part of this technique and effects even more due to its portability. It is important to shed light on this effects as it poses new challenges which needs to be handle in order to maintain a sustainable society. This thesis has explored the growing problem of smartphones and how they affect the ordinary life of humans. Theories within ICT, smartphone usage and addiction were the foundation of the theoretical framework while observations and a questionnaire was used to collect the empirical data. The focus has been on young adults and the collected data were analyzed qualitatively and thereafter discussed on the theoretical framework as basis. The study showed a pattern regarding negative impact on social conversations due to the smartphone. It was clear that a lot of focus were dedicated to the smartphone instead of the conversation. Aside from that it was clear that laws been broken, sleep affected and that people have become overwhelmed by information due to the smartphone. In conclusion, it is important to highlight the psychological impact that the study shows that smartphones had on people, so that the awareness regarding this can increase.

À une époque où les technologies digitales, la profusion d’images reçues et partagées, la vitesse et la mobilité n’ont jamais été si manifestes, se pose la question de la relation entre les gestes, les objets connectés et les pratiques créatives artistiques voire « amateures ». Dans un monde désormais localisable, connu et reconnu de tous, l’expérience du voyage traditionnel aurait-elle laissé place à la navigation de tous les jours sur Internet ? Que provoque la présence de cet outil dans l’expérimentation de l’artiste ? Comment l’utilise-t-il ? Montre-t-il, d’ailleurs, quelque chose de cette expérience ? De nouvelles formes apparaissent-elles avec l’accompagnement du téléphone mobile, intelligent ? Changent-elles notre perception et relation à l’image ? Que produit l’environnement numérique sur ces formes, qui, quand elles se révèlent, ou sont révélées, contrastent singulièrement avec les œuvres d’art dites « traditionnelles ». Elles constituent des modes de résistance face aux conceptions « reconnues » de l’art, comme celles de la présentation de l’œuvre. Un des enjeux essentiels de la thèse pointe la réflexion sur l’acte d’image réalisée avec le mobile, ou le geste « fait » souvent plus que l’œil « voit » ou contrôle. Une expérience artistique et réflexive au cœur de mobilités cumulées ; où un nouveau paradigme de l’œuvre, des modes de diffusion est spécifiquement pensé en relation avec l’image saisie. / At this time of digital technologies, the profusion of received and shared images, speed and mobility have never been so evident, we can discuss the question of the relationship between gestures, connected objects and creative artistic practices, which can appear as “amateurs”. In a world now localizable, known and recognized by all, the experience of traditional travel would have given way to navigation on the Internet every day? What can cause the presence of this tool in the artist experimentation? How does he use it? Does he show, although, something of this experience? Do new forms appear with the accompaniment of the mobile phone, intelligent? Do they change our perception and relationship to the image? What does the digital environment produce on these forms, which, when they are revealed, or if they are revealed, are contrasting to the so-called "traditional" works of art. They constitute modes of resistance to the "recognized" conceptions of art like those of the work presentation. One of the essential object of the thesis is the reflection on the act of image realized with the mobile, or the gesture “made” often more than the eye "sees" or controls the frame. It is an artistic and reflective experience at the heart of cumulative mobility; where a new work paradigm, modes of diffusion is specifically thought in relation to the captured image.

Pesquisas sobre inovação e o mercado de baixa renda focam eminentemente no desenvolvimento de produtos e gestão de marketing, assumindo uma postura top-down, das empresas para os consumidores. Esta postura sugere textos prescritivos sobre gestão de empresas multinacionais, tanto em mercados desenvolvidos quanto em mercados emergentes. Do ponto de vista individual, tem se dada pouca atenção para compreender a adoção da inovação pelos consumidores de baixa renda. A presente tese busca investigar o conceito de inovação por esta perspectiva, assumindo uma postura bottom-up, focando principalmente nos consumidores. Desta forma, o objetivo da tese consiste em analisar os fatores que influenciam a adoção da inovação de produtos por consumidores de baixa renda. O recorte empírico da tese consiste no mercado de smartphones que é um produto com atributos inovadores e acessíveis aos consumidores de baixa renda. Os pressupostos teóricos que embasam a tese consistem nas restrições encontradas pelos consumidores do mercado da base da pirâmide, que englobam a baixa renda, falta de informação e conhecimento e falta de confiança. Essas restrições individuais causadas por problemas estruturais (transporte, educação, saúde, moradia, saneamento e etc.) afetam negativamente a adoção de inovação por consumidores. Essa relação sustenta o efeito principal do modelo da tese que consiste na hipótese 1. A literatura e conceitos utilizados para subsidiar a pesquisa foram Antecedentes do UTAUT 2, 4 As de Anderson e Billou, 12 Princípios de Prahalad, Inovação Disruptiva, Inovação Reversa e Inovação Inclusiva. A revisão destas teorias resultou em quatro conceitos que consideramos fatores influenciadores da adoção da inovação no mercado de baixa renda, que são as Características e Benefícios, Facilidade de Uso, Simplicidade e Preço Acessível dos produtos. Esses conceitos resultantes da revisão da literatura sustentaram as hipóteses 2, 3, 4 e 5 que analisam o efeito moderador dessas variáveis sobre a adoção da inovação. Para atingir cada um dos dois objetivos específicos da tese, dois estudos foram realizados. O estudo 1, fase exploratória, consistiu em seis grupos de foco realizados na Favela de Paraisópolis em São Paulo e uma pesquisa complementar com 11 entrevistas realizadas em regiões rurais do Sul da Índia. O estudo 1 objetivou identificar os fatores que influenciam a adoção da inovação por consumidores de baixa renda. O estudo 2, fase descritiva, consistiu em uma pesquisa de levantamento realizada em 3 regiões de baixa renda na cidade de São Paulo que objetivou analisar a relação direta entre as restrições dos consumidores de baixa renda e a adoção da inovação (H1) e o efeito moderador de Características e Benefícios (H2), Facilidade de Uso (H3), Simplicidade (H4) e Preço Acessível (H5) desta relação. O estudo 2 também contemplou uma pesquisa complementar de levantamento, realizada com consumidores de alta renda. Os principais resultados do estudo 1 (fase exploratória) revelam que as restrições de renda, informação, conhecimento e confiança afetam a taxa de adoção da inovação. Além disso, mais do que o aquisição e compra dos produtos, a adoção está diretamente relacionada ao uso dos smartphones. Por fim, identificamos que há uma sobreposição de agentes no mercado de smartphones que gera confusão para os consumidores. Diferentes empresas fabricantes, varejistas, operadoras e desenvolvedoras dos sistemas operacionais se posicionam no mercado concomitantemente e acabam confundindo os consumidores acerca da real responsabilidade e atividade de cada um deles. Os principais resultados do estudo 2 (fase descritiva) confirmam as hipóteses 1 (efeito principal), 3, 4 e 5 (efeito moderador de FU, SI e PA), indicando estatisticamente que as restrições da baixa renda afetam negativamente a adoção da inovação e que a facilidade de uso, simplicidade e preço acessível moderam positivamente essa relação. / Research on innovation and the low-income market usually focus on product development and marketing management, taking a top-down approach, from companies to consumers. This approach suggests prescriptive texts on management of multinational companies in both developed markets and emerging markets. From an individual point of view, it has given little attention to understanding the adoption of innovation by low-income consumers. This PhD dissertation aimed to investigate the concept of innovation from this perspective, taking a bottom-up approach, mainly focusing on consumers rather than companies. Therefore, the aim of the dissertation is to analyze the factors influencing the innovation adoption of products for low-income consumers. The empirical object of the dissertation consists in the smartphone market since is a product with innovative features and affordable to low-income consumers. The theoretical assumptions that support the dissertation consists of the constraints faced by consumers in the market of the base of the pyramid, which include low income, lack of information and knowledge and lack of confidence. These individual constraints caused by infrastructural problems affect negatively the adoption of innovation by consumers. This relationship supports the main effect of the dissertation model, the hypothesis 1. The literature and concepts used to support the research were the Antecedents of UTAUT 2, 4A\'s of Anderson and Billou, 12 Principles of Prahalad, Disruptive Innovation, Innovation Reverse, and Inclusive innovation. A review of these theories resulted in four concepts that we consider factors that influence adoption of innovation in low-income market, which are the Features and Benefits (CB), Ease of Use (FU), Simplicity (SI), and Affordability (PA) of products. These concepts resulting from the literature review supported the hypotheses 2, 3, 4 and 5 that analyze the moderating effect of these variables on the adoption of innovation. To achieve each of the two specific objectives of the dissertation, two studies were conducted. Study 1, exploratory phase, consisted of six focus groups conducted in Favela of Paraisópolis in Sao Paulo and a complementary inquiry of 11 in-depth interviews conducted in rural areas of South India. The study 1 aimed to identify the factors that influence adoption of innovation by low-income consumers. Study 2, descriptive phase, consisted of a survey carried out in three low-income areas in São Paulo city that aimed to analyze the direct relationship between the constraints of low-income consumers and the adoption of innovation (H1) and moderating effect of Features and Benefits (H2), Ease of Use (H3) Simplicity (H4) and Affordable Price (H5) of this relationship. Study 2 also included an additional research involving a survey carried out with high-income consumers. The main results of the study 1 (exploratory phase) show that the income constraints, lack of information, knowledge and confidence really affect the rate of adoption of innovation. In addition, more than the acquisition and purchase of products, adoption is directly related to the use of smartphones. Finally, we identified that there is an overlap of agents in the smartphone market that creates confusion for consumers. Different manufacturers, retailers, operators and developers of systems are positioned in the market concurrently and end up confusing consumers about the real responsibility and activity of each of them. The main results of the study 2 (descriptive phase) confirm the hypotheses 1 (main effect), 3, 4 and 5 (moderating effect of FU, SI, and PA), indicating statistically that the restrictions on low-income negatively affect the adoption of innovation and the ease of use, simplicity and affordability positively moderate this relationship.

A agricultura de precisão (AP) é um das grandes responsáveis pela inserção de tecnologias cada vez mais avançadas dentro dos sistemas de produção agrícola. Um equipamento que já faz parte da AP é o computador de mão (Personal Digital Assistant, PDA). Porém com a evolução crescente dos dispositivos móveis tais como smartphones e tablets, os PDAs têm se tornado uma alternativa mais obsoleta do ponto de vista tecnológico. São várias as características que tornam smartphones e tablets dispositivos móveis mais atraentes tecnologicamente. A comunicação direta destes com sistemas de posicionamento via satélite foi o primeiro passo para torna-los válidos para o uso em AP. Além disso, dentre as tecnologias de computação, a computação móvel é a que tem mais aceitação pelos usuários do meio agrícola devido à gradativa inserção mercadológica que os telefones celulares exerceram durante os anos passados em todo o mundo. Com a ideia de criar uma nova ferramenta para a AP baseando-se no reconhecimento de voz para substituir e/ou minimizar o uso das telas sensíveis ao toque e planilhas no campo foi escolhido o sistema operacional Android para o desenvolvimento desse aplicativo. O projeto se baseou inicialmente em revisão bibliográfica de estudos de aplicativos móveis desenvolvidos para a AP e por acompanhamento em campo de procedimentos de coleta de dados. O aplicativo resultante desse desenvolvimento se baseou em três partes: configurações, coleta de dados por voz e mapas. Na parte de configurações é permitido ao usuário configurar opções como: variáveis de coleta, uso do GPS (Global Positioning System), uso do reconhecimento de voz, pasta de armazenamento e informações cadastrais. Na coleta de dados por voz o usuário tem um formulário com as variáveis configuradas, que é preenchido por reconhecimento de voz, automaticamente. Os mapas utilizados para auxiliar o usuário a se orientar pelo campo são criados a partir do sistema Google Maps®. É possível também habilitar um assistente de voz que fala ao usuário, por sintetização de voz, o nome da variável que está coletando e confirma para ele o valor que foi reconhecido a partir de sua voz. Um arquivo \'txt\' é criado a partir das informações do formulário contendo também as coordenadas geográficas de cada ponto de coleta, obtidas pelo sistema integrado de GPS do dispositivo, e esse arquivo pode ser utilizado para a entrada de dados em sistemas de informação geográfica (SIG) para a criação de mapas posteriormente. / Precision agriculture (PA) is one of the major responsible for the insertion of increasingly advanced technologies within agricultural production systems. Equipment that is already part of precision agriculture is the handheld computer (PDA). But with the growing trend of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, PDAs have become a more obsolete option in the technological context. There are several characteristics that make these devices technologically more attractive. Direct communication of such devices with satellite positioning systems was the first step to make them applicable for use in PA. Moreover, among the computing technologies, mobile computing has more acceptance by users of agricultural marketing due to the gradual insertion that mobile phones have had over the past years worldwide. With the idea of creating a new tool for PA based on the speech recognition to replace and/or minimize the use of touchscreen and worksheets in the field, Android was chosen as the operating system for the development of this application. The design was based initially on studies of mobile applications developed for PA through published articles or through monitoring procedures in field data collection. The application resulting from this development is based on three parts: settings, speech data collection and maps. Part of settings allows the user to set some options for operation of the application as: variables to collect, use of GPS, use of speech recognition, file storage folder to \'txt\' file and registration information, etc. In the data collection the user configures the variables he wants to collect and the application creates a form that is filled through speech recognition automatically. The map is used to help the user navigate the route through the use of Google Maps® base. It is possible to enable a voice assistant that tells him, by voice synthesizer, the name of the variable he is collecting and confirms to him the value that has been recognized by his voice. A \'txt\' file is created containing data along with geographic coordinates obtained from the onboard GPS of the device and it can be used for creating maps in geographic information systems (GIS).

Under de senaste åren har användningen av mobilapplikationer i smartphones ökat och kommer förmodligen fortsätta att göra det. Smartphoneanvändare ställer ofta höga krav och vill nästan alltid ha bättre prestanda i smartphones vilket driver utvecklingen framåt. Dock har många smartphoneanvändare klagat på att batteriet inte räcker till för deras användning. Enligt olika forskare är inte batteriet dåligt utan det är mobilapplikationer som förbrukar för mycket energi. De flesta studier som handlar om energiförbrukningen i mobilapplikationer fokuserar mycket på de tekniska aspekterna och det finns relativt lite kunskap om vad användare tycker om energiförbrukningen. Detta har skapat ett behov av att forska mer om användningen av mobilapplikationer utifrån användarens perspektiv. Syftet med denna studie är att ta reda på om mobilapplikationers energiförbrukning påverkar hur smartphoneanvändare använder mobilapplikationer. För att samla in kunskap om detta har sammanlagt åtta smartphoneanvändare intervjuats med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studiens resultat visar bland annat att användningen påverkas på olika sätt och det har även visat sig att vissa applikationer påverkar användningen mer än andra. Studien presenterar också vilka inställningar som användare brukar ändra på för att minska energiförbrukningen i mobilapplikationer.

Parce qu’ils font l’objet d’une utilisation intensive ces dernières années et que leur adoption suit une courbe similaire à celle du taux de pénétration du smartphone, les services de géolocalisation se sont rapidement et solidement ancrés dans le quotidien des individus hyperconnectés. Nous nous interrogeons dans cette recherche doctorale sur les nouvelles expériences au monde qui découlent de l’usage de ces dispositifs à travers une enquête qualitative menée auprès de 62 individus. Nos premiers résultats mettent en évidence que ces services, au même titre que d’autres technologies de l’information et de la communication, contribuent grandement à un réinvestissement des espaces et des lieux, à une relativisation des distances kilométriques et à de nouveaux rapports au temps marqués par une accélération continue et une recherche de l’immédiateté. Mais, les applications géolocalisées se voulant aujourd’hui de plus en plus socialisantes, nous avons également relevé et analysé de nouvelles stratégies de regroupement, d’évitement, de surveillance voire de contrôle entre des individus. Cela amène parfois à de nouveaux rapports de forces entre un géolocalisant et un géolocalisé, intimement liés aux problématiques de la visibilité, de la visualité et de l’anonymat dans un espace urbain hybridé où le partage de la position géographique est devenu quasiment permanent. / Because of their increasing and intensive use over the last few years, roughly similar to the smartphone penetration rate, Location-Based Services (LBS) have quickly and strongly become rooted in the everyday’s life of the hyperconnected user. We are questionning ourselves in this PhD research on the new experiences to the world brought by the use of such devices throughout a qualitative survey conducted among 62 LBS users. Our first results highlight that those LBS, like some other information and communication technologies, largely contribute in the reinvestment of space and places, while they are creating a relativization of metric distance over the temporal one and new ways to experience time defined by a continuous acceleration and a search for immediacy. But, as LBS are becoming more and more socializing, we also noticed and analyzed new grouping and dodging strategies, as well as new ways to watch over and possibly control people. This sometimes leads to new balances of power between the one who is tracking and the one who is being tracked, deeply linked to discussions over visibility, visuality and anonymity in a hybrid urban space where the share of location has become almost continuous.