Abstract.
In today’s information society, users are overwhelmed by the information with
which they are
confronted on a daily basis. For subscribers of mobile data services, however,
this may present a
problem! Wireless handheld devices such as cellular phones are connected via
wireless networks
that suffer from low-bandwidth and have a greater tendency for network errors.
In addition,
wireless connections can be lost or degraded by mobility. This paper presents
a novel approach to
using mobile agents on mobile handheld devices. The design of an architecture
for wireless
information systems will be discussed followed by the development of a Java-based
agency
platform for handheld devices. Mobile devices will benefit greatly from this
mobile agent-based
architecture and platform as it will overcome wireless network limitations such
as low bandwidth
and disconnectivity.