How Close is Close Enough ? Understanding the Role of Cloudlets in Supporting Display Appropriation by Mobile Users

Transient use of displays by mobile users was prophesied two decades ago. Today, convergence of a range of technologies enable the realization of this vision. For researchers in this space, one key question is where to physically locate the application for which the display has been appropriated. The emergence of cloud and cloudlet computing has increased the range of possible locations. In this paper we focus on understanding the extent to which application location impacts user experience when appropriating displays. We describe a usage model in which public displays can be appropriated to support spontaneous use of interactive applications, present an example architecture based on cloudlets, and explore how application location impacts user experience.