The capabilities of mobile devices have been improving very quickly
in terms of computing power, storage, feature support, and developed
applications. However, these mobile applications are still
intrinsically limited by a relative lack of bandwidth, computing
power, and energy compared to their tethered counterparts. Cloud
computing offers abundant computing power that can be tapped
easily. Apple iCloud and Amazon Silk browser are two recent mobile
applications that leverage the cloud. In this paper, we systematically
explore the fundamental research questions when combining
mobile and cloud computing. We will highlight some of the challenges
we face and some of the solutions we are pursuing.