An Android™ based mobile device will typically have a wide variety of input sensors and interfaces such multi-touch, GPS, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, multiple cameras, etc. They may also have barometer, thermometer, near field communication sensors, etc. Application for mobile devices are designed to rely, when needed, on these additional sensors and interfaces that are typically not available on a typical computer.
The server client mechanism is the primary way of connecting to a remote computer. An example of this is the Virtual Network Computing (VNC®) protocol, which transmits keyboard and mouse events from the user computer to the server computer, and relays screen and audio updates from the server computer to the user. The connection between the two computers is over a computer network. All execution of the application happens on the server using the server resources (hardware, software, operating system) and in the server context (time zone, server system state, etc.). The current movement towards cloud computing is extending this concept where applications, such as Microsoft Office®, that were typically designed to be used locally on a machine are now moving towards a client server model.