Category Archives: Mobile Computing

Social Apps Fit Better for Social Clubs

Posted on by
Reply

If anyone ever told you that you shouldn’t go to a bar or club to meet people it wasn’t because you’d meet people. It was for some other reason entirely. Bars, clubs and other social establishments are where you people. In fact, when you think of ‘going out’, most people think of a favorite club, a nearby bar or some other gathering place (in some cases, this may be a mall or shopping location – which, incidentally should use mobile technology too). People congregate to socialize at these locations. Social Media plays right into this. A Smartphone equipped with a social app which harnesses this “socialization” fits beautifully.

Let’s consider how the youth and partying folks of today coordinate:

  • Person A sends an SMS message to Person B, “Hey, going to Acme Bar, wanna meet up?”
  • Person B responds, “Sweet, let’s get Person C to go too.” (To which, Person A responds, “Sweet!”)
  • Person C gets a Facebook message from Person B and a Tweet from Person A. Faced with the incredible peer pressure, Person C relents and agrees to meet A and B at Acme.

Do you see how technology has changed the way these transactions are established? First, no phone conversations were made. Actually, it’s possible real words weren’t even used! (Seriously, have you seen how you can shortcut good English into mere code? U no 2 B gr8.) This is becoming the norm.

A smart business person who owns a bar or other socially oriented (or entertainment oriented) club like the above Acme Bar would realize that Social Media is the start of good communication and marketing. Let’s consider how the above conversation would look if Acme was ‘linked in’ (yes, this is a deliberate play on the words) to the social media world:

Permanent link to this post (298 words, estimated 1:12 mins reading time)

Wireless Computing

Posted on by
Reply

So what exactly is wireless computer networking? Wireless computer networking provides a wireless hub facility which makes use of radio waves to sustain open communication channels between computers, from 2 computers to probably a dozen or even more computers. Wireless networks are modern innovations offering a far better alternative to wired networking, which relies on copper and, or fiber optic cabling for communication to take place between computers. So in essence, wireless networks basically refer to any type of computer network connection that does not rely on cables or wires of any kind.

With wireless networks, homes, businesses and even telecommunications enterprises avoid the expensive process of introducing cables into buildings for connection purposes. Main advantages that should be noted with the use of wireless networks are the mobility and also the elimination of multiple wires. However, despite these two, wireless computing offers some disadvantages key among them being the interference of radio waves by changing weather and walls. Despite these downsides, the potential that can be gained from wireless computing is vast and as such, the use of wireless networks is fast gaining popularity all over.

Permanent link to this post (188 words, estimated 45 secs reading time)

Cloud Based Technologies to Improve Business Productivity

Posted on by
Reply

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere you would have gathered that winter is upon us. The time of year, where widespread frost can create havoc on our roads, snow and ice can cause disruption making the daily commute longer than expected. Not only, does the winter weather cause more stress to our daily lives it can have a significant impact on the economy. In 2010, the United Kingdom saw the worst snowfall in over 30 years. Adverse driving conditions saw the country come to a grinding halt. Many commuters were stranded in their homes for weeks.

We are yet to see the impact of this year’s winter weather, however, other culprits including black ice are deadly on untreated roads which can lead to miles of congested traffic. The only resource that is equal to everyone is time. There are only so many hours in the day and wasted time can have devastating consequences on the productivity of your business.

To boost productivity it is essential to have a highly reliable I.T. and communications infrastructure in place. Many businesses are using cloud technologies, because of the high availability and resourcefulness this solution delivers.

Cloud technology gives colleagues the freedom to work anywhere, regardless of the circumstances. The ability of working from home can reduce carbon emissions, stress and increase productivity. However, providing all the tools are used correctly and all distractions are limited you could get more work done.

Permanent link to this post (239 words, estimated 57 secs reading time)

The Emerging World of Telecom Expense Management

Posted on by
Reply

At one point in time, businesses essentially had no mobile work forces. A couple of decade or so ago, however, the emergence of the cell phone gradually led to more people chatting in the service of their employer. That situation grew as BlackBerries, smartphones and tablets proliferated.

That’s a good thing, of course. Work is more efficient and productive as employees carry it out from trains, (to some extent) planes and automobiles.

But there is a huge challenge: Companies either give out devices — a very expensive proposition — or allow employees to use their own and T&E parts of their bills. The former is fading as an approach. The latter, unless extremely well managed, leads to an almost incredible amount of waste.

Companies need to work out sophisticated policies in concert with carriers to ensure than they are getting the best deals possible. Negotiating with carriers for employee plans lets them pool minutes and lets the same plan support the more office-bound workers and those who travel a lot. This means that there is less waste as the company borrows from Peter to pay Paul, so to speak. In addition, it should be noted that data pooling is coming.

There are many other reasons that companies must standardize as much as possible. A clear set of policies will enable the organization to know who is using what type of device and the level of security that it has. Thus, an executive using a smartphone without adequate security is a big problem, if he or she is working on sensitive data while on the road. TEM can help ferret out such problems — which can end up saving the organization regulatory and/or legal problems.

Permanent link to this post (285 words, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)