Mobile Devices Used in Business

How Mobil Devices Are Being Used in Business

Mobil phones are getting to be the normal method of doing business.  I think it would be odd to find a business owner that did not have a smart phone to aid in business operations.  Mobil devices allow a business person to take and place calls away from the office, access email, access their calendar, take pictures of items and send them anywhere, text coworkers and clients, map out the route to the next meeting, read the news or a trade journal, stay current with LinkedIn connections, track packages, track inventory, access Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and even access training modules. 

I personally use my phone for most of these functions while acting as a training coordinator.  I access my email and calendar, check LinkedIn connections, text coworkers and sometimes clients, take and place calls while away from the office, take pictures of training sessions, map out routes to new client sites, read trade journals, access training and look at Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. 

The biggest disadvantage is the blurred line between work and personal life.  The phone is sometimes ringing during dinner and other important family events.  The expense can also be a deterrent to using smart phones.  Even with the special promotions available upon renewal, a smart phone still costs $200 and up for the newest technology.  The monthly bill tends to be at least $100 per month for the data plan and minutes.  If you do not buy insurance, which costs about $10 per month, in the unfortunate circumstance of a lost or damaged phone, it will cost the full retail value of about $450-500 to replace the phone. 

The following video is Tony Bingham: President & CEO, American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), Keynote Address focused on Mobil Learning, training which is delivered to your smart phone. Uploaded by TheBigSpeak on Jan 26, 2012.  

The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) is a long standing, well-respected organization.   Training and development professionals have come to depend on the ASTD for dependable and current information on the trends in training.  

A Google search using the text "smart phones for business use WSJ" revealed a Wall Street Journal article about NTT, a Japanese company, who lets employees use their own smart phones and tablets for work.  This is reputable information from The Wall Street Journal.  It is an objective in its coverage of this story.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120930-700837.html