At work, I read a lot of material, online and offline — seriously, it’s like a constant in my workflow. That being said, when I’m not reading I’m likely writing something or thinking about what I’m going to write.

When I’m pondering the type of story I’ll work on next, I’m often in front of my notebook computer and widescreen monitor (like I am right now, as I write this paragraph), with hands resting on the keyboard — in hopeful anticipation, for the epiphany that might appear.

Read More »

Tags: byod, cloudbook, ICT, mobility solutions, service provider wi-fi, smartphone

Learn how you can make employees more productive with their mobile devices

Smartphone usage—and the expectations around smartphones—are changing rapidly. Average smartphone usage nearly tripled in 2011, and by the end of 2012, the number of mobile-connected devices will exceed the number of people on earth. By 2016 there will be an estimated 1.4 mobile devices per person. Given the rise of smartphones, it’s not surprising that people rely on their mobile devices for more and more of their daily interactions, including business communications, whether at work, at home, and on the road. In a Cisco report, 46 percent of people surveyed expect to be able to access their corporate network from their personal mobile device.

However, there’s more than just flexibility accompanying the BYOD trend. These shifting expectations about connectivity also come with a host of decisions for small business. For example, do you have the network infrastructure in place to enable your employees to use their mobile devices for business communications? Do you have a wireless device usage policy? Are your VPN connections secure? And when your employees do connect to the workplace via a mobile device, do they have access to products and tools to help them do their jobs?

Read More »

Tags: business tools, byod, mobile device, productivity, small business, smartphone

By Howard Baldwin, Contributing Columnist

The place: San Francisco. The time: a Saturday afternoon.

The scenario: after lunch, two out-of-town couples find themselves in a neighborhood where taxi cabs are scarce. One of the women remembers a new iPhone app called Uber that allows you to wirelessly order a Lincoln Towncar and bill the trip to a credit card.

Elapsed time between signing up with Uber and the car arriving: 10 minutes. Estimated incremental cost above a traditional cab: $7.

Read More »

Tags: apps, global networked economy, jobs, mobile, smartphone, software, tablet

Using your mobile makes it easy to stay connected to important meetings, wherever you are. With WebEx, you can join any web conference from your iPad and iPhone (other apps available too).

The universal application is free and you can always join as an attendee. To host a meeting, you need a WebEx host account.

“WebEx in iOS devices is an amazing experience!” -- Customer Review

Experience WebEx high quality two-way video on the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 by viewing the video feeds of the participants in the web conference and streaming your own video back to them.

WebEx mobile sets you free! Get it! [Get other mobile apps here!]

Whether you’re holding a brainstorming Read More »

Tags: iPad, iphone, meeting, mobile, online meetings, smartphone, video conference, WebEX

By Jason Kohn, Contributing Columnist

In my last post, I talked about how companion screens are changing the TV landscape. It’s easy to see how our ever-present smartphones and iPads can alter the TV viewing experience. (“I’m sorry dear, could you repeat that? I was checking my Twitter feed and responding to this IM, and I couldn’t hear you over the intro to Mad Men.”)

But what are people really doing on those companion devices? According to a white paper published last year by Yahoo! and the The Nielsen Company, nearly a quarter of them are looking up something related to what they’re watching on TV.

Read More »

Tags: mobile, Pay TV, Service Provider, smartphone, tablet, user experience, videoscape