Originally Posted by The Var Guy
If you’ve paid any attention to the computing industry in the last few years, chances are you’ve heard people discussing the trends around the consumerization of IT, including bring your own PC, or BYOPC, as well as bring your own device, or BYOD. Many people often speak of these trends interchangeably yet, while they are related, they do not mean the same thing. To make sure we’re all on the same page, let’s begin with a couple definitions. Read more
When modern workers move from smartphone to desk phone to IM to email to conferencing—and from desktop to laptop to tablet and back to smartphone again—the conversation can get a bit muddled. But since each medium offers unique capabilities and strengths, none is likely to disappear in the short term. And the BYOD trend—whether contained, discouraged, or cultivated in your organization—surely adds more complexity. Read more
Today’s enterprise employees rely on anywhere from two to four different computers or mobile devices to do their jobs, from desktop and laptop PCs to tablets and smartphones. Managing a variety of different devices and operating systems can become a nightmare for users and for IT departments.
Microsoft and Apple are aiming to make this easier. You may already know that both Windows 8 and OS X Mountain Lion are launching this year, but you might not know how these two operating systems—as well as iOS, which is already in the market—will help you manage all the mobile devices in your workplace. Read more
Originally posted by James Kendrick, zdnet.com
The workforce is becoming more mobile than ever before, and the capable tablet is a growing reason why. It is why the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement is in the news so much, as many want to bring the tablet to work. The tablet frees folks up to work almost anywhere, in large part because mobile OSes have evolved to provide powerful mobile experiences.
Right now I am working as I do every day, performing all the tasks I need to do, dealing with work issues as they come up, and writing this column. It is business as usual, except I am at the car dealership having my auto repaired.
NFC, or Near Field Communication Technology, is making its way into mobile devices now and will accelerate over the next couple of years. NFC will enable users to share data in an easy, safe and secure way paving the way for more options and uses down the road. Read more
Originally Posted By Jon L. Jacobi, Melissa J. Perenson, and Michelle Mastin, PCWorld
The idea of using an easy-to-tote tablet for work appeals to you. You can use it for email, note-taking, presentations, accessing the Web, and other business tasks–at least if you’re not dependent on complex spreadsheets or physical input. Tablets are easier on the eyes than the tiny screens of smartphones, and they’re better for your back than lugging a laptop.
If you seek basic information on what to look for in a tablet, check out PCWorld’s consumer tablet buying guide. But for business purposes, read on for what you need to know about choosing a slate with the right operating system, apps, connectivity options, hardware, and more.
AT&T recently announced that it was raising its prices on monthly data plans for smartphones and tablets. Tablet users on this particular carrier now have the privilege of paying $15 per month for 250 MB, $30 for 3 GB, or $50 for 5 GB. Other plans from carriers like Verizon, Sprint and others are comparable. Is it worth it?
That all depends on how you use your tablet, and how often you need an Internet connection when there’s no Wi-Fi available. With free or inexpensive Wi-Fi accessible in most offices, homes, hotels, airports and coffee shops, the universe of information workers who need 3G connectivity for their tablets appears to be relatively small.
However, field sales and service personnel in out-of-the-way territories, executives with long commutes by bus or train, international executives who need a global solution such as Qualcomm’s Gobi 3000 technology, and particularly risk-averse companies handling lots of sensitive data come to mind as the most likely candidates for a monthly tablet data plan. Everyone else—not so much! Read more
