You are a mobile worker and you have just got yourself the brand new iPad2 and it’s killing you… you just feel like not bringing your laptop on your next business trip or client meeting. Now, is this a good idea?
Only 4-5 years back; I would have answered this: tell me about your IT systems and I’ll tell you how things will turn out because at the time, most mobile workers were greatly depending on the « back-end office » to do business; and then came the BlackBerry which enabled real-time business and conversation with the Clientele and afterwards, new Smartphone devices with stock and calculus and synchronization and display capabilities have made us all almost fully autonomous in terms of Mobility, but let’s be honest, it’s still not a laptop!
And with a touch-screen tablet, iOS and Android that is (and a few others…), everything becomes so instinctive: launching an application, surfing the Web, consulting your emails, watching a movie or reading a book; it’s almost child play. Having doubts, take a look at this picture!!!
And then came the Cloud!
In fact, maybe the success of tablets is due to their timing on the technology market which was just perfect; just right after the arrival of massive Cloud service offerings (Amazon, Google, RackSpace, Microsoft, etc.). It doesn’t look like much but the fact is, there’s a new paradigm now in place; enterprises’ business processes can now exist on the Cloud (applications, data, portals, etc.) and feed any device or mobile worker anytime, anywhere. Just for you to know, there’s now more than 4 millions enterprises on GoogleApps !!!
So, one can ask the question again: tell me about your IT systems and I’ll tell you how you’ll do. Evidently, if your enterprise is on the Cloud; then, your tablet can become your best friend and forget about laptop, desktop, hardtop!
The « On the Go » kit
– Evernote enables taking audio-text-video notes on-the-go and synchronises them in real-time through the web with any other devices it’s been installed on (tablet, smartphone, laptop, desktop, etc.);
– Dropbox enables asynchronization of any document with any other devices it’s been installed on (tablet, smartphone, laptop, desktop, etc.);
– DocumentsToGo to edit any document on-the-go (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF) on your Tablet;
– GoogleApps enables real-time access and synchronization with email, calendars, contacts and notes on your Tablet.
So equipped, there are now very few things you could not do on-the-go with your iPad2 or your Samsung Galaxy SII tablet. And if you think you would not be comfortable; think again!!!
Let’s see what you got!
Cameras – two cameras for FaceTime and HD video recording.
Processor – A5 dual-core processor, both running at 1-GHz, against only one 1-Ghz processor on the iPhone 4. Multitasking is very fluid and apps are loaded in no time.
Connectivity – Wi-Fi and 3G; each iPad integrates the most advanced wireless technology: 802.11n.
Business / Communications – Video Mirroring helps your iPad (thanks to adapters) turning your HD television or your projector into a giant iPad to watch apps, web pages, presentations, videos, films or pictures with anybody, anywhere.
Memory / Stocking – 32G or 64G models
Battery – ten (10) hours of autonomy (more than a transatlantic flight or spending the whole night watching movies)
iOS 5 / iCloud – more than 200 new functionalities and a design, well… And if you are still wondering about the choice of a tablet; this article does a very comprehensive analysis.
Welcome to the planet Tablet
1 million. The number of Tablets that should be sold in France by 2011. Quebec, it has more than 200 000 units sold of today.
100 millions. This is the number of iPad books downloaded through the iBooks service.
Conclusion
We are maybe witnessing a more profound behaviour change with the advent of the Tablets. On a Tablet, documents and applications or not only contents that we open to work with and shut down afterwards anymore; they have become with which we interact in ways that are becoming increasingly creative. And those objects have become portals, but also to new universes of creativity.
And if you want to know more about Tablets; go to Mobiz, the Quebec Mobile Congress, where you can read Érika Roberts, from Transcontinental interactif, « first iPad usage study in Quebec »… in French, though.
Have a good weekend,
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