Just like how businesses turned global with Web 2.0, working outside the office anytime and anywhere also became a major trend today. And because technology has broadened life’s possibilities, marketers continue to effectively keep track of their business growth even while lying on a sandy beach. Feels like it’s always summer, isn’t it?And that is because of portable technologies.
Online businesses that even outsource link building tasks to employees from all over the world can benefit highly from this, as they get constant updates even when they are out of the office.
There are countless of gadgets, tools, software or applications that cater to different digital needs. And some of them we shall be discussing here…
4 Portable Technologies To Keep Your Business Connected!
- The Portable Hotspots – a hotspot typically uses the technology of Wi-Fi, it is basically any site that provides Web access in wireless area networks by means of wireless routers or modem connected to an ISP or Internet Service Provider. Portable on the other hand describes something that easily can be moved from one place to another. Now, when you say “portable hotspots” it basically means having a wireless connection or software which you can easily bring or access anywhere. This possibility requires smartphones or gadgets that have mobile broadband data plan connections. Some of the providers, among many others, are Virgin Mobile and Clearwire.
Virgin Mobile – the company has been in the wireless service since 2002 offering value packed plans, unlimited 3G web data and more. A couple of years back they introduced the MiFi, which is a portable hotspot that gives wireless signal that a maximum of 5 people can share.
Clearwire – they provide internet connection to consumers and businesses. Clearwire offers 4G internet called Clear which uses the Internet technology from Clearwire Wimax. They have service packages both for home and on-the-go, and released their 4G hotspot called iSpot.
- The Tablets – another example of portable devices – wireless version of PC’s – with the “touch screen” interface. Tablets usually have long battery life, versatile and light weight. However, they are very useful when it comes to Internet browsing, reading, word processing and email managing. Tablets are among the popular gadgets the world is using today, and there are countless options to choose from. Some well-known examples are:
Asus Transformer Pad 300 – it has a 15-hour battery life and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The Asus pad has a keyboard dock which provides better typing experience for more productivity; hence, it can be useful in typing business emails and such.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 – this tablet runs on Android (Honeycomb) and is good in browsing and fast downloads. It also has the easy access to Google Mobile services as on the PC. Apps download are also available to customize your tablet functionality.
- The Cloud Storage – this is basically a server that keeps all your synchronized data. It is also known as a “public cloud” which is where your data is managed, maintained and backed up that is accessed through the web or a wide area connection. Cloud storage services can be purchased to expand to a bigger storage capacity. This is a good alternative to flash drives in case you forgot to bring one, since files are stored and can be accessed anywhere with an Internet connection. Files can also be shared to peers added to the network. Known examples are:
Dropbox – files saved in Dropbox can be saved and accessed on computers, phones and their official website. The interface makes it easy to share files with colleagues, family and friends and view it on-the-go.
Microsoft Sky Drive – get 25GB of cloud storage for free where you can upload files and create folders as well as share them with colleagues. Sky Drive is already available for iPhone, Windows Phone and will soon be ready for Android.
- The Network Printing – this is a function that lets a computer use a distant printer. Remote printing is possible on most computers and is often a feature in the operating system. This can be a good alternative for fax especially for business people. It is possible for those with VPN connection to their office network to print easily on Wi-Fi. If you are on a business trip, you may send files over the web to printers to your office headquarters without the need to carry printers with you. Citing some examples…
Google Cloud Print – this allows you to connect your printer online to print from anywhere. You can use tablets, smartphone and computers to directly send documents to your Google Cloud-enabled printer. This is useful for business marketers who are always on-the-move since they will be able to print documents and even a webpage directly from Chrome or save it as PDFs in Google Docs.
Printer Share – print documents and photos to any printer whether it is located at a fair distance or at the other side of the world. They also have PrintShare Mobile where you can directly print using your Android or iPhone to a shared remote printer at your office or a Wi-Fi one nearby.
We have come a long way with technology; from the discovery of electricity, when men learned of aviation and when the first computer was invented. Now, during these modern times the world is facing, everyone can accept the fact that anything is possible to happen in the next few years.
Over the years, portable technology has indeed brought itself to the next level. Smartphones, cell phones, PDAs, tablets, laptops and other compact gadgets proved that business marketing does not necessarily mean being stationary in the four corners of the office. Business is now global and we are on-the-go!