Staying Connected, Whether You Want to or Not
A Walk in the Clouds
The cloud has now changed all that. Create a calendar entry on your computer, and mere moments later, its on your phonelike magic. (This of course also works in the opposite direction.) No more cables, no more trips back to the office, no more drumming your fingers while waiting for the sync to complete.
iCloud
In Apple-centric offices, this is a boon. Thanks to support backed into the latest operating systems of both Macs, the iPhone and the iPad tablet, if an email comes up on your phone, itll also pop up on your iPad and Mac. The same holds for reminders and calendar alerts, as well as text messages, assuming youre using iMessage. So whether youre at the office, on the road, on vacation or in bed, youre always connected.
And not wanting to overlook Apple competitors, many Android-based devices have similar if not the same capabilities. And for cash-strapped businesses, they often come in at lower price points than Apples iPhones and iPads. This plethora of mobile smart devices means even the smallest businesses can take advantage of always-on connectivity.
Android
But this in-pocket computing model also has its downsides, with late-night or movie-watching moments sometimes being interrupted by email and text alerts. Although not always superfluous, the bings, chimes and buzzing associated with them can be distracting. And many people cant help but take a quick glance at what that latest chirp brought with it. (Fortunately, there are ways to disable these notifications, whether temporarily using a mute switch or for longer durations using do-not-disturb preferences.)
HTC
Despite this tradeoff, always-on connectivity is largely great news for businesses of all sizes. And by now, most of them have adopted and adapted to smart-phone environments. It allows them to keep in immediate touch with their employees, customers and business partnersno direct computer syncing necessary.
Getting on the Bandwagon
Even my dad, despite his continuing love affair with his Palm Pilot, is jumping on the bandwagon, soon to get an iPhone that will allow him to more easily connect with family members, quickly make appointment reminders and wirelessly take phone calls while hes in his car. And he can finally get rid of that so-called feature flip phone Ive been teasing him about for years.
