Are Tablets the Next Hover-boards?

Seems like yesterday. The future was right around the corner, and hoverboards and flying DeLorean’s were about to appear on every street corner.  As it turns out, instead of hoverboards, we got something even cooler… smart devices, like tablet computers! Instead of finding a hoverboard in your local retail shop, tablets ended up reaching us first… just not necessarily always on the store shelf for purchase.

Imagine yourself lost in a department store, or waiting for the line to wind down, or even worse, you can’t find the cash register.  Out of nowhere, an employee approaches you to complete your transaction and check you out right there without you even having to walk up to the register!  Odd right?  Well, it turns out it’s becoming more and more common.

It’s no surprise that the tablet market is growing as Point-of-Sale devices in the retail industry.

Google-ola?

Ok, by now we’ve all seen the news of Google’s acquisition of Motorola, and by now there have probably been several write-ups, blurbs, and  so forth. The deal certainly made for an interesting Monday morning, but as others have pointed out, one of the more interesting aspects of the deal is the patents Google gains with the purchase. As Silicon Valley Mercury News reported,

The deal also gives Google access to more than 17,000 patents held by Motorola, a pioneering cellphone maker that became an early partner using Google’s Android mobile operating system in 2008. Analysts said those patents could help Google stave off a barrage of claims levied by rivals battling the company’s Android mobile operating system.

[Google CEO Larry Page] acknowledged this strategy, saying in a blog post: “Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anticompetitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.”

Wow.

On the enterprise mobility front, Motorola Mobility’s sister, Motorola Solutions, will remain a separate company. It will be interesting to see what Google does with the Mobility side once the acquisition is complete and how/if it changes the competitive landscape of the ever-growing smartphone/tablet world.

This is Your Brain… on a Mobile App

CNN recently posted an article highlighting the rise, and evolution, of mobile applications, specifically as it relates to healthcare and brain imaging for diagnosing strokes. Those of us who’ve been around the industry long enough are already aware of the potential for mobile applications in the healthcare space, but the article makes good mention of the fact that technology (smartphones and tablet computers) is starting to deliver more reliable hardware for the tasks.

Medical experts have been skeptical about using a 3.5-inch screen, like the one on an iPhone, for emergency diagnoses. But thanks to advancements in image compression, microprocessors and wireless-data bandwidth, the smartphone may prove to be, like beepers, an essential tool for on-the-go doctors.

Of course, this also plays into the growing concerns with HIPAA and HITECH regulations. With this information on a device, you can see how ensuring that EHR/EMR data is protected is an absolute must, whether it’s on the device or being transmitted wirelessly.

So, that begs the question: How comfortable or uncomfortable would you be knowing your doctors smartphone has an image of your brain on it?

Mobility Trends That Will Change Business

I came across this article thanks to the Enterprise Mobility Forums Twitter feed, and wanted to share it with you all. The article comes from InformationWeek, and discusses a few interesting topics that are very applicable to our space. There are a couple of things it highlights that I’d like to point out, and urge you to read the rest and tell us what jumps out at you. Onto the article…

First, that with the emergence of enterprise-level smartphone use, it’s becoming increasingly important for an enterprises strategy to incorporate a vender agnostic approach.

“An important outcome of this trend is that a majority of the workforce, not just the top executives, will have mobile access and will expect access to more than email. This will require businesses to change their application, development, and services strategies…”

The other item that I found particularly well put, was the summary/idea of enterprise mobility management. The author has done a great job in defining it as the next generation of mobile device management; one that incorporates new mobility and traditional aspects of MDM such as security and application management.

“[Enterprise Mobility Management] is a combination of mobile device management, security management, applications management, and services and expense management.”

Check out the complete article and tell us what you think!