Volume 1, Issue 3 / 2008

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Mobile Occupations Outpacing the U.S. Job Market

The mobile technology market is apparently ignoring U.S. economy warning signs. Stats coming in from IDC show that the smartphone market (Blackberry, iPhone, Treo) grew 165% in 2007. Google and new high-speed WiMax networks will continue to throttle the growth of these part computer/part phone devices this year and 60 million Americans will own one within two years.

This wave of innovation is now empowering the services sector of our economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 15 million new jobs will be created in this sector between 2005-2012. Within the services sector are mobile occupations which are showing tremendous growth. For example, between 2004-2014 the average growth for all occupations will be 13%, while Home Health Aides will grow 56%. Other mobile occupations include Personal Care Aids (41%), Personal Financial Advisors (25.9%), Taxi Drivers/Chauffeurs (24.8%) and Computer Support Specialists (23%).

According to the Insight Research Corporation, falling handset and wireless data prices are prompting enterprises to outfit employees with mobile applications in order to maintain continuous communications with their main facilities. Going beyond email/text usage, those employees are accessing internal systems and streamlining the work flow in the business. Time tracking, navigation, inventory management, QA and many other useful tools are populating the Smartphone and wireless laptop.

Anyware is in the middle of this innovation with time tested mobile data and video solutions for businesses. Give us a call, 1-800-401-8740, and we can provide an educational seminar specific to your company and employees.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at clint.parr@goanyware.com.

Sincerely - Clint Parr
 

Those of you not close to the mobile industry may not be aware but CTIA Wireless, one of the biggest trade shows in the industry, was held in Las Vegas in early April. The 2008 show had over 1,200 exhibitors and more than 40,000 attendees. Walking the show floor is tiring but it can also highlight coming trends. In terms of software applications on mobile devices we saw three key themes, all of which are highlighted below.

The first theme was like the old adage in real estate “location, location, location”. Location Based Services (LBS) were huge at this year’s show. LBS is the industry term for what most of us know as GPS – the technology of navigation systems and Google maps. LBS was displayed across the show with a variety of different applications, including one which could help you locate your pet when it decides to escape from the backyard! Other applications help locate your children, capture field data with geographic coordinates, and of course find your way through traffic. LBS technology continues to grow and become more popular because it provides immediacy that desktop-bound applications cannot match.

The second big application area was mobile social networking. Geared mainly toward consumer applications many were obviously aimed at junior high, high school and college kids. But as with LBS, the compelling factor is the immediacy. Sharing information in real-time, from wherever you are, not only has social implications but strong business implications as well. Imagine combining “live” video with the capability of LBS and you get the ability to tie video inspections or public safety activities to a map. Here in Oklahoma, storm chasing is very important and these technologies can provide not just a static video log but real-time sharing and tracking of information.

The last main theme was mobile advertising. With the large number of cell phones in use across the globe advertisers are starting to make the leap into this new medium. Unlike generic telemarketers or junk mail, mobile advertising can actually provide direct value to us. Imagine driving home after a long day at work and wanting to go out for dinner but not quite knowing where to go. Grabbing your phone, you see that it used LBS and mobile advertising to alert you of today’s specials at the restaurants right down the street of your actual location. Much like the other trends, this is a marriage of the immediacy of your phone being with you, mobile advertising and being alerted to something you want at that moment.

Experts in mobility, Anyware continues to stay abreast of all the current mobile trends and technologies. If you are interested in learning more about how the mobile eco-system is changing, give us a call at 1-800-401-8740. We can help you figure out how to leverage these trends and technologies in mobility to make you, as well as your products and services, more effective.

Many of the Process Enabling projects we do at Anyware Mobile Solutions revolve around some type of quality control. As you know, quality is paramount whether your company provides a product or a service. Sometimes it is difficult to discover quality control issues right as they are occurring and the resulting delays can mean excessive cost, lost revenue and unhappy customers. By using the right tools, you can greatly improve the quality control process by collecting information ‘on the spot’ and getting rid of ineffective data collection tools like paper. Below is an example on how Anyware helped a manufacturing client minimize production loss by improving their product line quality control process with the right mobility tools.

Anyware Mobile Solutions was engaged by a nationwide manufacturer of gypsum board used in the construction of residential and commercial buildings. Their paper-based quality control forms and processes were causing lengthy delays and they needed a more efficient system to detect the problems.

Before Anyware’s involvement, the machine operator measured and recorded various points on gypsum board produced throughout the day using a caliper and a scale. The previous process involved two separate hand written forms that were filled out by the operators to record quality measurements. Data was often inaccurate and quality issues were not brought to the attention of management until several days later, creating the potential for days worth of product to be discarded.

Anyware provided a more robust and mobile quality control data collection system. Through our proven Solution Services Methodology, Anyware reengineered the business process and implemented enabling technology to provide real-time data collection and quality reporting. By enabling the operator to use mobile technology, they were able to reduce the amount of time spent recording data and errors were significantly reduced. Even more impressive, management was able to view accurate quality reports and take immediate action based on that information, potentially saving days each year in wasted production time.

Many of you may recall that Anyware recently held a special contest for students at the University of Tulsa. As we were wrapping up the development of ReForm XT, we invited the students to use the new mobile data collection platform to design an application that solves a problem or improves a process in the business, technical, campus, or societal arenas. Many student teams competed and several highly marketable applications were developed. But one team has turned their contest entry into a business and is currently pilot testing the new product.

TU Student team Cellular Crayons used ReForm XT to develop a product currently being tested as “ConcessionAir”. This remarkable idea leverages the functionality of ReForm XT to mobilize the food and beverage ordering process at any type event. Being targeted to sporting events, ConcessionAir allows fans to use their smartphone to place an order without getting up and have it delivered right to their seat.

“I was standing in the concession line at Skelly Stadium and I missed three touchdowns,” said John Hale, an associate professor in computer science at TU. “With our new offense, you never know what you’re going to miss and I thought there had to be a better way.” Using ReForm XT to create the forms enabled the Team to quickly develop the product and write a compelling business case.

Using ConcessionAir, registered fans who have a smartphone can simply download the ReForm XT client and start ordering food immediately. Being registered means the ConcessionAir staff know the seating assignments and other important information about their customers. The process saves spectators time and increases business for concessions as fans typically do not like to order food because of the concern of missing a great play.

With a few pilot tests under their belt, ConcessionAir is ready to tackle a private event at an upcoming Tulsa Drillers baseball game. The event, Dude Hang™, is being sponsored by Anyware and we expect around 150 hungry and thirsty people to use the ordering system. All concession stand items are available, from candy and soft drinks to pretzels and nachos. There’s even a condiment selection, so don’t worry about bare hot dogs.

With more testing and further refinement, expect to see the product at many more events in the future. In fact, a large concession management firm has expressed interest in using the product at venues in other states.

And to think…All of this was created with ReForm XT. Think about what it may do to help your data collection (or ordering!) needs. Call or send us an email if you would like more information on ReForm XT, ConcessionAir or mobility in general.

Continuing our observations of some interesting themes at CTIA Wireless this year, the new information wasn’t just limited to applications – mobile hardware and network technologies were also front and center. Of course, as with any big industry show, there are always a number of new product announcements. And with the success of Apple’s iPhone, you can imagine there were quite a number of products bidding to capture some of that mind share!

One of the most interesting hardware components wasn’t a device but a network technology. WiMax was featured in over 100 booths on the show floor. For those of you not familiar with the technology, WiMax stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. That’s a mouthful, but for those of us in business it is helpful to think of it as a high speed, long range wireless technology. So if you think about the Wi-Fi hotspot at your local Starbucks, it may extend a hundred feet or so in diameter with decent speed. WiMax can extend from around 6 to even 30 miles in diameter!

WiMax will allow the data being transmitted to go much faster than it does with the current “high speed” technologies like EVDO or UMTS. Mobile devices will have much higher networks speeds than they do today. Remember the difference between your old dial-up modem and your current broadband connection at home? The mobile experience with WiMax will be even more significant.

WiMax and other new high-speed wireless technologies will change the way we are able to use our laptops, cell phones and other mobile devices. Including the introduction to things we have not even considered yet. Anyware Mobile Solutions can help you understand these and similar technologies and more importantly, we can help you leverage them for your business.

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Anyware University Coming Soon
Designed to provide a unique review of emerging mobile computing applications and technologies, Anyware University educates business leaders on mobility and how it can improve their business processes while providing a high rate of return. Details on events in Oklahoma City and Tulsa will be coming soon.