Mastodon

The Brief History of Productivity with Mobile Phones

In 1973 and 1974, mobile productivity would have been defined by a portable cordless phone, and a pager that would allow you to receive notification of phone calls. Today, mobile productivity is defined by the number of business applications that you can download on your smartphone, tablet notebook or laptop. The evolution of mobile productivity is quite astonishing. This article will review how mobile devices evolved from a cordless phone and pager to mobile devices that will allow us to perform most tasks outside of the office.

The Evolution of Mobile Productivity

 

1973: The Cordless Phone


(Courtesy of SeRVe Photography)

Cordless phones increased productivity by allowing people to leave their desk while talking on the phone.

1974: Mobile Pager

(Courtesy of steve greer)

The mobile pager allowed employers to remain in contact with their mobile employees while working remotely and vice versa. No longer did employers have to wait for the employee to return to the office.

1983: The First Mobile Phone

(Courtesy of Flick User: Bundini)

The mobile phone significantly changed productivity of the office. Employers and clients could access sales people and other employees while conducting business outside the office.

1992: The Newton Message Pad: First Personal Digital Assistant

(Courtesy of Flick User: dwstucke)

This digital assistant helped business people organize their phone contacts for accessibility outside of the office. This device, paired with the mobile phone, helped employees streamline their work processes.

1993: IBM Simon (The First SmartPhone)

The IBM Simon combined with the Newton Message Pad was the first smartphone. This integrated the devices into one compact unit.

1996: Nokia 9000

The Nokia 9000 became the number one selling PDA and the first phone with the QWERTY keyboard. This phone allowed remote employees to enter a significant amount of information about clients and scheduled appointments.

1997: Palm OS

 (Courtesy of Flick User: ilamont.com)

The Palm OS improved upon the Nokia 9000 and laid the ground work for the introductions of applications that have improved productivity in the workforce today.

1999: Nokia 7110

(Photo Courtesy of Flick User: Podknox)

This was the first phone to allow users to access the Internet through wireless access protocol (WAP) sites. Later, in this same year, Samsung released the first MP3 phone, and the Benefon was the first phone with GPS.

2000: Sony Ericsson

Sony produced the first available camera phone. This nifty device significantly improved productivity for users that needed to have all their digital needs in one handy device.

2002: Blackberry 5810

This was one of the first PDA phones that had calling capability. Many business people found this device to significantly improve productivity with mobile web access.

2004: Palm OS

A smaller, more streamline PDA increased the mobility factor of the PDA.

2005: Motorola ROKR1

iTunes and the cellular phone made a significant improvement in the productivity of professionals. Many companies released podcasts that could be listened to and update their employees on the latest information about the company.

2007: iPhone

(Photo Courtesy of Flickr User: Yutaka Tsutano)

This phone integrated the MP3 player, high speed internet and phone all into one compact unit with a highly usable interface.

2008: HTC Dream

(Courtesy of Flickr User: nickstone333)

The first Android phone was introduced. This operating system came along with a new breed of applications designed to improved productivity.

2009: Nokia Ovi

(Courtesy of Flickr User: fsse8info)

With introduction of this phone, applications became increasingly popular. Applications were introduced shortly after the introduction of the phone. These applications include everything from To-Do lists to customer relationship management tools. Applications that convert voice to text and other customer relationship management applications that could be synched to the PC via high speed internet were introduced.

2010: iPhone 4

(Courtesy of Flickr User: Yutaka Tsutano)

Both iPhone 4 and new Android phones were introduced. The market share for Android phones increased from 5% to 29%.

2011: 15 Billionth Application

(Photo Courtesy of Flickr User: Bart Claeys)

The public purchased 61% more applications in this year from the previous year. The 15 billionth application was purchased, and more people began to recognize how applications could change the workplace productivity.

Applications such as Evernote, Dragon Diction, Pulse News, Skype, NotifyMe, Awesome Note and Jot Scanner Pro are all applications that business people find helpful while working away from the office. With high speed internet, these applications may easily be synched with a laptop computer.

Jot Scanner Pro will convert a picture to a .pdf document and fax it to a client. Dragon Diction will convert Voice to text. Skype allows customers to make free phone calls with WiFi or mobile high speed internet, and NotifyMe will remind users of any scheduled appointment or tasks. Applications are a new way of life that will improve productivity and significantly enhance the way people conduct business with mobile phones.

Author


Note: All copyrights including its responsibility for accuracy of information of the content & its liability is owned by their respective author.

«
»