Tag: mobile devices

Mobile technology is not making it into most industry budgets

| September 3, 2014

The results of a survey conducted by Sage North America showed this is the case despite perceived value.

Sage North America has revealed the results of its most recent Sage SMB Survey on Mobile Devices, which included findings on a number of different industries and sectors that see potential value in mobile technology, but that do not set an annual budget to meet those needs.

Among the sectors included in this survey were food and beverage, manufacturing and distribution, and construction.

Those specific industry sectors felt that mobile technology could be overwhelmingly positive in terms of the impact that it has on business, but the vast majority of companies in these areas only purchase solutions in this category as the need arises, instead of setting an annual budget for this tech. According to the Sage North America executive vice president and general manager of mid-market solutions, Joe Langner, “With more than 40 percent reporting that they have a BYOD (bring your own device) policy in place, employers in all three industries may not see the need to budget for mobile since BYOD helps ensure that expenses are relatively small.”

At the same time the survey results still suggested that it is worthwhile for companies to plan for mobile technology.

Mobile Technology - lack of budgetLangner stated that it is evident that businesses are seeing the gains in productivity, which indicates that regardless of whether the tech is used as a part of an official BYOD (bring your own device) policy or for a specific item, this type of planning is worthwhile.

In manufacturing and distribution, the survey showed that 74 percent of companies are not creating a budget for these devices or mobile apps. That said 51 percent of those companies do actually use mobile devices as they have perceived their benefits. Among those, 76 percent have at least one employee that uses a laptop, 74 percent has at least one employee that uses a smartphone, and 49 percent have at least one employee that uses a tablet.

In construction, 77 percent of companies said that smartphones provided a positive impact on the productivity of their organization, though under 14 percent had a budget for the hardware or software.

Food and beverage saw the most positive impact of mobile technology in their customer service (73 percent). Among the respondents, one pointed out that these devices help to “answer questions even when we are not in the office.”

Mobile devices can cause metabolic changes in people

| August 29, 2014

Medical experts are now reporting that smartphones are leading to physical changes in the human body.

Although many cellular operators have been citing studies that have suggested that the use of mobile devices such as cell phones are safe for human health, medical experts are indicating that changes are occurring in the human body among people who use these gadgets.

Among the changes that medical experts have pointed out are those made to the metabolism.

According to Maulana Azad Medical College radiation oncology professor, Manoj Sharma, “Cancer is not the only health issue linked to mobile phones. Fatigue, sleep disorder, lack of concentration and poor digestion have been found to be linked with mobile phone usage.” Sharma spoke at the India International Center, where there was a discussion on “Mobile Phone Radiation and Health”.

Sharma pointed out that there had not been any solid research on the long term health impacts of mobile devices.

Mobile devices and the human bodySharma discussed the idea that the close proximity of a cellular phone to the brain while it is being used could increase the risk of the development of a brain tumor. “There doesn’t seem to be any worry about the looming disaster. If we don’t take care now it will be too late like in the case of tobacco,” he said.

He went on to say that he feels that mobile operators in India should use technology similar to that being used in the United States, which reduces radiation exposure of the human body by smartphones.

At the event, another Maulana Azad College professor, Naresh Gupta, added that “It is true that the metabolism in the body is affected by using mobile phones.” He explained that these gadgets are an evolving technology and that the majority of the research that has been conducted with respect to their health impacts was conducted through the funding of the private companies that manufacture those devices in the first place. “We don’t have any independent research.”

That said, it was also pointed out by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) plastic surgeon, S.B. Gogia, that mobile devices could also have a positive impact on health, if the indirect benefits of these gadgets are considered. He said that there have many situations in which “lives have been saved in case of accidents and other medical emergencies due to mobile phones.”