Top Ten Trends in Mobile Computing

Long Term Evolution (LTE)

The so-called fourth generation of mobile computing (4G) is expected to be rolled out across North America over the next three years, making it possible for corporate users to run business applications on their devices simultaneously with Voice over IP (VoIP) capabilities.

WiMax

As LTE and WiMax networks are deployed in the U.S. through 2012, expect to see more netbooks and laptops equipped with built-in radio frequency identification (RFID) and wireless support.

3G & 4G interoperability

Sprint has developed a dual mode card which will enable mobile device users to work on both 3G and 4G networks. Other carriers are expected to follow suit.

Smartphone applications

Third-party software vendors will increasingly make enterprise applications available for smartphones, including inventory management, electronic medical records management, warehousing, distribution and even architectural and building inspection data for the construction industry.

GPS

Global Positioning Systems will increasingly be used to identify end users by their whereabouts and also to analyze route optimization for delivery workers and service technicians.

Security

As new and different types of mobile devices are introduced, corporate IT departments will find it increasingly challenging to identify and authenticate individual end users. As such, expect to see a combination of improvements in both Virtual Private Network (VPN) software and hardware-based VPNs to support multiple device types.

Anti-virus

As more third-party business applications are made available on smartphones and other mobile devices, CIOs will also have to be cognizant about the potential for viruses and worms.

Push-button applications

Let's say a waste disposal truck arrives at an industrial site and is unable to empty a dumpster because a vehicle is blocking its path. Smartphones will increasingly have applications built into them that would make it possible for the disposal truck driver to photograph the impeding object and route the picture to a dispatcher to document and time-stamp the obstruction.

Supplemental Broadband

As carriers implement LTE and WiMax networks, companies such as Sprint and Verizon are looking at potentially extending wireless broadband capabilities to small businesses which don't have fiber optic or copper connections on the ground. Under this scenario, a small packaging company in New Jersey could potentially be able to receive T-1 level broadband capabilities in regions of the U.S. where it has offices but doesn't have wireline broadband connections.

Solid State Drives

Corporate customers should expect to see continued improvements in the controllers and firmware built into SSDs in order to improve the longevity of the write cycles in notebooks.