Over the past 10 years, information technology has grown so exponentially, that no-one is now tied to a single location in order to do their work, access their emails or check the latest news.
We have seen laptops and personal organisers evolve into all-in-one smart phones, cloud computing and virtual private networks allowing to access any information you want, wherever you are.
Multitude of mobile devices
The increase in mobile technologies has changed the way we conduct business as well as our personal lives, and it looks to change even more over the next few years. Currently, palmtop computers, third-generation smart phones, GPS devices and wireless debit card payment terminals are everyday examples of how mobile technology has made its way into every aspect of our lives.
This has been, in part, to the wide amount of communications technologies that have opened up endless communication possibilities, such as wireless broadband, bluetooth, 3G - the global system for mobile communications and other private networks. This free flow of information has made it possible for you to connect any of your mobile devices to the Internet or your home office whilst you are travelling.
The benefits
The obvious benefits of mobile technologies for businesses are obvious: you and your staff are no longer tied to one location, meaning you can take whatever information you need to your clients to any other location you want.
You can do presentations via laptops and then transfer the relevant information to the client via bluetooth or wi-fi. You can arrange schedules via your smart phones or palm pilots, or if you require payment, you can enable customers to pay for services or goods without having to go to the till. By using a wireless payment terminal, diners can now pay for their meal without even leaving their table. Solutions such as allowing wireless access to company networks whilst working off site, gives business a great flexibility in working and allows people to maintain a work schedule if they are at home or travelling. This has become even more possible with the increase in wi-fi spots in major cities and on public transport.
The future
Just as the ability for us to check our emails has changed how we do business, it is very likely that the generation of mobile technology will change the face of business further. One of these much-mooted technologies is femtocells and fixed-mobile convergence, that will enable someone to have one phone and one phone number that will enable them to communicate from anywhere in the world. Resembling a wi-fi router, femtocells communicate directly with a person's mobile and carry the signal to a larger network via a broadband line. What this means is that you or your company will be able to ditch the landline and enable cell phone usage everywhere.
This form of wireless technology will also extend to USB devices, allowing synchronisation between desktops, laptops and mobile devices to be completely wireless.
In terms of phones, many believe that they will dramatically change, simply becoming headsets in our ears.
"Imagine a bluetooth headset in your ear but that's the phone," said Dan Burrus, CEO of Burrus Research Inc. and author of the book Technotrends. "And it will continue to get smaller from there until it's implanted in your ear. You ask for whatever you need [with your voice] and it will tell you the answers."
Speak recognition is another technology that is expected to make leaps and bounds over the next few years allow for emails and texts to be dictated, voice activated mobile devices and internet browsing and buying to be completely voice-controlled.
It's fair to say that whilst our current mobile devices are impressive, they are only the first step in what could be possible.
The HTC One S has joined the One X in the elite ranks of devices which have been rooted before actually being available for purchase. Both devices can be rooted fairly easily, save for one little caveat: they require an unlocked bootloader to do so. Thanks to the Superboot method implemented by Paul O’Brien over at MoDaCo, both devices were rooted thanks to unlocked developer devices he had access to.