Smartphones Good For Small Businesses

By Doug Caverly

Practical, convenient technology


If you haven't yet embraced the smartphone phenomenon, now might be a good time to do so. Statistics indicate that they're becoming more popular for everyday uses, and in the business world, as well.

Steve Cooper reports, "A recent study from In-Stat found that 8 percent of regular business travelers have ditched their land lines and rely solely on their mobile phones." This makes good sense - mobile phones can travel, land lines can't, and mobile phones charge quickly enough that there should be few concerns about staying available.

Cooper continues, "Networking via smartphone is also bringing people together. Established networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Friendster are joining the mobile social network." So you can "friend" people immediately after meeting them, rather than try to remember their contact info until the next time a computer is nearby.

Add in the basic requirement of having some sort of mobile phone, and there's little reason not to upgrade to a proper smartphone. RIM, Apple, and Google, in particular, are making this a more attractive option on an almost monthly basis.

Just be careful of the data plans, as signing up for too generous or too tight a service agreement is unwise.