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to ‘dog bones’ and pompous executives had to make a very important
phone call to their secretaries just before boarding the plane?
At that time, the popular opinion was that such technical toys weren't really
necessary. "What are they supposed to do? Surely if I have to make a phone
call, I can use a public telephone”
During these times, the media repeatedly publicised speculations about the
dangers of using mobile phones. The risks ranged from increased accidents
due to phone calls while driving, to cancer caused by radiation from the
phone itself and base stations in residential areas. Diverse studies were
conducted, experiments were carried out, and transmission power of the
device was reduced, to set the public’s minds at rest.
Today, mobile phones are used by about 4.4 billion, that is, more than half
of the world's population. In a period of little more than 20 years, a
communication tool used solely for business has become a thing of everyday
life, a commodity that is impossible to imagine our society without. Worries
about the risks have long given way to a wide acceptance. The early
concerns have long been forgotten.
The mobile phone of yesterday has become a multi‐purpose mobile device,
commonly known as a ‘smart device’. A computer in your pocket, with
which far more can be done than making mere phone calls. With a wide
range of software, known as Applications (apps), it is possible to take
photographs, send text messages (SMS), chat with your friends via Facebook
or other social media applications, play online games, use all kinds of
internet services, and of course, do work. Mobile devices allow people to
work more effectively and productively than was ever possible in the era
before mobile phones. Field staff in particular, such as sales and service
personnel, appreciate this fact. Yet we must remember that the use of
mobile applications is only at the beginning stages.
This comparison with market developments in the mobile communications
branch also teaches us a lot about Cloud computing. Sometimes a look to
the past can indeed help give us a better view of the future.
