WebProNews

Tag: Mobile Computing

  • Gadget Lifecycles Now Average Just Three Months

    As mobile devices become more a part of everyday human life, the manufacturing costs for those products have dropped significantly. The prices for mobile devices have followed accordingly, and market watchers now predict that the low-cost smartphone and tablet markets will be the drivers of industry growth in the coming years.

    At the same time, service providers are also encouraging customers to upgrade their devices at an ever-faster pace. T-Mobile this summer announced its “Jump!” plan, allowing customers to upgrade their smartphones more than once every year. Other major U.S. mobile providers have followed suit.

    All of this means that manufacturers are now having to deal with quick turnarounds on new products, with the lifecycle of new devices dropping rapidly. A new DigiTimes report today states that the average lifecycle of new IT products has now dropped to just three months. This is only half of the six-month lifecycle that many devices have traditionally had. The report’s unnamed “sources from the upstream supply chain” are cited as saying component manufacturers are now having to deal with shorter-term supply orders, a major change from the long-term orders they had been used to receiving.

    The report blames the falling lifecycles on quickly-shifting consumer purchasing habits, as well as “fierce” competition among device manufacturers. It also predicts that the new paradigm might force those same manufacturers to reevaluate their component supply strategies in the near future.

  • Are Toshiba’s New Device Commercials Unnecessarily Sexist?

    Sex sells. If you’ve been around any commercials that are shown during sporting events, this is readily apparent. Whether it’s Budweiser girls in swim wear or Miller Lite girls wrestling it out to see what catchphrase best applies to the beer, the use of titillation in mass advertising is nothing new. However, when these advertising methods leave the world of beer-drinking and move to the tech industry, the level of outrage exponentially rises.

    Take the latest commercials from Toshiba, for instance. In an effort to better compete in a mobile computing industry dominated by Apple and Android, Toshiba decided they would take things up a notch by using an attractive spokeswoman doing yoga to help pitch the products. The idea is to cut down on stress in the fast-paced business world by buying reliable technology, but the final product come across as more of an advertisement for the attractive woman doing yoga (and her boobs) as much as it does for Toshiba’s devices.

    I mean, what else is the following freeze-frame trying to advertise?

    (image)

    The actress’ chest or the tablet beneath it?

    (image)

    What’s being sold here? The actress’ ass or the copier she’s apparently staring longingly at?

    Is Toshiba being light-hearted or overtly sexist? Or are they making fun of the sexism used in commercials be featuring some of their very own, done in a over-the-top manner? Take a look at all the commercials for this campaign and you decide:

    There’s even version for those who speak French:

    So, do these work or is Toshiba’s self-awareness approach miss the target and offer only sexist content? Are the “My Toshiba’s getting hot” responses to these commercials the kind of reaction Toshiba was hoping for?

    [Via Buzzfeed]

  • Mobile Devices Keep IT Departments Racing

    As mobile devices and applications extend the boundaries of the workplace, information technology (IT) departments must create new policies and procedures to keep the mobile enterprise accessible, available and secure, according to research released today by IT industry association CompTIA.

    While PCs continue to be a major part of the corporate IT landscape, CompTIA’s Trends in Enterprise Mobility study reveals that laptops, ultrabooks, smartphones and tablets are increasingly essential to day-to-day business in a “post-PC” environment.

    Smartphones are in place at more organizations than standard cell phones, and tablets are the top choice for purchase intent in the next year.

    The CompTIA study also finds that 84 percent of those surveyed use their smartphone for light work such as email or web browsing. Individuals using tablets have an even wider range of uses, including note-taking, giving presentations and using their tablet as a communications device in lieu of a phone.

    As a result, IT departments are building new policies governing behavior in a mobile environment; and implementing support structures and applications.

    “Currently, the primary motivation for a business to adopt a mobility strategy is to enable a mobile workforce and ensure smooth operations,” said Seth Robinson, director, technology analysis, CompTIA. “However, the ability to connect to customers in a mobile environment is increasingly important. So any mobility strategy must address the needs of two different groups with distinct needs and requirements.”

    Only 22 percent of companies in the CompTIA survey currently have a formal mobility policy. Another 20 percent were building policies at the time of the survey. These policies typically cover guidelines for mobile applications and corporate data, along with device guidelines.

    Security considerations are the greatest risk involved in supporting mobility, at least in the view of 70 percent of IT staff surveyed for the CompTIA study. Among the challenges they face:

    * Downloading unauthorized apps, cited as a serious concern by 48 percent of respondents
    * Lost or stolen devices (42 percent)
    * Mobile-specific viruses and malware (41 percent)
    * Open Wi-Fi networks (41 percent)
    * USB flash drives (40 percent)
    * Personal use of business devices (40 percent)

    These types of incidents and others have prompted organizations to take various security measures. Requiring passcodes, installing tracking software and encrypting data on the device are among the most common steps taken.

    Robinson said organizations must give serious thought to what shape their mobility policies will take.

    “Issues such as mobile device management and mobile security are really in the beginning stages,” he said. “Mobile strategies also involve considerations such as mobile-optimized applications and the supporting infrastructure. Are you going to allow employees to bring their own mobile devices into the workplace? Which devices will you support? Organizations will have to strike a balance between business objectives and security objectives, which may not always be in synch.”