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With all these data based services
it is clear that the modern day mobile
call and text will soon no longer exist;
you won’t choose your mobile package
based on minutes and texts, but instead
by how much data you require.
There are however, drawbacks to
all of this technological advance.
The increasing use of data and high
resolution HD screens is adding extra
strain to the smartphone battery life
and battery technology has not kept
up with the rapid development of the
modern mobile phone. This could
soon become more of a concern.
Perhaps of more concern, though,
is that our reliance on mobile data
services will probably mean that
mobiles will soon become susceptible
to viruses similar to those that attack
our laptops on a daily basis. This
— technology —
THE BUSINESS
the
manager
WINTER 2011
The Future’s
In Hand
John Shepherd of Sport Mobile discusses the opportunities and
threats offered by the recent advances in mobile telephony
When I first
started in the
mobile phone industry in 1986, the
average handset was the size of a
couple of house bricks (see below). I
thought about this recently when I
was travelling by car (as a passenger,
of course) and a document which
required my attention was emailed to
my BlackBerry. I needed to proofread
this document, make alterations and
return it. I also had to pass on selected
information from it to some other
people. I was, of course, able to do this
without even turning in my seat.
It struck me that it’s not computers
that have liberated us from our desks,
as we once thought they would; for
many of us, our mobile phone has now
practically become our office.
The new smartphones allow us to
access the internet, pick up email and
even watch TV. This is even more
extraordinary when you consider that
only 20 years ago, mobile phones didn’t
even have text messaging capability
(this wasn’t introduced until 1992). My
recent car journey experience made me
realise that with all these data services
available ‘sending a quick text message’
will soon be a thing of the past.
There are other advances too. The
recent launch of ‘cloud-based’ services
mean that personal data such as
contacts and pictures can be remotely
stored away from the handset. Gone
are the days of losing your phone and
with it all your contacts (something
which many of us have experienced).
Video calling is also likely to become
more prevalent when the ‘4G’ mobile
network is launched.
“For many
of us, our
mobile has
become our
office”
is important to note because we all
carry a wealth of sensitive business
information with us in our pockets
these days – the type of information
which we would never have let out of
our offices a few years ago.
With this in mind, Sport Mobile has
invested heavily in anti-virus and anti-
spyware software for our customers’
smartphones. These now sit alongside
the Government-grade encrypted calls,
secure mobile billing and protected
voicemail which have always been a
part of the package we offer.
But the advances in mobile
technology
far outweigh
these small
drawbacks
and I can’t
wait to see
what the next
decade will
bring.
www.sportmobile.co.uk