The mobile phone may not yet be your all-in-one communications device, but some very innovative Web sites are making the PC-to-mobile connection a very attractive way to stay in touch.
There are many times when we are on the road and need to be connected, but a notebook computer is not always the best solution. If you are an IT worker on the go and the helpdesk needs to get in touch with you, a quick SMS can be an excellent way to transmit the necessary information, and if it can be done automatically, that is so much the better. On a helpdesk, a notification could be sent to an appropriate technician if an urgent job has not been responded to within a certain time frame, or if a server is experiencing problems or has gone down.
I have my system set up so when a person leaves a message on my office voicemail system, the message pops up in my e-mail box. That is rather useful if I am on the phone--I can check the message directly from my pc. If I'm working from home, the situation is similar, but if I happen to be out and about, as soon as a message hits my mailbox, a rule sends an e-mail message to an e-mail to SMS gateway, and the subject of the message "Voicemail Message" is transferred to my mobile phone as an SMS. It does not tell me who has rung, or what it is about, but I have the option of dialling back into the voicemail system and collecting that message over the phone. Rather than sending an SMS from a phone, if you are sitting in front of a Net-connected PC, it is cheaper and often faster (though the new dictionary-based text features are much better) to jump onto a Web site and type out an SMS.
It is often all about setting up systems to leverage the technology we have available to us.
Now that we can buy soft drinks from vending machines using our mobile phones, it might be the beginning of the end of our wallets. How soon will it be before we can open our houses and cars with our phones?
3%
2%
