recently ran an article exploring smartphone features under development with companies and providers worldwide. Some of the developments take existing features to a new level. Think of voice operated smartphones that respond to simple commands or screens that respond to touch while wearing gloves (useful in cold climates, that’s for sure!). Other innovations read like a science fiction movie come to life. Screens that pause the video while you look away, batteries that recharge without being plugged in, and sensors collecting data on air quality to assist scientists are all just a few of the innovations underway, under launch, or under development.
We reviewed these developments and cherry-picked a handful that we thought might influence our Sage 100 and Acumatica users. These are innovations that, while inventive and unique, also hold great potential for business.
Innovations for Business: Smartphone Innovations that May Impact the Workplace
A handful of apps and other modernizations may change how we do our daily work. These include:
- App-cessories: App-cessories (pronounced like “accessories”) are apps that transform our phones into complimentary devices. Think of the weather app on your phone that can provide forecast updates, emergency weather-related alerts, and radar maps. A phone is for communication, but the weather app turns it into a miniature meteorological station, too. App-cessories that may one day be used for work include some that scan documents, then beam them onto a projector screen for use. Consider how easy it will be to conduct meetings if all you need to do is scan a document in your office and beam it on the wall during a meeting. It may eliminate presentation software or minimize its use.
- Touch-free input: For those using mobile devices like smartphones and tablets at work, touch-free input offers a useful innovation for manufacturing, warehouse environments, food preparation, and other work areas where having your hands free to tap a mobile device to access your data may not be feasible. Touch-free input uses voice activation software or sensors inside the smartphone or tablet to detect gestures like waving a hand over the surface of the tablet to shut it off or turn it on. Bringing your fingers to your lips may be a way to turn the volume down, and averting your gaze from a video may bring it to a halt. It’s an interesting twist to mobile devices that may eventually make them friendlier for messy work environments.
- Integration into the electronic ecosystem: Smartphones of the future are likely to be part of interconnected devices, an ecosystem, if you will, of electronics that can handle many tasks. Consider how software integrates now via the cloud. Sage 100 and Acumatica software offer a cloud-based approach to business data that makes them easier to integrate with other components such as HRMS, CRM, and other software that enhances their ability to complete tasks required for business data. In a similar way, smartphone manufacturers are viewing phones as more than communication devices and portable computers. While one phone may be able to accomplish only so much with limited gigabytes, connecting them to other devices can create large computing networks that are more powerful than a single device.
Mobile Devices and Business Software
Although some of these innovations are underway, it remains to be seen how they will work with business software such as Sage 100 and Acumatica. Both companies constantly scan the software development environment to find innovations that benefit their business clients. Mobile access of Sage 100 and Acumatica ensures that companies can access real-time data on the go. As smartphones develop, new functionality in these business software products is likely to develop alongside it.
Accounting Systems Incorporated (ASI)
Accounting Systems Incorporated (ASI) provides ERP, accounting, and other software and systems to help your company grow. Cloud-based software such as Sage 100 and Acumatica ERP can be used with mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. These products can provide the business intelligence you need to grow your company. For more information, visit our website, or call us at 803-252-6154.