In my last post on May 5^th I introduced a new technology, the TELUS Smart Hub, which is ‘game-changing’ in a number of ways.  Since then colleagues and clients have asked me to elaborate on that point.

Over the past few years the trend in mobile working has been increasing.  The term mobile working has itself become fairly general and could represent a number of diverse situations.  A solution like the Smart Hub is ‘game-changing’ in that it fits nicely into diverse uses, while meeting business needs and providing cost effective communications management.

Here are a few examples:

1.    A construction company

With sites in both urban and rural areas, construction companies need to source various communications services which typically include a higher fee for installation and for the temporary service.  Construction companies could easily provide a job site with a Smart Hub instead of bringing in landline service.  The single solution would provide both the voice and data service for the office trailer, as well as provide a WiFi connection for engineers, architects or subcontractors who are on site for a few days.  With two phone ports available, the site supervisor could have a desk phone in the office trailer and plug in a cordless base station to carry the office line with them as they wander the site.

2.   Experiential/travelling marketing teams

The ability for the Smart Hub to be mobile, again, speaks to the diversity of its use.  As we head into the summer months more and more marketing companies will be activating their experiential marketing teams.  These teams are typically college or university students who travel with a product to various outdoor events.  At these events they would setup a display to engage clients in trying (experiencing) their products.  The Smart Hub is plug-and-play allowing teams to quickly and simply setup voice and data service, as well as any Internet connectivity required for clients to experience their product.  With its portability the Smart Hub can be plugged into either a power outlet at the site or a power outlet (or car lighter) in a vehicle.  This type of connectivity provides limitless opportunities to setup business communications virtually anywhere.

3.   Temporary indoor locations such as a Mobile Health Clinic

A solution like the Smart Hub doesn’t have to be used only in outdoor situations.  It can provide a simple and resourceful connectivity option for temporary locations indoors as well.  One example is a mobile health clinic.  Public or not-for profit organizations will often setup special temporary sites for blood drives, flu shots or health consultations.  These sites are no different from a medical office requiring both voice and data service for doctors and support staff.  The Smart Hub solution offers a voice line for important calls to and from the clinic, as well as a WiFi network for laptops, tablet PCs or other connected devices the doctors may carry the site with them.   The clinic could even add an application such as TELUS Voicemail to Text so that as calls come in to the temporary clinic and no one is available to answer the phone, the voicemail messages would be converted to text then emailed to the doctors for them to read it on a connected device.

These are just a couple of the potential uses for a solution like the TELUS Smart Hub.  The diversity of this solution could also extend to POS in retail locations to home call centre agents.

Do you have any ideas how your business could use a Smart Hub to provide quick, temporary access to communications services?  Anyone who comments below between May 31 and June 11 will be entered to a draw for a chance to win a Smart Hub for your business.  Join the conversation by creating a profile, logging in and adding a comment below. I’ll keep an eye on feedback and try to respond as quickly as possible.

*No purchase necessary.  See Contest Rules for complete details.  Contest runs May 31, to June 11, 2010.

When I hear about all the great results companies are getting from their work-life flexibility programs, I have to wonder why so many companies do not have a program in place.  The Harris-Decima survey found that only 46% of respondents worked for companies offering flexibility options, and my own survey in 2008 documented the same thing.

One possible explanation is that people are mired in traditional models of the workplace that no longer fit the contemporary environment.  The myth that people still seem to believe is that the person who is available 24/7, who is in the office 70, 80 hours per week, and who never takes any time off is the most productive worker.  Best also if employees never become ill, never become disabled, and never have to have a baby.

Not only is this “ideal” not the reality, in fact we are accumulating more and more evidence that people who strive to fulfill this myth are not the most productive in the workplace.  I’ve seen at least a dozen studies that document what we call a work-family facilitation effect.  Work-family facilitation means that having a full family life is beneficial to a person’s performance on the job.  So the new evidence says that the best performer is not the person who is working 24/7, but rather, the person who devotes themselves to family as well as career.

This more balanced model of work-family facilitation shows us that people learn new skills by being highly active in family life, skills such as time management, making decisions, and managing people.  Having children means you learn how to encourage, coach and develop the talents of others, and this is a very valuable skill for managers and professionals.  In a family, you have to be a team player, and more jobs require working in teams than ever before.

Being present for your family and active in your community results in the added benefit of building social capital.  Social capital means having good relationships with a set of people who can provide you with support, information, skills, and resources.  When people have a strong social network, they can apply the additional skills, knowledge and information to their work activities, resulting in higher performance and potential benefits to the employer.

Having a full life outside of work also buffers people from the stress of the workplace, leading to positive health benefits.  When we are happy in other areas of life, that helps us to gain perspective about the difficulties and challenges at the office.  Stress is known to be a major cause of physical health problems, so reduced stress for employees means less absenteeism and lower health insurance costs for the employer.

Given this evidence of a significant work-family facilitation effect, my view is that employers should stop seeking people who are willing to make themselves available at work 24/7 to the detriment of the rest of their lives.  The best workers are people who consider family and community to be important, not individuals who are willing to sacrifice family and community in pursuit of money and career.

About the Author: Alison M. Konrad, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Richard Ivey School of Business

Alison M. Konrad, Ph.D., joined the Richard Ivey School of Business, U. of Western Ontario in 2003 as a Professor of Organizational Behavior and holder of the Corus Entertainment Chair in Women in Management.  Alison’s current work focuses on organizational diversity initiatives and making workplaces more inclusive.  She has done consulting work with CBC Radio, CBC Television, the Stratford Festival, Pillar Non-Profit Network, the Toronto Regional Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment (CIITE) and several other organizations. Alison has more than 15 years experience teaching of HR and business management teaching experience and was Co-Editor of the Sage Handbook of Workplace Diversity, published in 2006. Alison has published over 60 articles and chapters on topics relating to workplace diversity.

My name is Evan Carmichael and I believe that the fastest and most effective way to build a business is to model the strategies of people who have already successfully accomplished what you’re trying to do. I call it Modeling the Masters.

Thanks to your support for my post on business lessons from Steve Jobs, the good people at TELUS have decided to make my Modeling the Masters a regular series!  Today I’m going to focus on Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford.

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As owner of the Ford Motor Company he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world.

Must Watch Video

There really aren’t any great Henry Ford speeches on video that I can share with you but I do love this clip on not quitting which was a vital message that Ford believed in. It’s only 2 minutes long and a great way to start your day.

#1) Believe In Yourself

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it,” said Ford.

It may seem commonplace today for people to have cars but when Henry Ford first came up with the idea to create a “horseless carriage” people thought he was crazy and would never succeed. “Failure is only the opportunity more intelligently to being again,” said Ford. “One who fears the future, who fears failure, limits his activities. I did not give up the idea of a horseless carriage which was considered merely a freak notion and many wise people explained with particularity why it could never be more than a toy.”

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal,” said Ford. “The best we can do is size up the chances, calculate the risks involved, estimate our ability to deal with them, and then make our plans with confidence. There is no man living that can not do more than he thinks he can. Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.”

#2) Focus On Quality

For Henry Ford, building a quality product that he could proudly put his name on was his top priority.

“I do not believe in starting to make until I have discovered the best possible thing,” said Ford. “This, of course, does not mean that a product should never be changed, but I think that it will be found more economical in the end not even to try to produce an article until you have fully satisfied yourself that utility, design, and material are the best.”

Ford also believed in providing quality service for anyone who purchased his cars. “A man who bought one of our cars was in my opinion entitled to continuous use of that car, and therefore if he had a breakdown of any kind, it was our duty to see that his machine was put into shape again at the earliest possible moment.”

One of my favourite pieces of advice from Henry Ford sums up his belief on creating a quality product: “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”

#3) Build A Team

Henry Ford revolutionized the manufacturing industry and pioneered a number of unique and controversial labour policies. For example, he refused to give his employees titles and tried to make everyone feel equal. “I don’t believe in titles,” he said. “They make people think they are superior.”

Ford also believed in hiring people based on if they were willing to work as opposed to their previous experience. “It doesn’t matter to me if a man is from Harvard or Sing Sing,” he said. “We hire the man, not his history.” He also refused to hire experts believing that they would restrict the company’s ability to innovate and grow. “That is the way with wise people – they are so wise and practical that they always know to a dot just why something cannot be done; they always know the limitations.” What Ford was looking for was “a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done.”

Finally, Ford believed in finding workers who wanted to support each other and not be carried by their co-workers. “You will find men who want to be carried on the shoulders of others, who think that the world owes them a living,” said Ford. “They don't seem to see that we must all lift together and pull together.”

True Story

Henry Ford shocked the world where he offered workers a $5 per day wage which was more than double what the average wage for workers was at the time. He called it the “wage motive” and as a result the best mechanics flocked to Detroit to work for him and he had very little employee turnover.

As always, I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

Evan Carmichael

About the Author: Evan Carmichael, EvanCarmichael.com

Evan is an entrepreneur and international speaker. At the age of 19, he became an owner and Chief Operating Officer in Redasoft, a biotechnology software company. The company quickly grew to over 300 organizations as clients, including NASA and Johnson & Johnson, in 30 countries. He started Evan Carmichael Communications Group and created www.EvanCarmichael.com with the goal to give entrepreneurs the motivation to follow their passion and the strategies they need to succeed. Evan has also delivered over 100 keynote presentations to entrepreneurs in North America, Europe, and Asia, and has been featured as an entrepreneurial expert for magazines, newspapers, radio, and television and is a recognized small business authority.

To learn more check out Evan Carmichael’s list of Henry Ford articles at: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/559/summary.php

Did you see us?   For the last two days, the TELUS Business team has been hanging out in downtown Toronto’s Brookfield Place.

Why?  Summer is here and we wanted to invite the Toronto business community out for a cup of coffee... on us.

The catch?  More than 1,400 visitors got to play with the latest technology, learn a bit about flexible working trends from TELUS and check out telustalksbusiness.com.

It’s no coincidence that the event was held this week – just before the May 24 long weekend. TELUS is trying to make the summer as easy and enjoyable as possible by introducing technology that enables flexible workstyles.  We strongly believe that the key to successful teleworking is not about working all the time but, instead, working differently.

Thanks to everyone who came out!

Yesterday, I participated in a virtual panel discussion hosted by TELUS on, “Evaluating Attitudes about Flexible Work.”  The conversation was quite interesting, and I learned a lot from all of the participants.

Overview of the discussion:

The panellists agree that employee expectations about workplace flexibility have changed dramatically in recent years.  Jennifer Perrier-Knox, Senior Research Analyst at Info-Tech Research says that when recruiting top talent, flexibility options are no longer seen as a special perk, just table stakes.  As the new generation of “Millennials” enters the workforce, offering flexibility options will become even more important.  The next generation has higher self-esteem and less need for social approval, and they expect to be able to work when, where and how they want to.  On the darker side, the Millennial generation is more anxious and depressed than any generation before them, and we know that using flexibility options helps people to reduce the stress of balancing work with the rest of life.  The new generation of women is also considerably more assertive than in the past and expects to take on leadership roles while having a full family life.  Flexibility options will be essential to supporting these women’s careers, and many studies show that women who use flexibility options are more productive and loyal to their employers, so it’s really a win-win.

Leading companies in this area are already experiencing the advantages of offering flexibility.  Jeff  Lowe, VP, Enterprise for TELUS Customer Solutions says that his flexible work program has delivered a solid return on investment.  With more than 5,000 team members engaged in mobile work every day, TELUS is enhancing employee engagement while lowering carbon emissions from tele-commuting employees.

Tim Lorman, Director of Strategic Space and Alternative Work at TIAA-CREF says that by thinking strategically about flexibility options rather than offering them on a piecemeal basis, the benefits to the company have risen dramatically in terms of both cost savings and retaining talent.  Peter Day, President of Endo Networks, Inc. calls the technology investments that enable his mobile workforce one of his few “no-brainer” decisions, because the productivity increase seen in one day covers the entire monthly cost of using the technology.

Jennifer Perrier-Knox explains that managers worry about things they can’t see, such as employees who are working at home.  To overcome this trust issue, organizations have to set up objective performance metrics that measure what employees actually produce rather than judging effectiveness on the basis of face-time at the office.

Workplace flexibility is for all size businesses...

Small and mid-sized enterprises can benefit from a flexibility program just as much, if not more.  Peter Day explains that small businesses have fewer resources and have to make the most of everything they have.  Talk about saving on overhead, Day describes his 30-foot RV “mobile headquarters”, which saves the company tremendously on real estate expenses.  Tim Lorman of TIAA-CREF says that even larger organizations are starting to “right-size” their HQs by asking who really needs to be there and how much space each individual actually requires.

Views from the panel:

What do you think?  Are you seeing a trend toward flexible work in your organization?  What are the pros and cons?

About the Author: Alison M. Konrad, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Richard Ivey School of Business

Alison M. Konrad, Ph.D., joined the Richard Ivey School of Business, U. of Western Ontario in 2003 as a Professor of Organizational Behavior and holder of the Corus Entertainment Chair in Women in Management.  Alison’s current work focuses on organizational diversity initiatives and making workplaces more inclusive.  She has done consulting work with CBC Radio, CBC Television, the Stratford Festival, Pillar Non-Profit Network, the Toronto Regional Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment (CIITE) and several other organizations. Alison has more than 15 years experience teaching of HR and business management teaching experience and was Co-Editor of the Sage Handbook of Workplace Diversity, published in 2006. Alison has published over 60 articles and chapters on topics relating to workplace diversity.

Today, Mashable posted a great overview of 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Use Tech to Save Money. Tip #2 is definitely one we stand by:

“Go Distributed:  You can use technologies such as IM clients, VOIP calls, video chats, project management software and in-the-cloud document storage to get a lot done from remote locations. In the short term, this can save you overhead (and earn you major brownie points with your staff) if you let folks work from home on Fridays; it can also ease the pain of sick days and vacation time when urgent tasks pop up. In the long term, being able to have employees work remotely can allow you to hire offsite workers; one thing we’ve learned about Gen X and Millennial employees it that many of them are willing to take a lower salary in exchange for the ability to work from home. In cases such as this, you save on both salary and capital expenses."

TELUS has an internal commitment to provide employees with the flexibility and freedom to work where they’re most productive. Trish Clarry, Executive Director, Real Estate and Enterprise Services at TELUS, has been heavily involved in planning flexible work programs at TELUS.  Based on her experiences, she’s developed the following three tips for businesses looking to shift to a distributed workforce:

1. Leverage technology to support work the way it is naturally happening, whether that be in the office, on the road or at home. When you embrace technology, give people the right tools to get the job done and support how employees want to work, productivity will take care of itself.
2. Create the right balance of individual and group work opportunities for your employee mix. With so many generations in the workforce these days, you need to facilitate the different ways each generation is most productive and create the types of spaces that each group will gravitate to.
3. Create a fun, inspirational, motivating working arrangement because people need a reason to get out of bed in the morning and they need to like their working environment.

How have you used technology to cut work hours and save money?  Any tips of your own to share?

Let’s face it - the 1960’s concept of a daily commute to a central location for a 9-5 workday simply does not match how most people work today.   Knowledge workers now have the ability to work anywhere in the world without leaving their neighborhood.  Quite simply, the nature of work has changed.

On the surface, the ability to reduce the daily commute or reconfigure an organization’s real estate portfolio might not seem like revolutionary ideas.  However, simply adjusting our work-places and work-practices to match today’s workforce requirements has the potential to positively impact a wide array of issues – for employers, employees and the environment.  It may be the most cost-effective way to reduce rush-hour traffic and can even improve how we insulate our businesses from disruption. It helps improve air quality, road safety, and work/life balance.  And adopting intelligent work-places and work-practices can even make organizations more profitable, which in today’s economy is certainly good news for all companies.

In his recent address, Scott McNealy, founder and former chairman of Sun Microsystems, spent a little time musing with senior leaders from Calgary business community on “what if he could do it all over again”.   No headquarters, no moving the “herd” in and out during rush-hour, and no jumping across the pond for a 1 hour meeting.  Instead he would leverage today’s advanced information and telecommunications technology to drive a more agile, more flexible and more intelligent work environment for the betterment of his workforce, his shareholders, and for the communities where the company operated.

More than 60 million knowledge workers throughout North America are prepped and ready to undertake this workshift.  And if we do it right, this transformation will trigger combined savings of roughly $500 billion annually for employees, their employers, and government agencies responsible for transportation, environment, and health.  In addition, it would also result in cutting 150 million tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions every year.  The big question for all of us is – will we heed Scott’s advice.

We have a rare opportunity to drive sustainable change.  But we have to keep in mind that this is not someone else’s issue to solve.  In this case “we are them” and we cannot pass this one down the line.  But the good news is simple adjustments to our daily work related choices can make a big difference.

Before you start work tomorrow morning ask yourself:

• Do I have to drive all the way downtown just to get on a series of conference calls with co-workers located in other cities?
  
• Can this two-hour meeting be accomplished via web conferencing or telepresence versus flying all the way across the country?
  
• Can I take a few early meetings from my home office and shift my commute out by a couple of hours
  

Over here at Teletrips, we're extremely excited about playing a major role in this workshift and we're proud of the positive impact we are delivering for customers, their employees and the environment overall.  That said, we can’t drive this new work (r)evolution alone.  Will you join us?

About the Author: Ian Gover, President & CEO of Teletrips

As President & CEO of Teletrips, Ian Gover works with public sector organizations and Fortune 500 companies to help them improve their triple bottom line performance - improving employee effectiveness, realizing millions in operational savings, and achieving significant improvements in environmental efficiency.  Ian is a pioneer in the field of distributed work and has focused his entire career on helping organizations optimize their technology, workplace and human capital management infrastructure to provide a better match for today’s flexible workforce requirements.

My name is Evan Carmichael and I believe that the fastest and most effective way to build a company is to model the strategies of people who have already successfully accomplished what you’re trying to do. As part of a what will hopefully become a regular series on the TELUS Talks Business blog I’m going to be sharing the stories of famous entrepreneurs along with their wisdom to help you transform your business. Today I’m going to focus on Apple founder Steve Jobs.

Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (born February 24, 1955) is an American business tycoon, and the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple. His current net worth is $5.5 billion.

Must Watch Video

One of my favourite YouTube videos of all time is of Steve Jobs giving advice to Stanford University graduates. It’s 14:34 minutes long and is a must see for every entrepreneur:

#1) Don’t Lose Faith

“You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future,” says Jobs. “You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

When Steve Jobs was 17 years old he dropped out of university and began taking classes like calligraphy that were more closely tied to his interests. “I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out ok,” he recalls. “It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

A decade later, when Jobs was designing the first Apple Macintosh computer he put his calligraphy lessons to use by incorporating the fonts he learned about. “It was the first computer with beautiful typography,” says Jobs. “If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do… Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”

#2) Don’t Settle

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do,” says Jobs. “If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle… As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.”

When Jobs was 17 years old, he read a quote that would stay with him forever: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.” Since then, he has looked himself in the mirror every morning and asked himself whether or not he would do the same thing that day if it were his last day alive. “Whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something,” he says.

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you want to become. Everything else is secondary,” he advises. “Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking… Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

#3) Innovate

“Innovation is the distinction between a leader and a follower,” says Jobs.

Throughout his career Steve Jobs has been an innovator. From the Macintosh to the iPod to the iPhone and now the iPad, he is constantly pushing the envelope to put his company on the forefront of innovation.  “When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D,” he recalls. “It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it."

“Innovation comes from people meeting in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we’ve been thinking about a problem,” says Jobs. “It’s ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.”

True Story

When Steve Jobs was in high school he called Hewlett-Packard co-founder William Hewlett to ask for parts for a school project. Hewlett gave him the parts and a summer job where he met Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Win a Steve Jobs Limited Edition Entrepreneur Heroes Trading Card

To kick off my new role as a contributor for this blog I’m going to raffle off a limited edition hologram trading card of Steve Jobs! It comes in a screw-down case and is a beautiful collector’s item for any business owner. To win the card all you have to do is post a comment below. I’ll pull a comment out at random and that person will receive the card! Enter the contest today by posting below!

About the Author: Evan Carmichael, EvanCarmichael.com

Evan is an entrepreneur and international speaker. At the age of 19, he became an owner and Chief Operating Officer in Redasoft, a biotechnology software company. The company quickly grew to over 300 organizations as clients, including NASA and Johnson & Johnson, in 30 countries. He started Evan Carmichael Communications Group and created www.EvanCarmichael.com with the goal to give entrepreneurs the motivation to follow their passion and the strategies they need to succeed. Evan has also delivered over 100 keynote presentations to entrepreneurs in North America, Europe, and Asia, and has been featured as an entrepreneurial expert for magazines, newspapers, radio, and television and is a recognized small business authority.

To learn more about Evan Carmichael and Steve Jobs visit: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/568/summary.php

Whether to cross a continent or to find a small business hidden in the corner of an industrial park, a good map is a valuable tool.  In recent years however, traditional paper maps have been substituted with highly accurate and sophisticated GPS systems which pinpoint your current location and automatically calculate the ideal route to your intended destination.  For businesses on the move, GPS makes perfect sense: spend less time studying a map and more time with your customers.

The recent convergence of Smartphone and GPS technologies allows businesses to easily equip their staff.  Applications are available for BlackBerry, iPhone, Android and other platforms which transform a GPS enabled Smartphone into a full vehicle navigator.

This leads to the questions:  What should businesses consider when selecting a navigation app?   What type of investment is required?  And probably the most difficult question, what is the best app for business in Canada?

Today we will start with the basics: 5 considerations for business Smartphone based navigation.

1 .  Maps

Most stand-alone GPS navigators are limited to their built-in (on board) maps.  With Smartphone apps, users have a choice of how they would like their maps.  Here are considerations for each:

Online maps

• Apps usualy have a low up-front cost of less than $10.
• Maps are downloaded from the internet using the wireless network as they are needed and used (similar to Google Maps). The more you use the app, the more wireless data you will use.
• Maps are not stored on your Smartphone so the apps use very little memory space.
• As maps live on the Internet, they are likely to be the most up to date.
• App is fully functional only when the Smartphone is within wireless data coverage.
• Ideal for urban business usage where up to date maps is important and strong wireless signals are available.

Onboard maps

• Apps usually have an up-front cost of $50 or higher.
• An entire collection of maps is installed on your Smartphone and stored in the memory.  Data usage will not see a substantial increase with usage.
• Maps for Canada and the United States can easily consume over 1 GB of storage.
• Maps are only updated when the application is updated, therefore maps could be months or even years old (similar to how a paper map gets old and needs to be updated or replaced).
• Maps and navigation are processed within the Smartphone app and not via the Internet.
• Maps do not require a wireless network to operate (GPS signal is still required).
• Ideal for those who travel in fringe coverage areas, have high amounts of use or wish to keep data costs more fixed. 

2.  Points of Interest

A Point of Interest, or POI, is simply a useful point on a map.  Good examples would be gas stations, restaurants and stores which may be along your route.  POI's enable you to find the closest "Joe's Burgers" instead of having to know what the address is. The more POI's you have access to, the more likely you will be able to  enter in a name instead of a full address.

Apps with Online maps always go to the internet when a POI is searched - often to a provider like Google or Bing which have millions of POI's. Onboard maps automatically install a smaller base of POI's to your Smartphone.  While the search is faster when the POI's are installed on your Smartphone, the Internet has the best accuracy.  The ability to have both onboard POI's and Internet search covers all the bases (like the time I was outside of coverage deep in the BC Rockies and needed a gas station - onboard POI's pointed me to the closest one).

3.  Voice Prompts

Turn left in 200 meters.  Stay to the right at the fork.  Stay in the middle lane.  Voice prompts mean you don't have to look at the screen of your Smartphone as you drive.  The first step is to make sure the app you select has them.  However, not all voice prompts are considered equal.  Some can say the name of the road while others only give directions.  ("Turn left in 200 meters" versus "Turn left in 200 meters on Main Street").  Multi-region companies should also consider user language - some applications are limited to English voice prompts only.

4.  Power

Smartphones operating a GPS Navigation app consume considerably more power then a phone at standby.  Online map based apps potentially use the most power because of the regular wireless data network activity.  Ensure your employees have the ability to charge their Smartphone while on the road with a simple car charger (about $25).

5.  Mount

Just like standard GPS units, GPS enabled Smartphones require a clear view of the sky in order to calculate their location from orbiting sattelites.  A windshield or dashboard mounted phone cradle is ideal.  They also allow easy access and clear viewing without causing undue distraction.  Suction style windshield mounts usually start at about $25.

It would be a miss not to mention the need for good judgement when using any device while driving.  Check out Focus on Driving for more information.

Over the coming weeks, look for reviews of a number of leading turn-by-turn Navigation applications including TELUS Navigator (online), Navigon (onboard), Tom Tom (onboard) and MotionX GPS Drive (online).  If you have specific questions you would like covered during those reviews, just pop in a comment below.

Join the conversation in by creating a profile, logging in and adding a comment below.

New technology or improvements for existing technology are released almost daily.  Sometimes they are exciting and successful like the iPhone and its open development platform (which has lead to hundreds of thousands of apps available in iTunes), and sometimes they are not and we forget about them almost as soon as they hit the market.

Every so often one of these technology developers really hits the nail on the head.  When this happens it opens up new ways for businesses to communicate – for example when RIM released the BlackBerry.  At the time it revolutionized how people could communicate and stay connected outside the office.  Professionals were able to check email and calendars from anywhere, without having to carry around a laptop or look for an Internet connection.  2010 is an exciting year for the Canadian mobile industry as we are seeing the emergence of another “game changer” in business communications – wireless hub technology.

What is a wireless hub and what does it do?  The Smart Hub solution is a wireless hub that operates on TELUS’ 3G+ network.  It provides high-speed Internet access for up to 15 users, plus phone service in one portable device.  One common misconception is that the device provides voice service through VoIP; however the voice service is actually 3G+ cellular service, translated through the hub to a connected analog phone.  With 3G+ technology, voice and data can be used simultaneously. Portability means mobile workers can connect to the Internet anywhere there is a power outlet and network coverage.

How is this “game changing”?  Wireless hub technology revolutionizes how remote offices and mobile teams communicate.  In the past, companies had to find mobile work around solutions or incur large costs to bring in landline service for remote offices.  Now, mobile teams and remote offices can easily establish temporary Internet and voice connections without incurring large up-front investments. Canada is leading the global market in terms of wireless tech solutions like the Smart Hub so we are seeing a lot of buzz across the Canadian blogosphere last week.

As a Smart Hub solution product expert, I’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to leave your questions/comments below.  I’ll keep an eye on feedback over the next few days and try to respond as quickly as possible.

Also, be sure to check out www.telus.com/smarthub for more information about the Smart Hub solution.

About the Author: Andrew Scott Reid, TELUS Business Product Expert and Guest Contributor

Andrew Scott Reid (or just Scott) is a Product Manager at TELUS Business Solutions. Scott has over six years of IT/telecommunications marketing and sales experience.  Based in Toronto, he primarily works with small and medium sized businesses to explore technology solutions that improve business productivity and efficiency.  Scott has extensive insight into mobile working needs from a customer perspective and is able to offer insight into several of TELUS’ technology offerings for Canadian businesses, including the Smart Hub solution.  When he’s not at work, Scott relaxes by playing/watching football and cooking (apparently he makes a mean brunch!).

Left out in the rain. Put through a day of drywall taping and sanding. Dropped repeatedly in a game of catch.

We recently sent Into Mobile’s James Falconer a Motorola Mike Brute i680 and told him to test its mettle. Following a series of highly scientific impromptu experiments, James posted an in-depth review on the device and shared his thoughts on just how tough the Brute really is.

Highlights from his review:

• Definitely rugged, can withstand almost anything you throw at it - blowing rain, dust, vibration, extreme temperatures, salt, fog, humidity, extreme sunlight, etc.
  
• Rubberized molding on shell gives a secure and almost soft feel in the hand, giving you extra confidence and grip to ensure you don’t drop it
  
• Strong ‘flip’ hinge helps keep dirt and debris out from the screen and keypad inside
  

• Solid build quality and fit-and-finish
  

James’ verdict:

“The TELUS Motorola Brute i680 does what it is built to do. It’s rugged, takes a beating, and works as a rough-and-tumble phone for on-the-job needs. If you’re in construction, or need a device with phone functionality, a smattering of basic apps, and a ruggedized shell that can take a hit… the Motorola Brute is an ideal addition to toss on the passenger seat of your truck.”

Think James is bluffing about the Brute’s ruggedness? Questions about this phone or TELUS Mike in general? Leave us a comment below.  For more information about the Motorola Brute i680 and the latest from TELUS Mike, check out www.NoOrdinaryPhone.com.