When we hear crazy musical sound from bath
rooms, prayer halls, mid of meetings – it’s
no more surprise its cell phone. Somebody
driving a bike with bent neck ?– He could be on cell
phone and prove fatal. At all the places and all the
time – we feel it’s used too much. But looking at
what’s happening at my friend’s software company
(let me refer it as just Labs, in this article), it’s apparent
that, cell phones are utilized only 20% of their potential
and the Labs demonstrated amazing uses of cell
phones, which takes them much beyond features we
generally know in a cell phone.
The team in Labs finds cell phones as mini lap tops
with additional features of camera, GPS, 3G, radio,
video and many more.
Applications in common business scenarios
In a simple cell phone they put software for any
business, load ton of information. They make cell
phone to communicate to-and-fro with office
computers or website, attach so many instruments
or equipments to it.
News paper supplier, who collects monthly amount
from house to house. His cell phone software provides
complete management of subscriber, paper name,
amount due so on and so forth.
Incredible Utilizations, of simple Cell Phone
House Construction Supervisor (Mestri), who
stays in a temporary house/hut at building house
construction site, will have all the information of
workers, attendance and material and simple data entry
mechanism.
Cigarettes Sales Person: The software in cell
phone provides details of shop he visits, inventory in
hand, amount collected, and amount due, stock
position at head office and live update of sales to head
office.
Few more examples I found are for doctors, police,
field executives, farmers , survey department,
attendance management at schools and FMCG
products distribution.
Special Applications
Tracking and managing sales s taff and their
movements or vehicle tracking using GPS feature of
cell phone
Many organizations require regularly photo or video
of spots, related to their business, along with proof
of the geographical locations. Labs, has developed
solutions for capturing those and uploading them to
website or office computer.
The Labs also demonstrated how cell phone can be
utilized as IVR (Interactive Voice Response Solution
– which are used in phone banking or automated
enquires), Bulk calling, bulk SMS sending and bulk
SMS receiving,
Attaching, Peripherals to Cell Phone.
I happened to see Labs attaching mini printer,
scanner and barcode reader.
Labs had taken step ahead – they attached a switch
to cell phone, to operate it from SMS.
I wonder where it’s applied.
They could attach medical equipments and
industrial measuring instruments.
Several interfaces for monitoring and controlling
were beyond my technical understanding.
Future
I happened to notice that the Labs engineers were
busy in exploring 3G.
According to the Labs, areas still to be explored
are enormous.
I really wonder in what form and where we find
cell phone in near future. Already difference between
Laptop, Palm top, PDA, Smartphone, Cell phone is
disappearing or at least confusing to me!.
I wish, cell phone does not create more nuisance
and unsafe scenarios around us. But equally helps
us more
Regards
Pooja kalra
(Editor in Chief)
