Smart Phones vs. Laptops

Some mobile workers rely on a smart phone, some carry two laptops. First, mobile workers were pleased to be able to leave their computers behind and carry a laptop. Now, some use their lighten-the-load attitude by leaving the laptop behind and carrying only a phone.

Smart phones have plenty of computing capability. They have eMail and Internet functions, and some are so powerful they can handle almost any computing chore. That includes activities such as checking inventories and watching movies on airplanes.

Road warriors must still use their laptops to create Valley Bugler Advertisements and do other heavy-duty computing.  But the smart phones are light-weight instruments for general use, client meetings or site visits.

A few users are ditching their laptops, but laptops certainly won’t disappear. For any task that takes much keyboard work; they are still the way to go. And some companies are discouraging the use of smart phones because of keyboarding errors that users make.

A recent survey by research firm In-Stat shows that most road warriors still carry a laptop. At the opposite end of the lighten-the-load group, about seven percent admit to carrying two computers, one for business and one for personal use.

About half of respondents to the In-Stat survey said they would consider using a smart phone as their only device. In order to do it, they want improvements in keyboards, expandable screens and applications that work as well as they do on PCs.

Some authorities predict that the distinction between smart phones and laptops will become less clear. They say laptops continue to get smaller and smart phones will get bigger.