Gadgets & Productivity: Education, Small Business and Specialty Markets

Traditionally, new technologies move slowly into specific niche markets, bubble up into the mainstream, and then start to noticeably impact the economy and productivity.  Indeed, gadgets are becoming an indispensible part of our lives –so much so that today’s TVs, laptops, cell phones, iPads, and mp3 devices are helping us work, learn, and have access to targeted information like never before.

How would your productivity (or your child’s learning) be negatively impacted if required laptops stop working?  How much time would be wasted if your team members’ (or son/daughter’s) iPhones are stolen or damaged and they can’t access urgent messages?  How much would it cost you to replace a television screen or mp3 motor component ---more than the gadget itself?

We’ve been collecting information about different/creative ways people are indispensably utilizing gadgets.  Consider:

Education: What if you carried around an iPad instead of your backpack? Well students in Australia have done just that.  According to Western Australia’s Department of Education and Training, “there has been an increased interest in iPads and tablet devices.” These tablet devices are being used by individual and groups to accelerate learning and outreach in real time. Furthermore, secondary and primary schools are utilizing different handheld devices in order to creatively accelerate literacy, math, reading, writing, and English as a second language.

Entrepreneurship: What if you could prepare for your upcoming meeting while waiting in the lobby?  Small business owners with tablets and smartphones are now leveraging everything from waiting room “wait” times to train/airplane flight times to gain a competitive edge in real time –without having to worry about local wifi availability.   These gadgets are saving time and money and are often referred on the web as "the last gadgets you’ll ever need."

Specialty Usage:  What if you could record, research, and share a critical piece of information securely from any devise? Computers, data loggers, MP3 recorders, mobile applications, and USB microscopes are now easily customized as tools to complement and enhance information gathering and communication in scientific communities, advocacy and public relations groups, investment and financial professionals, etc.  Gadgets are responding to time-sensitive demands like never before.

Gadgets are becoming more innovative and an integral part of our everyday lives.  Any interruption can cause tremendous productivity loss –therefore gadget continuity (replacement or repair) needs to be part of the ownership decision.  Consider the alternative –how long could you be away from your iPhone without feeling an important part of your everyday life is missing?