At the 101^st Annual National Retail Federation’s (NRF) “Big Show” last week, Panasonic exhibited an array of solutions for the retail sector. According to show statistics, NRF 2012 had record-breaking attendance at New York City’s Javits Center. The show focused on technology for the retail market, with a lot of attention on mobile point-of-sale (POS) devices and software applications for both back and front house retail environments. Read the rest of this entry »

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama’s administration unveiled a proposal to commit more than $10 billion for the creation of a nationwide broadband network for public safety officials, thereby enabling businesses to grow more rapidly, teachers to better educate their students, and public safety officials to more easily and efficiently access state-of-the-art, secure, nationwide, and interoperable mobile communications.

Read the rest of this entry »

Are you still stuck behind a desk at work?

If some predictions are correct, you may not be by this time next year. As technology analysts and media outlets publish their annual lists of trends expected for 2012, many are pointing to an explosion in worker mobility initiatives across a wide variety of industries as one of the top forecasts for enterprise technology.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Toughbloggers team saw mobile technology tested again and again in 2011 – sometimes deliberately, and sometimes by accident. The truly memorable stories are less about the technology, and more about the amazing people and inspiring missions they accomplish. Here’s a look back at the five most memorable Toughbloggers stories of 2011.

Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine a store where a salesperson can check whether a product is in stock, look up answers to customers’ questions, play a demo video, view a slideshow of alternative product configurations or colors, accept a customer’s payment and schedule a delivery – all without leaving the customer’s side on the sales floor.

Today, tablet computers – with features including high-powered processors, wireless broadband connectivity and large screens designed to display rich media content – make all this possible and more. As a tool for retailers, tablets have the potential to transform the industry, changing the way stores do business and enhancing the shopping experience for customers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Consumer tablets have undoubtedly been the hottest mobile devices of 2011 and now, due to the increased interest in these devices, particularly from employees, tablets have started to make their way into the enterprise market via a phenomenon known as the consumerization of IT.

According to a USA Today article from earlier in 2011, Apple claimed that the iPad has been tested or deployed at 80% of Fortune 100 companies. Even vertical industries, such as healthcare, are not immune to the use of tablets: a recent survey found 27 percent of primary care providers and specialists say they use iPads at work.

Read the rest of this entry »

Over a six-week period this past summer, the United States Army tested the viability of using touchscreen phones and tablets in the field.  The trial was such a success that Army officials anticipate that soldiers overseas could potentially receive the first wave of smartphones later this year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s increasingly mobile workforce is seen as the highest risk to IT security, according to a recent study by the Ponemon Institute. Employees’ mobile devices, and laptop computers specifically, are cited as the most likely sources of a security breach.

Read the rest of this entry »

Two weeks ago, the Government Services Administration (GSA) unveiled a groundbreaking new policy that strives to make mobility and telework essential practices in the 21^st century Federal workplace. The “Mobility and Telework” policy, signed on Oct. 31 by GSA Administrator, Martha Johnson, makes telework possible for most of the agency’s employees and serves as inspiration for other agencies to follow suit.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chicago was bustling with thousands of law enforcement officials at this year’s 118^th International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference at the McCormick Place Convention Center.  Each year, the conference garners over 15,000 attendees and 800 exhibitors who showcase the latest in police vehicles, firearms and technology at the largest exposition designed specifically for law enforcement.

Read the rest of this entry »