4. On the move

Many organisations have employees working outside the office, for example sales people are usually meeting with clients.

In this case the mobile phone has proved invaluable. It is now just a matter of picking up the phone to make a call from almost anywhere.

One problem was that people were tending to use them whilst driving and this is very dangerous due to the distraction. So laws were passed to ban this.

The solution was the 'hands-free' call. The person connects their mobile to the car via Bluetooth and is able to talk whilst driving.

With the advent of smart phones, they can also receive and send emails using their phone.

Text messaging is also widely used as the person may not be able to answer the phone right away.

Texting is also excellent for sending automatic messages. For instance many schools have an automated text service that sends a message to the parents if their child does not turn up to school.

In some organisations, mobiles are not allowed. For example most hospitals do not allow mobiles to be used in case they interfere with sensitive medical equipment. In this case the solution is the 'pager'. This works a bit like texting but uses a different technology.