Interesting filming this afternoon for a project on mobile working.
We were using a Sony Vaio TT laptop, nice and small and very light.
A Vodafone Mobile Connect dongle and a Blackberry.
My very quick initial impressions are that its dead easy to find a coffee shop and get on line.
You can hook up online pretty easily anywhere with the Vodafone dongle... outside although if its via GPRS its a much slower browsing experience and trains aren't great.
Today I was only checking Twitter and tweeting.... I know I can do that without a laptop, but I can't get web access on my Blackberry, so it was useful to see what was going on.
I posted tweets at St Pauls, on the top of a London bus to Victoria, sitting on a bench on the South Bank and in a coffee shop near Blackfriars.
I didn't try and doing anything else that may have needed more broadband speed... as we were filming, so it wasn't really appropriate.
I will try other things out at another time as I am interested about the idea of a mobile office and is it really possible.
The other point I would raise already is its the little things that bother you. For example the chair I'm sitting on in a the Blue Posts pub in Carnaby St now is too low for the desk and my back is already hurting. The table has one leg shorter than the others, which is also a tad annoying.
More on the Sony and others mobile thoughts later.
We were using a Sony Vaio TT laptop, nice and small and very light.
A Vodafone Mobile Connect dongle and a Blackberry.
My very quick initial impressions are that its dead easy to find a coffee shop and get on line.
You can hook up online pretty easily anywhere with the Vodafone dongle... outside although if its via GPRS its a much slower browsing experience and trains aren't great.
Today I was only checking Twitter and tweeting.... I know I can do that without a laptop, but I can't get web access on my Blackberry, so it was useful to see what was going on.
I posted tweets at St Pauls, on the top of a London bus to Victoria, sitting on a bench on the South Bank and in a coffee shop near Blackfriars.
I didn't try and doing anything else that may have needed more broadband speed... as we were filming, so it wasn't really appropriate.
I will try other things out at another time as I am interested about the idea of a mobile office and is it really possible.
The other point I would raise already is its the little things that bother you. For example the chair I'm sitting on in a the Blue Posts pub in Carnaby St now is too low for the desk and my back is already hurting. The table has one leg shorter than the others, which is also a tad annoying.
More on the Sony and others mobile thoughts later.
Comments (5)
Your car or truck is a better mobile office than a coffee shop or pub. The seat is a lot more comfortable, you can choose the music, and your thermos or flask will keep you supplied with a favorite beverage. Add a TrulyGr8 Mobile Desk on your steering wheel and discover new territory in mobile productivity. This great new product is demonstrated on video, and available for purchase at wheeldesks.com
Posted by Larry Singleton | February 25, 2009 2:18 AM
Posted on February 25, 2009 02:18
You are absolutley right about the frustratingly low speeds achievable through GPRS on Vodafone dongles and the vaguries of connecting on trains (especially in East Anglia). That said I work part time for several companies and have a 'career' that would have been impossible 10 years ago. I use a lightweight Toshiba laptop (R500) and a Nokia smartphone (E66) along with the aforementioned Vodafone dongle and find that I can easily keep in touch. What is more the compact nature of modern equipment makes everything very transportable, the only 'heavyweight' is the powersource, but running XP I can get around 5 hours off a single battery.
Posted by James Kilpatrick | March 3, 2009 10:02 AM
Posted on March 3, 2009 10:02
Take all your points on board James and yes it's so true that mobile working is now possible in ways we wouldn't have thought possible 10 years ago.
The technology will only improve and that will make mobile workers lives all the better, but its the little niggles that will continue to frustrate.
I note my seating position in a pub that gave me chronic back ache, but hey you can't have everything, and I guess I could have found another seat!
Posted by James Garner | March 11, 2009 1:12 PM
Posted on March 11, 2009 13:12
Thanks Larry - great point. I'll try the car and see whether I avoid the backache, I don't have a lorry, so I can't road test that one. Although my dad has a tractor, so I might give that a go!
Posted by James Garner | March 11, 2009 1:14 PM
Posted on March 11, 2009 13:14
It's definitely possible to have a mobile office, even without a laptop! With GoEverywhere's personal online webtop you get single login access to the documents and files you've uploaded, a variety of software titles, and all of your programs. And all you need is a computer with Internet access. Whether it's the library, a client's office space, or on vacation - you're easily connected.
Posted by GoEverywhere Team | March 12, 2009 7:15 PM
Posted on March 12, 2009 19:15