Mobile Phones for Business - Keeping Track of Events in Real Time

Mobile phones for business are as important as any other communication system available to deal with clients and business partners. It is common knowledge that an efficient communication system can often prove to be the backbone of a successful enterprise. With the advent of advanced technology, mobile phones are all set to play a critical role in the success of your business.

Companies are now focusing on building mobile phones for business that can bring about a radical change in the way you communicate with your business associates. The ability to communicate effortlessly across any distance and in real time is indeed a great feature made possible by using advanced telecommunications technology. However, there seems to be a distinct lack of awareness among new and upcoming businesses about the applications available in smart mobile phone sets. There can be many advantages of using mobile to manage various areas of your business.

Easy accessibility and ability to exchange information is the main advantage of using mobile for business purposes. It becomes easier for clients to talk directly to the concerned person instead of getting routed through boards and operators. With mobiles they will never be put on hold. Easy accessibility can be great for improving business prospects significantly. Accessibility also makes it easy for employees or partners to discuss matters that calls for immediate attention or when critical decisions have to be taken.

Mobile phones for business allow employees to exchange data between various locations. This paperless exchange of data is quick, happens in real time and is done with the highest levels of convenience. Data exchange is one of the fast developing applications for new generation mobile. It allows various branches of an enterprise spread across diverse locations to communicate effectively and manage different areas of business operations seamlessly.

Business mobile phones can keep you updated with records and information on a daily basis about projects happening at various locations. You can update records and manage data more effectively without having to take print outs, file copies or run after assistants. It also helps you read emails on the move. In today's business situation, email has become the most common mode of communication and correspondence. Smart phones come with email alerts and fax notification. You can read mails immediately and reply without having access to your laptop or personal computer.

Business mobile phones are clearly becoming an indispensible business tool. Choose the right mobile handset to make sure you have the best of features in them.

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Mobile phone data help track populations during disasters

ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2011) — Mobile phone positioning data can be used to monitor population movements during disasters and outbreaks, according to a study recently published in PLoS Medicine. The study, conducted by Linus Bengtsson and colleagues from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden and Columbia University, USA, finds that reports on the location of populations affected and in need of assistance can be generated within hours of receiving data.

Population movements after disasters make it difficult to deliver essential relief assistance to the right places and at the right scale. In this geospatial analysis, Bengtsson and colleagues investigate whether position data from mobile phone SIMs (subscriber identity modules) can be used to estimate the magnitude and trends of population movements. The authors collaborated with Digicel, the largest mobile phone operator in Haiti, to retrospectively follow the positions of 1.9 million SIMs in Haiti before and after the January 2010 earthquake, and found that the estimates of population movements using SIM cards were more accurate than ad hoc estimates generated immediately after the earthquake. The authors then tracked population movements by SIM positioning during the first few days of the cholera outbreak that occurred following the earthquake, showing that these estimates of population movements could be generated within 12 hours of receiving SIM positioning data.

Their findings show that routinely collected data on the movements of active SIM cards in a disaster-affected nation can provide estimates of the magnitude, distribution, and trends in population displacement, and that the method can be used for close to real-time monitoring of population movements during an infectious disease outbreak. Results of the study also suggest that this method could provide estimates on area-specific population sizes and could lead to important improvements in the allocation of relief supplies.

The authors say: "We recommend establishing relations with mobile phone operators prior to emergencies as well as implementing and further evaluating the method during future disasters."

However, this approach may not be effective in all situations, since disasters can destroy mobile phone towers and some areas have sparse network coverage. Additionally, mobile use may be lower in some population groups such as children or the elderly.

In an accompanying perspective article, Peter Gething of the University of Oxford, United Kingdom and Andrew Tatem from the University of Florida, USA, both uninvolved in the study, discuss the potential impact of mobile phone positioning data on responses to disaster. They highlight challenges that must be addressed if use of this technology for disaster response planning is to develop, including how to assess cross-border population movements and the need for protocols to protect the privacy of data, saying: "Bengtsson and colleagues have demonstrated a valuable proof-of-concept of the use of phone data in disaster response, but substantial further work will likely be required before operational usage becomes common."

Gething and Tatem continue: "While millions continue to be adversely affected by natural disasters, in an increasingly connected world where mobile phone ownership is becoming ubiquitous, these data will likely become a valuable component of the disaster response toolbox. Bengtsson and colleagues have taken the first step towards this full potential being realised."

The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare supported the project financially.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Public Library of Science, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Journal Reference:

Linus Bengtsson, Xin Lu, Anna Thorson, Richard Garfield, Johan von Schreeb. Improved Response to Disasters and Outbreaks by Tracking Population Movements with Mobile Phone Network Data: A Post-Earthquake Geospatial Study in Haiti. PLoS Medicine, 2011; 8 (8): e1001083 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001083

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Bite Counter keeps track of every bite you take

 The Bite Counter is worn on the wrist and counts the number of bites the wearer takesImage Gallery (3 images)

Pedometers can be a great motivational tool for people looking to shed a few pounds by getting active. But since cutting the calorie intake is also an important factor in trimming down researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina have created a device that acts like a pedometer for eating. The Bite Counter is worn like a watch and tracks how many mouthfuls the wearer takes to sound an alarm when they reach for one handful of chips too many.

Once activated at the start of a meal, the Bite Counter works by tracking the wrist roll motion that people use when picking something up and putting it in their mouths. The device then automatically counts how many times this is done until the wearer finishes eating and turns the device off. According to its inventors, the device has been shown to be more than 90 percent accurate in counting bites in laboratory studies, regardless of the user, food, utensil or container.

As the Bite Counter only counts the number of bites, and not the amount of calories contained in individual bites, calories are calculated from the bite count using a formula similar to those used in exercise equipment for estimating the number of calories burned.

"Studies have shown that people tend to underestimate what they eat by large margins, mostly because traditional methods rely upon self-observation and reporting," said psychology professor Eric Muth, who created the Bite Counter with electrical and computer engineering professor Adam Hoover. "Our preliminary data suggest that bite count can be used as a proxy for caloric count."

Just like most pedometers, the Bite Counter's counts won't be perfect. Motions such as using a napkin, adjusting glasses or gesticulating while eating can confuse the device, but its creators say that people tend to conduct the same amount of these types of motions meal to meal, so the effect of false counts on the long-term tracking of intake is minimal. They also say that, although some people may eat with both hands - Homer Simpson comes to mind -, most people consume over 90 percent of their food and around 50 percent of their liquid with the dominant hand.

The user is able to set custom bite limits for each meal or for the whole day. Once the limit is reached, an alarm will sound and will continue to sound every time another bite is taken. Data logged on the device can also be downloaded onto a computer via USB for long-term analysis.

Manufacture of the Bite Counter is underway with plans for the device to be sold alongside devices such as activity monitors, heart-rate monitors, GPS watches and pedometers. Until then, a device is available for professional and research use for US$799 from the website of Clemson University startup company, Bite Technologies.

Via cnet

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