Devices

Which devices are best for you?

There is a plethora of devices that can help you meet your mobility needs available today. New devices seem to pop up on the market almost daily. Everything from Bluetooth integration with your car, smart watches and google glasses. Cameras and video recorders uploading images and videos for you without having to plug them into your computer. Facebook and Twitter apps are integrated into TVs and other devices.

Figuring out what is going to give you the most value and not overcomplicate your life can be time consuming and a waste of money. You can quickly become overburdened with too many devices making your life more difficult instead of making you more productive and accessible. Even remembering which cables you need to bring with you on a trip to charge or transfer data from one device to another can be annoying.

Here is a brief breakdown of some of the more common device types. If you’d like assistance or more information contact us at 206-923-2100 or send us a message from our contact page.

Laptops

hardware-125-laptop02Laptops running Professional versions of Windows are your primary go to device for mobility. When they are joined to your domain in the office you have full access to network shares and devices in the office. Connected to your corporate VPN or cloud storage and with Outlook Anywhere you are fully functional from anywhere you have high speed internet access.

 

 

Microsoft Surface

hardware-125-surface01The Microsoft Surface could be bundled with tablets but in truth it is much more. The Surface Pro is running a full copy of Microsoft Windows so you can run any of your programs on the device. The only thing that these devices do not have is a Blu-ray or DVD drive making it more of a hybrid between an Ultra Book and a tablet. Most software can be installed from the web now and if you really need one there are USB external Blu-ray and DVD drives available at a reasonable cost. Combined with a USB docking station the Surface becomes a fully functional workstation. You can compare the versions of the Surface 3 here.

 

 

Tablets

hardware-125-ipad01Ever since Apple released the iPad tablets have become the hot mobility item. Lighter weight, quick boot times, good battery life and easier to protect from accidental damage. Tablets are handy to have for quickly writing an email or accessing documents but are not a replacement for desktops or laptops for most business users. Depending on the device there are apps that give you lots of functionality but most Line of Business software is not available on these devices.

 

 

Mobile Phones

hardware-125-iphone01Most smart phones today can be setup with your corporate email as well as access to cloud stored documents. iPhones, Droids and Windows Phone have apps to be able to access most of the information you need on the road.

 

 

 

Accessories

 

Bluetooth Accessories

hardware-125-bluetooth-headset01There are many Bluetooth devices that can make your life easier. Headsets, smart cases, keyboards and mice are going to give you the most bang for your buck depending on which device you are pairing them to.

 

 

 

Smart Watches

hardware-125-smartwatch01Smart Watches are a more recent addition to the market originally for Droid mobile phones but are soon to be available for iPhones as well. They have a lot of potential over the next couple years to become need to have accessories for your phone and tablets.

 

 

 

Docking Stations

hardware-125-docking-station01Primarily designed for laptops (and some more recently for tablets) docking stations can save you time connecting your devices to your laptop when you get back to your office or home office. Monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, speakers, network cables as well as other USB devices can all be permanently connected to the docking station so you only need to connect to the dock to be ready to work.

 

 

Convenience

There are many other types of devices, some will end up being fads while others will become required in peoples daily lives. Before making purchases of new devices read reviews on sites like Amazon to see whether other people find the device helpful or not worth the money.

Charging Stations

hardware-125-charging01With all these devices in our lives it can be a chore remembering to bring all of your cables with you. There are quite a few universal charging stations on the market that alleviate the need. They come in desktop and travel versions so you can leave one in the office and another can go in your luggage.

 

 

Bluetooth Car Kit

hardware-125-bluetooth-carkit01If your car doesn’t already have Bluetooth pairing with your smartphone you can buy a car kit or have a new stereo installed that has it.