The Mobile Worker (Part 1)

By: Catherine Skerritt

'Flexible working' is a broad term that describes all working practices that fall outside the traditional models of work.

Flexible working practices have resulted from advances in technology particularly in telecommunications and computer applications. Communications technologies have freed companies and employees from work at a fixed time and place. FlexWork is a project funded by the European Commission as part of the 'Information Society Technologies' research and development programme and is managed by the TSSG here at Waterford Institute of Technology. The FlexWork project hopes to promote the adoption of flexible working by companies so that they can become more efficient and profitable organisations and help the regional economy to grow more quickly.

Mobile computing allows you to take many of the facilities you have in the office out on the road with you. When used with your mobile phone, mobile computers let you work almost anywhere. Mobile computers come in two main types - portable (or laptop) PCs and personal digital assistants (or palmtops). A laptop PC is typically about the size of an A4 folder and can range in thickness from about 2 - 5 cm. They work off batteries for a few hours, or a mains supply and normally contain all of the features of a normal PC. Laptop PCs do not have quite the same power as normal desktop PCs, in terms of processor power or storage capacity, but are by no means underpowered. The cost of a laptop PC is generally about 50% more than the cost of an equivalent desktop PC. Laptop PCs run the normal operating systems and applications that are available on desktop PCs. A laptop PC gives workers the freedom to carry out almost all of their tasks in any location. They can also connect to their company's network for file sharing by using a modem or via a mobile phone. Secure communications with a company's network can be set up by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) over the Internet from a laptop (or PDA) to the company's network.

For some purposes, even a laptop PC is too bulky. A smaller class of mobile computer, known as the PDA (or Personal Digital Assistant) is becoming increasingly popular. These are also known as handhelds, palm-tops or pocket PCs. They come in two main forms - tablets; where a stylus is used for input; or clamshells, which opens to reveal a small keyboard and a screen. Typical examples of tablet PDAs are those made by Palm and by Compaq, whereas the clamshell PDAs are typified by those produced by Psion.

PDAs often run "cut-down" versions of the applications found on normal PCs and can thus carry out many of the functions of a conventional PC. The tablet PDAs do not have keyboards and are therefore less suited for typing in large amounts of material. A PDA is small enough to fit into a pocket and is often used to carry around contact details, send and receive emails and to make working notes while away from the office. PDAs are designed to synchronise the information they hold with a master copy held on a PC wherever they are connected to it. Some come with a special cradle which remains connected to the PC and automatically carries out this synchronisation whenever the PDAs is out in the cradle. Add-ons are also available for PDAs and laptops that are especially suited to mobile use.

For more advice on how to use the technologies available to you, visit the FlexWork website at www.flexwork.eu.com.

(Part 2 of this article to follow)