There’s some sense of disbelief across mobilists, developers, theologists, and just about anyone else when I describe to them how I live/work solely from mobile devices (seriously, I only need a conventional PC when doing a SharePoint virtual training class). Its normal for me to live like this. To hear those who ddeal and work with mobile not work/live like this does tend to get to me a bit. Nevertheless, there are moments when others get a chance to poke at life via mobile that’s different than their normal contexts.
Such was the case at Unwired View. In a recent article, there was such an exploration of mobile and life brought about because of work/productivity needs. Here’s a snippet:
All together I can say that all the (mobile) technology made the trip to Angola very easy for me and my family. It helped me to get my work done there, it entertained me in the evening and it kept me connected to my local colleagues, my friends and my family. Don’t know how generations before us did the same without these little helpers but I don’t want to miss this kind of mobile technology in my life anymore.
Read the rest of Unwired Thought’s Back from Angola – Back on Duty.
Notable to that article, and personal experience, being productivty with such an arrangement means dealing with certain compromises and advantages. You have to know not just your device, but the advantages and limitations of all potential viewing windows for whatever it is that you are producing. For example, living such a way has meant for the complete removal of MS Office from my computing devices. Documents that won’t be seen by others sit in Evernote or are self-generated HTML documents; collaborative documents migrate to Google Docs or task/project management solutions (SharePoint, Basecamp, etc.).
Another note from that piece, do you see how he had to adapt his personal mobile tech to the contexts of the culture. Needing a torch, FM radio, and using a device that iis easy to be repaired were common to where he was. The Internet was so new, and expensive, that outside of a company-supplied SIM it wasn’t going to happen as often unless through a Wi-Fi hotspot or cafe. Knowing mobile means that you have to understand these aspects of your environment before you get there, while being open and versatile enough to change when teh situations warrant.
Many of you might have stories of such challenges and opportunities. You should be open about those items, and help others online and around you prepare adequately for such variances in technical environments.