BASScom Blog

It’s been amazing to see how technology in the mobile workforce has transformed over the years. From notebooks to the rise of smartphones and everything in between, this year especially has seen a surge in adoption of new mobile technologies from consumers and businesses alike. What magical mobile device is leading the pack in this industry? The iPad.

BASScom engineers have been piloting the iPad for business over the last couple of months, and have found the experience can be not only fun, but productive as well. Sure, many would agree the iPad is best suited for consuming content; browsing the web, watching videos on YouTube, or reading a classic novel from the iBooks store, are generally more enjoyable tasks performed on the iPad instead of a notebook. But what about productivity and content creation?

Perhaps the most important communications tool for business in the modern world is electronic mail, and the iPad provides a pretty good experience for quickly reading and sending short messages. When larger messages need to be created though, you might want to consider using the external keyboard dock. In fact, with an additional video-out connection to your computer monitor and an iPhone for mouse support, the iPad can be transformed into a thin-client device perfectly suited for the desktop. The leading technology needed to enable this solution is the Citrix Receiver for iPad, free from the App Store. 
                                                             

BASScom has discovered that the virtual desktop experience on the iPad is best realised utilising the Citrix Receiver App. Users connect to their business applications or Windows desktops with the Receiver just as they would from their workstations in the office or at home, and navigate using the touch interface. It takes a bit of practice using Windows applications by touch, but if you’ve got an iPhone, the Receiver enables you to pair it to your iPad over a Bluetooth connection and use the touch screen as a mouse track pad! Also, Citrix recently announced a new upcoming version of Receiver which will include a local mouse pointer, so you’ll have full mouse support right from the iPad’s touch screen.

The iPad has changed everything in the mobile world of business, and become the most successful tablet computing device in history. Just ask those companies and its users that have adopted early. BASScom will be keeping a trained eye on the industry and is looking forward to seeing what new innovations next year will bring in mobile technology.