Technology Making It Impossible to Leave Work at the Office?

Is technology helping your boss take advantage of you? Three T-Mobile employees say yes. The Wall Street Journal reports that the cell phone carrier was sued last month by workers who claim they their bosses contacted them after hours via company-issued smartphones to handle work-related issues without pay. Those who complained were told the extra work was part of "standard business practices." A similar suit was filed in March by a former CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. maintenance worker, the Journal said. With smartphones, "the boundaries become much more permeable" and work is difficult to monitor, Christina Banks, a senior lecturer at the University of California Berkeley and president of Lamorinda Consulting LLC, told the paper. Should companies reimburse workers for any and all off-the-clock work, or is that just part of the deal in a more connected society?

Ford Trucks Offer GPS, In-Dash Computer, Web Access for $1,195    Say you manage a construction site and need a rugged laptop computer. Rather than spend $3,000-$5,000 for a ruggedized laptop computer and locking pedestal stand for your pickup truck, Ford offers an in-dash computer with Internet access and wireless keyboard for $1,195. "I bet it's the first time you've ever seen Google running on the dashboard of a vehicle," says Bill Frykman, Ford Work Solutions business development manager. The package also includes remote access, Bluetooth, and Garmin-developed navigation - in other words, a Happy Meal of Technology for less than the cost of integrated in-dash navigation alone. This Ford Work Solutions system is available on Ford F-Series pickups, E-Series (Econoline) vans, and the Ford Transit Connect mini delivery van. The only downsides are that you can't have Ford Sync, the industry-leading music and Bluetooth system, and the screen seems small for doing serious work. Ford says the center-dash location precludes a bigger screen, at least for now. Ford partnered with a half-dozen companies to create the In-Dash Computer (it has no other name). Magneti Marelli had overall responsibility. The operating system is Windows CE (part of the Microsoft Auto initiative). Sprint provides (sells) the broadband data-only connection. LogMeIn provides its popular remote access to your office or home office desktop so you can, say, create an invoice in Quickbooks. HP sells a Bluetooth printer for printing documents in the field. I got a demo from Ford execs. It all works as advertised. But the screen seems too small for doing some of the things Ford talks about, such as viewing a PDF document without a lot of zooming and panning. One press release talks about engineers in the field being able to view and edit "graphically rich" blueprints (is there any other kind?). Right. By rearranging the buttons and bezel, it appears as if the screen could be 8 inches, maybe 9 inches diagonal. It's disappointing that the front panel SD slot and USB jack are only for the Garmin maps and data, respectively, not music. Still, this is a big step forward as Ford recognizes that mobile computing takes on many forms. Actually, I have seen mobile Internet on other cars. It's on BMW's European version of the 7 Series and, unlike Ford's offering, can be used while the vehicle is moving. But the price of a BMW dwarfs anything in Ford's truck line. Ford's impact is making useful technology available at mainstream prices.

 

Will You Soon Control Your Car With Your Cell Phone?

Soon, remote control won't be just for toy cars--at least according to one research firm. A new iSuppli report predicts that by 2016, 20.7 million real cars will ship with at least some systems partially controllable via cell phone apps, up from 85,000 in 2010. That's more than a quarter of sales worldwide. Among the features subject to remote control will include door locks, lights, A/C and heat--similar to Delphi's concept iPhone app from two years ago. HVAC control will be especially important for electric vehicles, which owners can heat up or cool down while still in the garage and plugged in, so as not to drain the battery. "The market for remote operation of car features is set to grow rapidly in the coming years," said Egil Juliussen, principal analyst and fellow for iSuppli's Automotive Practice, in a statement. "Car OEMs are planning to implement these systems across a wide range of car models as a standard feature, propelling the growth of the market." The report said that both embedded telematics systems like OnStar, and mobile device systems like Ford Sync, will gain remote operation--joining Toyota, which already has its Japan-based G-Security system that lets you monitor your car's interior and movement from afar in the event of theft.