Seven Must-Have Mobile Apps for the Traveling Construction Professional

The Construction Today Blog
Published on July 27, 2012
By James Benham, President of JBKnowledge

Many construction managers now travel extensively in order to secure projects, visit job sites, and meet with project stakeholders. Areas of work are expanding and technology has made it easier for companies in different regions, states, and countries to work on the same projects remotely, but there still remain project participants who must travel to be onsite, and whose role can’t settle with attending via Skype. For those who sometimes feel that they spend more time finding clothes in their suitcase than their closet, here are some of my favorite mobile apps for traveling.

Google Earth  - The whole world at your fingertips – or maybe just the location of the hotel or construction site you’re trying to find. Google Earth lets you explore anywhere on earth by location, business, geography, photos, integrated Wikipedia articles and more.

Click here to read the full article

Innovative Tech of the Week | iPad Board Games

So it may not be as business related as what we normally post, but it's quite a step up in mobile computing. iPieces essentially turns your iPad into a variety of board games, from air hockey to Snakes & Ladders, you can install the app and even buy the additional pieces to have a mobile suite of board games. 

"Players can represent a country of their choice to compete in a variety of fun and exciting tournaments when they download the Air Hockey App. iPieces Air Hockey is suitable for 2 players and contains 2 iPieces Air Hockey Strikers and the downloadable app."

We imagine this "tablet as a workable, 3D surface" technology will only keep spreading to more practical, business-related ventures. However, I don't know about you guys but I bet we can find a way to make this essential to our work day... 

Click here to read more about the iPieces iPad board games 

New Technology of the Week | A Laser in your Mobile Phone

Setting aside the Austin Powers "laser" jokes that come to mind, Measurement Devices, Ltd of England may have some pretty monumental technology on their hands. Even though it only weighs 43 grams (just over 1.5 oz). 

"Powered by a standard USB connector, the tiny Micro Laser Module (MLM), believed to be the smallest in the world, requires less than 70 mA to make hundreds of measurements a second of objects within a 120-metre radius and is now being marketed to original equipment manufacturers some of which MDL hopes will develop the software and interface so the micro technology can be applied to different products."

Such a laser could be incorporated into devices like smartphones to revolutionize smartphone camera imagery and measurement capabilities. 

Click here to read more about smartphone laser technology

New Technology of the Week | Tattoos that connect to your mobile phone

"In a recent filing to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Nokia (NOK) described a concept for using magnetic ink embedded in the skin to interact with a specific electromagnetic field put off by mobile phones."

That's right. No more missing phone calls because you didn't hear your phone ring or didn't feel it vibrate from wherever it may be. Alerts to your phone can be transmitted to the ink in your skin, and can even be varied to differentiate between calls, messages, emails, etc. And for those not ready for a tattoo, Nokia proposes a badge or label that can be applied to skin temporarily. 

Click here to read more about this tattoo and mobile phone integration 

Tech of the Week | JBKnowledge | The Desktop/Smartphone

"Using virtualization tools like Citrix and VMWare, Canonical says that IT departments could issue a single device that covers both the desktop and mobile needs of employees."

A new system called Ubuntu for Android will allow devices to run the Android OS for smartphone purposes, and switch to Ubuntu when connected to a keyboard and monitor via a dock - essentially a mobile phone and desktop all--in-one. 

"The system reportedly lets you share your smartphone’s contacts, media, and apps among both Android and Ubuntu. The Ubuntu environment also supports MMS/SMS and phones calls: a pop-up window appears when you receive a call, and you can simply mouse over and click to answer."

The system is expected to eventually come already installed in devices, so no further installation or purchase is necessary. While others, like Motorola, offer similar systems, the Ubuntu/Android partnership is expected to be much more advanced. 

Our only concern for this type of technology is that losing your phone will become all the more terrifying when it is also your desktop...

Click here to learn more about this mobile technology 

Tech of the Week | JBKnowledge | BlackBerry With Wrap Around Screen

Practical or not - the designs inspired by the competition between smartphone developers are pretty fantastic. It's not often you see a BlackBerry design concept, more often the iPhone or Android take the stage. But designer John Anastasiadis took a pretty good stab at a BlackBerry revamp with a wrap around screen you've probably never seen the likes of before. Before you mention it, he even says the phone can tell the difference between a touch command and someone simplying holding the phone. 

"John explains, 'The front and back cameras are positioned underneath the screens. When needed the area around the camera lens becomes transparent. The wrap around screen can allow for separate workspaces and/or a more three-dimensional interaction with the device. Obvious benefits apply to business, entertainment and navigation applications.'”

Click here to check out photos of this incredible BlackBerry design and learn more

Mobile Technology in Construction

The two most well quoted predictions in the mobile device industry are:
1) 50% of American mobile users will own a smartphone by Christmas 2011
2) One in three of Americans will own a tablet PC by 2015

comScore statistics from June 2011 show that with only a few months left until Christmas, the amount of smartphones users is only at about 34%. And we’ll give prediction 2 at least a year or two before cross-examining, but note that as of June 2011 still only 8% of Americans own tablets.

Click to read more ...