How many times have we made the point that Unified Communications has to be mobile in order to be truly unified? That's a rhetorical question – we don't expect you to know the answer – but let's just say that we've said it a lot.

So you can imagine how heartened we were by a recent survey, reported in a Network World article, that shows a distinct increase in demand by users for mobile UC. This survey of businesspeople in the U.S. and two other countries showed that workers are often frustrated when it comes to their existing communications options. More...

I’ve written so much about my HTC EVO in this blog that it now seems appropriate to share my experience with my new Samsung Galaxy S III, which I had to purchase after  accidentally damaging my EVO on a recent trip to Saint Paul. I hated to see my trusty EVO go, but the silver lining is that I get to write about a new device.

Given my focus on enterprise convergence, I am always drawn to smartphone features that blur the line between wireline and wireless. The Galaxy S III is my first device with Google Wallet, which takes advantage of Near Field Communications (NFC).More...

Gartner calls it the Nexus of Forces – the synergy of four platforms or movements that are happening all at once and depend on one another – Mobile, Social Media, Cloud, and Information. These forces are the future and the focus on which IT would be wise to devote resources and strategic thought.More...

The rapidly-growing mobile payments industry is expected to more than double in just two years from $171.5 billion to $617 billion in transactions by 2016, according to Gartner. Simply, mobile payments is an “umbrella term that refers to a wide variety of approaches such as: a smartphone equipped with a special chip; a credit card number stored in a phone app; or a key-fob size device that turns a phone or tablet into a credit card processor,” says USA Today. Though still in the early adopter phase, startups, carriers, and big businesses are investing heavily in this innovative space. More...

Back in 2005, when I bought my house here in Peoria, I was sitting in a downtown law office when I suddenly realized that I had brought only my checkbook to the closing. Knowing that I needed a cashier’s check, I interrupted the attorneys and said, “I have a problem.” After calling my long-time bank in Minneapolis, I learned that the closest branch was 45 minutes away—so I hopped in my car and drove to get the check. Despite the “Check 21 Act” being enacted a year earlier, we were still a long way from the promises of paperless banking transactions. More...