Mobile Devices, Smartphones and Tablets: A Writer's Conundrum

Mobile Device Typing

The web of gadgets spins wider when it comes to mobile devices in the workplace, as there are almost as many mobile device management (MDM) software providers offering up solutions to monitor and manage phones and tablets as there are companies churning them out.

But what I’ve found is that mobile devices are as addicting as they are impossible to write about. Just as soon as I shut my work devices down for the day, I find myself picking up my personal tablet and getting lost in a cyber playground with 3D bowling lanes, puzzles, and an easier-to-use version of Facebook. I try not to procrastinate on work, but sitting within arms reach are the two most addicting things imaginable: a tablet, and Facebook. My work schedule never really stood a chance.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a reason why mobile devices are crawling all over company networks these days (it’s not just because you can play Words With Friends while you’re on the clock). Smartphones and tablets are great work tools. They’re extremely efficient, they’re easy to carry, you can use them from anywhere, and they can even be a natural compliment to a workplace conversation; especially tablets. If you want to show your co-worker a news story, you don’t have to pop up a laptop screen; a physical barrier between you and the other person. You can pull it up on your tablet and share it. No barrier, no problem.

Most importantly, mobile devices can give people the feeling that they’re not really working. You’re not pounding on a keyboard, you’re tapping a screen and exploring your tablet. This can’t possibly be work.

I wouldn’t have such a problem with my addiction to mobile devices — tablets in particular — if I didn’t have put it down to revert back to my laptop or desktop every day to write. Why? Tablets and blogging just don’t mesh.

Ever tried using a blogging website on your tablet? It’s much slower, it’s a pain to tab through different sections and you have to zoom in reeeeeally close to the screen in order to check SEO boxes. Even with a wireless keyboard, blogging is still much faster on a desktop or laptop than on a tablet or smartphone.

Mobile Mood Swings

So every day I go through the five emotional phases of living in a mobile world.

So my final take on mobile devices: I love them…until I hate them…before I love them. Quite the conundrum.