Being Hands-Free Isn’t Just For Drivers: Talking On The Move
A moving car can be a weapon, especially when a driver isn’t in full control of the vehicle. But many drivers nowadays — businessmen, couriers, even working mums — recognise the need to be contactable while on the move. But while it isn’t always practical to stop en route to take or make calls on a mobile phone, the introduction of in-car hands free kits have made it much easier to keep in touch at any point on a journey.
However, it isn’t just motorists who can benefit from being instantly contactable throughout the day. Instant messaging, so often thought to have been the exclusive realm of teenagers, has broken down barriers of communication since it first appeared on computers around the world, allowing people across the globe to converse with each other in real-time, originally by way of typed text, via the World Wide Web. Latterly, advances in technology — both in terms of internet messaging software and the telephony infrastructure — have paved the way for instant messaging to become more advanced and no longer restricted to being conducted via keyboard.
Indeed, with the introduction of VoIP technology (Voice over Internet Protocol), it has become possible to converse with those very same people as if they were in the same room by allowing you, and those you are talking to, to do just that — talk, not type, to one another. Add in a webcam and you could even see the person you were talking to, bringing the whole world into your living room. Of course, there were still limitations; you still had to be in front of the computer, in order to conduct a conversation.
It was perhaps inevitable then, that such capabilities would be taken and expanded upon further. The harnessing of the wireless spectrum has provided another evolutionary step in instant messaging by freeing the user from the shackles of the keyboard and mouse altogether, by giving users the opportunity to use a wireless headset and microphone instead of a keyboard and mouse. For some this simply means one less cable to worry about getting tangled up in, or snagged and broken; for others it provides true freedom and mobility to multitask around the home or office, allowing for increased productivity throughout the day without sacrificing social or business interaction.
By way of wireless headsets, users can now move around and continue conversations while getting on with tasks that otherwise might not be done if the person were tethered to a desk phone, or keyboard; the IT guy can go about fixing the jammed printer while providing support to another user via his headset; a mum doing the school-run can arrange morning coffees with her friend, and the businessman can seal that big-money deal while travelling between clients.
The notion of being ‘hands free’ has progressed away from the confines of the car cockpit and into everyday life. Even if you’re a ‘hands on’ person, instant messaging is still available through certain providers; wherever you are and whatever your business, with instant messaging on the move, people are no longer required to sit around aimlessly while waiting on a call and can now utilise hands-free technology while getting on with their daily lives — whether that be in the home, the office or on the road.
Daniel Collins writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.
