*This post originally appeared on the Wavelink blog prior to the rebrand in January 2017, when Wavelink, LANDESK, Shavlik, AppSense, and HEAT Software merged under the new name Ivanti.

There are some great technologies heading into mobile these days, and it’s always exciting to see what emerging trends will flourish into mainstream. Some will have long adoption curves, while others may see only limited adoption.

One trend that has become mainstream, and provided tremendous opportunity along the way, has been the proliferation of touch-enabled mobile devices. For those who remember the late 1990s in mobile computing, you’ll recall the early days of stylus-based, or “pen computing” – when Palm OS and then PocketPC reset the user experience in mobility. Touch-enabled devices, such as those running Android or iOS, have done the same thing and are following some of the same themes for market adoption.

If you’re thinking about deploying new devices, or upgrading your mobile computers to the latest generation, here are some reasons to consider a touch-enabled device:

  • Speed: The operating systems on today’s touch-enabled mobile devices have made navigation incredibly fast.  With the swipe of a single finger, I can navigate through pages of information. Consider the possibilities when your workforce can navigate through a task this way!
  • Size: Think about the variety of display sizes you can choose from. By removing physical keys, even the smallest touch-enabled mobile devices saw screen size grow from 3.5-inches to 4-inches or more. And tablets offer an amazing experience starting at 7-inches, while remaining manageably mobile at as much as 11-inches. This size range has opened the door for new use cases for mobility (planograms, reading schematics, etc.)
  • Familiarity: Choosing a touch-enabled mobile computer provides your workers with a device that works like their personal smartphones and tablets do – likely with the same operating system and navigation experience (tap, swipe, pinch, pan, etc.). This increases users’ comfort with the device – reducing the learning curve, and improving accuracy.
  • Data entry: While physical keys may be minimal, the on-screen keyboards work well for data entry in many use cases. Like the operating system itself, the keyboard is something familiar to your workers. Productivity-oriented mobile apps – such as Wavelink Terminal Emulation, also allow you to create custom keyboards for your workers. This means that when your worker gets to a specific data entry field within the workflow, they’re presented with a keyboard that only offers the keys appropriate for entering in that field (who needs letters when the field is “Quantity”?).
  • Image: Over the past five years, I’ve spoken with many companies that were considering touch-enabled mobile devices, and a number of them included among their reasons: Their brand image.  These businesses saw a strong value in having touch-enabled mobile devices in the hands of workers who were in customer-facing roles. Consider retail store associates who are on the sales floor. They’re asked to help consumers find product, check stock, compare online prices, look up registry items, and more. In these roles, having a device that looks similar and works like the mobile device that the consumer is carrying makes the store associate more approachable, relatable, and gives the consumer a feeling that the store is trendy, modern, sophisticated, tech savvy, etc.

Touch-enabled devices are expanding in enterprise mobility because of these reasons, and surely others.  While there are numerous use cases where key-based data entry (and devices that deliver that experience) remains an absolute, the growth of touch-enabled devices has been impressive. When deciding what mobile device will best deliver productivity gains in your business, consider all your options. I’m happy to report you have a great number of choices!