We are going through a radical shift in the way people work and use computers. Increasing availability and affordability of wireless broadband is giving the global workforce true mobility, for the first time in history. Many of them will use smartly designed mobile rugged computers for their everyday computing and communication needs, instead of traditional laptops.

"We live in interesting times," said Robert Kennedy in 1966. I am prone to agree, although Bob and I surely refer to vastly different developments and scenarios. I would like to suggest that we are presently going through a real, radical shift in the way in which people work and use computers. It is about true mobility, for the first time in history.

With increasing availability and affordability of wireless broadband, people are no longer confined to the traditional office environment. Soon we will all be connected, everywhere and always. Mobile operators are expanding networks and increasing capacity to handle the explosion of data traffic stemming from the increasing use of smartphones (that are in reality more computers than phones).

Working from home or closer to the customers can have several positive effects: it may make staff more content and also more productive. It may make the organization slimmer by reducing the need for office space. And the society as a whole may reap great environmental rewards if this newly found true mobility leads to fewer trips by car, bus, train or plane to and from the office.

Another strong trend that drives true mobility is the availability of much improved so-called rugged, or ruggedized, computers. As opposed to traditional, or commercial computers, these computers are specifically designed to operate reliably in harsh usage environments and conditions, such as strong vibrations, extreme temperatures and wet or dusty conditions.