THE way we interact with technology is constantly changing, with new technologies having an impact on every aspect of our daily lives.
Technological advances in recent times have given us the ability to view stunning hi-definition and 3-D television from the comfort of our own homes, unimaginable to most people only a few years ago.
Similarly, it’s not so long since the idea of real-time news updates would have been impossible, but social networking sites such as Twitter have revolutionised the way we receive our news. An example being this week’s revelations on Twitter about which celebrities have been taking out injunctions.
And it’s not just our newsgathering that’s affected by changing technology.
The mobile landscape, in particular, is constantly in flux, with new ideas and innovations occurring every day and changing the way we view and use our mobile phones.
The age of the mobile phone as a device for just making phone calls has long gone. Increasingly, our mobiles are used in all aspects of our lives.
This week has seen the launch of JustTextGiving by Vodafone, in partnership with JustGiving. This new scheme will make it easier than ever for consumers to be generous, allowing them to donate directly from their mobile phone.
In the recent past, charity giants such as Comic Relief and Children In Need have been able to make excellent use of text giving, but prohibitive set-up costs have been a barrier to smaller charities.
But JustTextGiving requires no set-up fees for the charities involved, and the entirety of the sum donated goes to the charity, meaning that organisations from all corners of the charitable sector can benefit.
And with almost 90% of UK adults now owning a mobile phone, the ease in which text-based giving can be done will encourage more and more people to donate on the spot.
The ways in which businesses can use this impressive consumer mobile usage to generate revenue are many and varied.
Think-tanks estimate text donations could be worth £96m a year by 2014.
With that in mind, many business owners should consider how they can integrate consumer mobile usage into their own businesses.
