* Readers weigh in with business uses for cell phones containing digital cameras
A couple of weeks ago we asked whether anyone had come up with a justifiable business use of cell phones with integral cameras. Obviously, the consumer appeal is a great example of a value-added service. And the fact that it’s difficult to find a cell phone that doesn’t include a camera – for which you typically have to pay “by the drink” to get the pictures from the phone to your PC or another phone – is great “razor blade” marketing by the cellular service providers.
Among the suggestions from our analyst colleague (and author of the Network World Wireless in the Enterprise newsletter) Joanie Wexler:
* Insurance: Claims adjusters sending photos of damaged cars back to a database for a quote.
* Real estate: Agents cruising properties and sending pix of prospective new digs to buyers.
* Merchandising: Employees can take pictures of displays in retail stores, and bigwigs at headquarters can see if they are set up the way they’re supposed to be and/or make suggestions on how to tweak for better appeal. Or someone could go to a competitor’s store and send pictures of THEIR displays back to headquarters to see if there’s something to best.
* Camera-blogging: People who travel on business, such as to Interop, and are required to write reports could document the trip with pictures and just write captions instead.
We also heard from Jeff Gardella at Lyrix:
“We are a managed service provider of premises-based IP telephony and voice messaging. Our technicians use the phones to take pictures of the on-site installed equipment that we are responsible for. Much of our support is done remotely, so having a picture of the system is helpful when trying to service the system with ‘smart hands’ on-site. We did not go out and purchase camera phones for this purpose but because the camera is a standard feature on all of our Verizon mobile phones, we found a reason to use them for business purposes.”
Nevertheless, it’s too bad that camera-less phones with other advanced options included are so tough to come by. Nils Jespersen of BAE Systems wrote:
“Regarding your comment about the business case for camera phones: I agree with your conclusion, and I see no reason to acquire a cell phone with a (relatively) poor camera attached. Additionally, in my business (defense products), any kind of device with a camera function is a prohibited item in most (if not all) of my company’s facilities. To me they’re a hassle from a business perspective. Maybe some real estate folks would find them useful. But then again, transferring pictures from a ‘real’ camera isn’t that difficult anymore.”
As we hear of other innovative business uses, we’ll continue to pass these along.
