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EMERGING APPLICATIONS IN TECHNOLOGY 47

Multimedia computers combine text with sound, video animation, and graphics—
all vital in business communication and presentations. Connectivity, which enables
even incompatible software and hardware to share information and resources
through the use of a communication network, will enable us to access information
even more easily in the future.
Designing questionnaires, collecting data, data analysis, and web and e-mail
surveys are facilitated by several software programs, including SumQuest or SQ
Survey Software, Professional Quest, and Perseus.

EMERGING APPLICATIONS IN TECHNOLOGY

Handheld Devices
The new wave of computer technology represented by small, cost-effective,
handheld devices like the Palm, assisted by a new class of software, eases data
gathering and immediate analyses, and has initiated a process change in field
work. Critical data can be gathered at any time and from any location, and ana-
lyzed. The wireless device increases efficiency and enables the field work force
to spend more time on field operations.
Personal computers that are fast, accurate, reliable, and economical, and facili-
tate compact storage by reducing paperwork to the minimum, are slowly yielding
to handheld computer technology like the Palm Top, which provides a lot of com-
puting power for daily use by executives on the move. Microsoft’s Pocket PC
2002, for instance, has in addition to core applications of Word and Excel, Inter-
net Explorer and Outlook-like-e-mail, with security enhancements. Pocket PCs
can also check corporate databases. However, for extensive web applications, the
handhelds are not as yet the most useful tool due to size and limitations of speed.

Interactive Voice Technology, CD-ROM, and Relational Databases

These are some of the technological advances that have helped businesses to
conduct research and increase their operational efficiency. Relational databases
refer to those that can be linked in any desired manner.

Digital Whiteboards
Digital whiteboards allow contents on a board displaying intricate diagrams and
voluminous notes to be copied on to the PC notepad and transmitted electroni-
cally to others, as needed. For example, brainstorming sessions while problem
solving can be easily communicated to others in any part of the world by this
method. Now it is even possible to digitally store these contents permanently,
using a digital whiteboard. When used in conjunction with an electronic projec-
tion system (EPS), the board serves as an electronic flipchart and flips back and
forth between “pages” to edit in real time. This is very useful during videocon-
ferencing presentations.