Meet the New Mobile Workers

The mobile revolution -- which has changed life in so many ways, from getting driving directions to sharing photos -- is seeping into corporate technology.

Nearly half of the respondents in a recent Forrester Research survey said they use a smartphone at least once a week for work, and 21% said they use a tablet for work at least weekly. Much of this use so far is for emailing or as a mobile supplement for existing workplace tasks, like digital flight manuals for airplane pilots on iPads or checking in guests at hotels. But now, mobile technology is becoming affordable for a broader base of companies, and it is spreading from ancillary functions to areas ingrained in employees' workdays, such as marketing materials for pharmaceutical reps, customer account software for service technicians and apps for testing the quality of cow's milk for farmers. So far, mobile-work services have made the most inroads in industries with a lot of roaming workers who aren't often at their desks, such as pharmaceutical sales reps, service technicians and contractors, said investors and mobile-company executives. Some companies are opting for mobile-centric technologies to replace their own traditional computer software.