Clearly, these concerns have led to much slower adoption (and, frankly, far fewer available mobile design tool apps) within the engineering space compared to the consumer and general business segment. According to some reports, apps are fast becoming consumers' preferred mode of interaction, even surpassing time spent browsing the Web. A recent report by the mobile analytics provider Flurry revealed that the average consumer spends 9 percent more time using mobile apps than on the Internet, mostly partaking in games, social networking, news, and entertainment.
At the same time, other studies have found there is a relatively short shelf life for the average mobile app -- users typically engage in around 20 sessions with an app before abandoning it and moving on to something new. That statistic, experts say, points out the relatively short attention span for these tools and the perception -- whether warranted or not -- that most available apps are more of a novelty, as opposed to a substantive, business-related productivity enhancer.
Siemens PLM Software is positioning its Teamcenter Mobility app as a solution for securely delivering Teamcenter-managed product data to users, oftentimes in unconventional locations.
Taking their lead from these early indications, design tool vendors have been cautiously approaching the mobile app market, heartened by what they say is steady interest among engineers, if not yet widespread adoption. "Demand is absolutely growing across all industries," says Shanna Tellerman, product line manager for cloud products at Autodesk, one of the design tool vendors out in front with a mobile strategy. "Whether you're looking at the architecture, engineering, or manufacturing industry, there are people working with people who are on site in various locations, and everyone needs access to shared data."
With that picture in mind, Autodesk is steadily putting together a pretty robust cloud and mobile tool strategy. Autodesk Cloud, unveiled in October, is a collection of up to a dozen Web services that allow users to collaborate on models via Web browsers or mobile devices, in addition to offloading processor-intensive tasks like rendering and simulation to the cloud to take advantage of its scalability and high-performance benefits.
I completely agree with Alex about the user interface problem on mobile devices (as well as other devices). They all suck, as far as I'm concerned. Apple's Mac keyboards on their laptops, at least the older models, are actually pretty darn good, and their touchpads are superb, especially compared to those on Windows machines. But a keyboard's not always what's needed. You don't have to have lousy vision, fat fingers, or be older than 15 to hate texting or soft keyboards. I'm not fond of talking to machines--except for yelling at them when their software malfunctions--but Siri sounds promising.
Good points Brad, but there is one other thing: Am I the only one out here who wants the ability to turn out the office light and go home at the end of the day without having the pressures of work having the ability to follow where ever I am?
You see mobile apps, I see a never ending work day. It is already bad enough that I find myself finishing designs in my head at 3 am, I really do not need the ability to feel obligated to actually, get up and go to work in my kitchen.
Laura Sapiens' Ego! Smartmouse offers users a unique interactive experience by providing 2D and 3D connectivity, hardware identity authentication, data storage, and more.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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