Verizon and Skype announced yesterday (per today's Washington Post) that Skype applications -- including videoconferencing -- would be coming to Verizon smartphones. This is good news for the telework movement, as it's one more nail in the "distance" coffin.
The biggest retardant in telework (apart from monumental vested interests that stand to lose from it) isn't distance itself, of course, but the FEELING of distance. Almost anything that dispels that feeling -- that makes the parties feel "there" with each other -- is good for telework, telecommuting, home-based businesses, etc.
Sure, no silver lining is without a cloud. Seeing a little face on a small screen isn't going to duplicate HP's Halo Room or Cisco's TelePresence experience anytime soon. And it isn't certain yet when that little face will be coming, how much the service might cost, how long till it's seamless, etc. But those are comparative details, next to the innovation and its ramifications.
"Soon," the tablets (iPad, etc.) will have decent videoconferencing too, and it will become ever more difficult for managers and employers to deny workers the right to get their work done at home, or wherever else they want to.
In other words, the future isn't tomorrow; it can just be slow catching up.
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