Bye-bye Notepad, Hello Technology

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade, you’ll know just how much the way we work has changed. Hundreds of people work from home, order groceries online, book appointments using the internet and rely on smartphones, tablets and computers in order to do their job. Without technology, we would be back to using pen and paper, and even the simplest of tasks would take much longer - and with the rate the complexity of technology nowadays it would appear that you would have to be a genius to do everything with pen and paper. Here are some of the developments in technology which have helped to make our lives easier, at work and at play.

Smart Phones

Ah, the humble smartphone. Whilst once the domain of Apple, a new generation of phones from brands such as HTC, Samsung and even Nokia now peek out from every mobile phone shop window, enticing us with their huge, shiny touch screens and wealth of features. Ten years ago, a mobile phone that streamed videos was unheard of - and if you were lucky enough to own one of the models which showed glitchy, halting ten second video clips you were nothing short of a hero! Today, smart phones are an essential piece of kit for millions of people, who rely on them to stay connected using voice and video calls, texts and social media, as well as for work via email and Skype. Great for watching videos, streaming TV shows or listening to your favourite radio show or album, the smart phone is very much here to stay.

EPoS Systems

Electronic Point of Sale systems, better known as EPoS, have revolutionised the hospitality industry, now being a staple feature of many large bar and restaurant chains. Replacing the traditional pad and paper, these hi-tech systems make life much easier for both waiting and kitchen staff, allowing orders to be input on the restaurant floor and sent straight to the kitchen, where they can be printed out or simply displayed on a monitor. Life is easier for managers too, with the option to mail sales figures and reports through the on-board internet connection or print off weekly or monthly reports for meetings. This technology has streamlined the hospitality sector and companies like SPA Epos are producing ever more complex point of sale systems in order to keep up with the ever growing demand for instant results and reports.

Tablets and Netbooks

Whilst a netbook is really just a smaller, more portable laptop, real ingenuity came in to play with the invention of the tablet - a cross between an oversized smartphone and a laptop, sharing features common to both. A great way to watch media and stay connected on the go, tablet sales have soared in recent years and are now as common a sight on the tube as copies of the Metro.

New advances in technology will continue to make our lives easier - but these three front-runners are most definitely here to stay!