Technology has evolved to a point that ease of use has become a key element for any consumer-focused product. After all, the Baby Boomers make up a large percentage of the consumer market, so capturing their interest is of equal or greater importance than that of just younger generations.
According to Andreas Bernström, CEO of Rebtel (News - Alert), in a recent article for the Huffington Post, mobile technology in particular, along with social media, has enabled computing to cross the generational divide. Of course, people of all ages want to be able to communicate with their friends and loved ones more easily, so this makes a lot of sense.
The result of this is that people have come to expect immediate access to the people they care about at any time and from anywhere. Fortunately, this is entirely possible via social outlets such as Twitter (News - Alert) and Facebook, which can be used on a traditional desktop computer or any mobile device. Likewise, the options for instant messaging are many and are often built into popular services, for example Facebook (News - Alert) Messenger or Google Talk.
Of course, when it comes to instant voice access, there are more restrictions, but far fewer than their used to be thanks to mobile VoIP. By leveraging a Wi-Fi or data connection from a mobile device, pretty much anyone can make low-cost voice calls to long distance or international locations.
It's no surprise, then, that the VoIP services market reached $63 billion last year, up 9 percent from 2011, according to a recent report from Infonetics Research. This growth is expected to continue, allowing the market to hit $82.7 billion by 2017. Meanwhile, Juniper Research predicts that the number of mobile VoIP users will top one billion within the next five years.
Furthermore, solutions like REVE Systems' iTel Mobile Hybrid Dialer allow users to leverage the convenience and cost savings of calling cards with all the convenience and automation available from mobile VoIP calling.
Edited by Alisen Downey