Gadgets in the World of Small Business

Today's gadgets have transformed the way companies operate, and with high speed internet, mobile phones and high capacity memory sticks, small businesses have benefited most from the rapid advances in technology. Coupled with this, the latest gadgets are relatively affordable and more reliable than ever, so it is perfectly possible to have a fully equipped modern office whatever your company's size.

With the constant evolutions in technology witnessed particularly over the last twenty years, what does the future have in store for the world of gadgets and what will this mean for small businesses present and future?

The rise in technology has been frantic over the last twenty years mainly due to healthy economies and increased competition among electronics firms. Gadgets have become fashion icons and everyone is battling to have the latest "must have" gadget.

Originally this was a consumer led revolution, with gadgets such as MP3 Players and mobile phones being geared towards the individual rather than businesses. There's no doubting the fact that businesses benefited from the changes, but gearing gadgets towards the business world is something that has happened only recently, with evolutions to mobile phones, laptops and office gadgets making them more corporate in nature.

You can now get your office emails on your mobile, take advantage of Wi-Fi on trains to connect with the office on the move and promote your business through promotional gadgets that will improve brand image and visibility.

So will technology continue to evolve at such a rapid pace, and what will the promotional gadgets of the future look like?

A slowdown in the economy coupled with a push towards more a more environmentally friendly mindset might mean that the advances in technology are not quite as fast as over the last twenty years, but there will still be many companies competing to release the "next big thing". With a tougher economy and businesses more budget conscious, chances are that they will be less willing to upgrade every time a successor comes on the market. Many companies are also having to go green in order to fulfil the conditions of contracts, particularly from councils and government departments, so big spends on power hungry equipment might not be the best way of meeting their green targets.

The future of gadgets in the business world is set to be slightly more leisurely than over the last twenty years, but that does not mean that gadgets will lose their appeal. Promotional gadgets that are practical and useful will take on a life of their own, helping businesses enhance their image as a forward thinking company. High perceived value promotional gadgets will continue to gain in popularity as businesses seek to reap the rewards of the image boost without paying big money for the latest releases.

Advances in technology are intrinsically linked to the state of the economy and whether people are in a position to part with their money for the latest releases. After all, the people who work to evolve gadgets to the next level are doing so on the understanding that their latest release will make money, so as long as there are big profits to be made there will continue to be big leaps in what is technologically possible.

Time will tell what will happen this decade and a lot rests on what happens to the economy. One thing that will remain is that businesses will always want to appear to be at the cutting edge, and so promotional gadgets will continue to provide companies with valuable visibility and brand awareness. What the promotional gadgets of the future will look like is uncertain, but they will continue to be used by ambitious and forward thinking companies to benefit their brand.