Tech at the top —
We asked some of the world's leading executives what item of tech has most helped improve their productivity at work. The answers we received were by turns intriguing, witty and surprising ...
Jonathan Perelman, Buzzfeed —
"I'm lucky enough to be a Google Glass Explorer. I've had my Glass for several months now, and really enjoy using it. I've become a hit at dinner parties, where everyone wants to try it out. However, the one piece of technology that's most important to all aspects of my life is my phone. It's never outside my reach. I use it all day and sometimes all night. I was an iPhone user for a long time. I loved being able to FaceTime with my kids, and the design is brilliant. But recently, I switched to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and love it. "The powerful dual-core processor means it's fast, really fast. The camera has a ton of different modes, so I always get the right shot. And, the ability to share all my photos and videos to my smart TV makes my kids feel like stars. Bonus feature is that I can also use the phone as a TV remote and since most of my web services are with Google, the integration with my email, calendar and photos are made simple.
"I love my Google Glass, and my iPad mini connects me to my family, but I couldn't work without my Samsung Galaxy S4."
Adam Cahan, Yahoo —
"It's hard for a product geek to say you love a spreadsheet but I do. I'd go as far as saying it's my favorite piece of software. How can a row of cells on a grid be so elegantly simple that they've remained nearly identical to their modern day birth in VisiCalc - 1979. "For me, spreadsheets and the database-like logic behind them are sufficiently magic that I can harness the superpowers of my computer to enhance my abilities. Add pivot tables and I'm in data heaven."
Jeff Brodsky, Morgan Stanley —
"LinkedIn drives massive value for Morgan Stanley in numerous ways. We use LinkedIn's Talent Solutions to find A+ people around the world more quickly and cost effectively than traditional recruiting methods. Our Company Page helps us showcase our employment brand and highlight why Morgan Stanley is an employer of choice. The combination of Recruitment Media and Job Postings has helped us put our open jobs in front of the right prospects. And Recruiter has helped our recruiting team identify and contact prospects who aren't actively searching for a job, but are open to relevant job opportunities."In addition, our 56,000 global employees use LinkedIn as a resource to get smart on market trends, collaborate with each other and engage with prospective and active clients. We are especially excited about LinkedIn's recently announced mobile solutions as they will further help our employees and recruiters be even more productive when they are on the go."
Colin Giles, Huawei —
"At Huawei, we are encouraged to use as many Huawei and non-Huawei branded products as possible to ensure we remain up-to-date on the latest technologies. Here are my key picks: My Huawei Ascend Mate smartphone for staying in touch, Microsoft OneNote for general organization, and the business productivity and networking app Wechat by Tencent. Wechat keeps me and my team up-to-date with the latest news and information, we share ideas and form virtual teams for instant sharing of documents, images and group chats, all on the go. All of these and more are linked to my personal favorite, the mobile Wi-Fi device. It is the world's smallest and most compact LTE Cat4 device, providing me with download speeds of up to 150Mbps, 6 hours of battery life, and allowing me to connect up to 11 colleagues simultaneously. "In general, mobile Wi-Fi has completely transformed my work habits. I can now use multiple devices to search, browse, and email anywhere -- in taxis, airport lounges, etc. I even used it on the subway the other day! I call this collection of devices my personal 'portable smart connectivity ecosystem.'
"The future will be a world of connectivity and convenience - in the home, office, car, or anywhere in between. Household products, cars, watches, and many other devices will be connected to sensors and the internet through smartphones and mobile Wi-Fi, enabling all kinds of new services and applications. Of course, consumers will have the final word but I have no doubt the world will be full of richer experiences with our smartphones at the center."
Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia —
"In a rather amusing turn for a computer geek from Alabama, Maurice LaCroix, a Swiss watch company, asked me to be their "brand ambassador". Me, a watch model, just like George Clooney! Ha. Anyway, as part of the deal, they gave me a few rather lovely watches. Analog. Old school. Gears and whatnot."Here's the thing, though. I see people all the time digging in their pockets to find their mobile phones to find out what time it is. I just look on my wrist. Lookie there - the time! A clock... ON MY WRIST! It's epic and awesome. As it turns out, it is often important to know what time it is. Maybe you've got a meeting. Maybe you are trying to catch a plane. Or maybe you're just curious. The time, right there on your wrist, amazing. If only our grandparents had known about this. (Ha.)
"So basically what you do is, and I know this is going to sound really foreign to most people today, you get up in the morning and when you put your phone in your pocket (where you can't see what time it is), you put this device on your wrist. Then, throughout the day, if you have a need - or perhaps simply a desire - to know what time it is, ka-POW, you just flip your wrist up, take a look at that bad boy, and there you go. Chronography for the win!"
