Describe how smartphones and tablets have changed the way we collect information for business reports and other communication purposes

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: Tablets with interactive software can replace the clipboards long used by researchers for "mall intercept" surveys and other efforts to collect data from shoppers.
Collaborative apps such as Pearltrees make it easy to collect online information and organize it across multiple devices, then connect with relevant information collected by other users.
Evernote, OneNote, and other note-taking apps simplify the process of compiling notes, webpages, photos, and other pieces of research. Sometimes a simple picture is more powerful than words or photos. With touchscreen apps on phones and tablets, researchers can quickly sketch maps, process diagrams, and other visuals on the spot. Whether it's snapping images of street scenes for a report on potential store locations or recording test subjects using a new product prototype, the audiovisual capabilities of today's mobile devices give researchers a host of new tools. Scanning apps let researchers record and organize images of documents that can't be removed from their storage locations. Asking survey subjects to record information on their mobile devices while they are observing store displays or making purchase decisions, for example, promises to enhance some classic research methods. With the old methods, shoppers would answer survey questions about the choices they made well after the fact, leaving the accuracy of their answers up to the quality of the memories. With their mobile phones in hand, shoppers who've agreed to participate in research can describe their impressions and decisions on the spot and even take photos of displays that caught their eye.