With all the complaining about social media sapping the productivity out of the world’s workers, Twitter ruining the English language, and smart phones extending the work week to 24-7, it’s nice to read a story or two about technology’s blessings.

Do regular people who travel the same routes every day really need satellite-powered hand-holding?

Two recent examples that caught my attention:

1. Information Week’s “GPS Can Save Drivers 4 Days Per Year, Cut Co2 by 21%”

GPS devices always seemed an unnecessary accessory. Granted, they are valuable tools for traveling workers, like salespeople and cops, but do regular people who travel the same routes every day really need satellite-powered hand-holding?

Then along comes this study, in which researchers found that drivers who use a real-time traffic-enabled GPS save up to four days of driving time a year. Even better, they cut the CO2 emissions by 21 percent.

If I didn’t have an excuse to buy a GPS before, I do now. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Mobile Devices BlackBerry, GPS, mVisum