Can a Smartphone Be Used as a Walkie Talkie?

Introduction

Smartphones have become an indispensable part of people’s personal and professional lives. Especially with several industries managing a remote workforce like field employees, frontline workers and first responders, instant communication has gained traction. Traditional walkie-talkie radios have evolved into walkie-talkie apps or push-to-talk apps. But are walkie talkie apps really necessary when we have slick smartphones? And why did walkie-talkie radios turn obsolete?

Challenges with Traditional Walkie-Talkie Devices

Walkie-Talkies gained popularity during World War 2 when military men used these devices in the pre-smartphone era to stay connected with their troops. Walkie-talkies did evolve drastically from backpack-style bulky equipment to portable hand-held radios. However, these radio-based devices created loud static noise leading to poor call quality. Moreover, they worked on line-of-sight connectivity and presented coverage restrictions. Several other limitations like lack of retrieval if lost, inability to monitor locations and the bulky and expensive handset made these devices unfit for use.

Smartphones: An Overview

The slick and feature-packed smartphones of today have captured the business world. Can anyone imagine working remotely without their smartphones? Certainly not. However, field and frontline communications require an ultra-fast and simple communication platform. This is where even the latest smartphones fall short. Phone calls, text messaging, and emails involve lengthy dialing and typing procedures. Field workers and first responders who work in dynamic and mobile environments need instant push-button connectivity like that of a walkie-talkie.

The Solution: Push-to-Talk Apps

Modern-day push-to-talk apps or walkie-talkie apps are the ideal solutions to reaping the benefits of a smartphone along with the ease of use of a walkie-talkie. Push-to-talk apps allow users to turn their smartphones into walkie-talkies.

With this, users need not carry extra hand-held devices like walkie talkie radio, they can leverage instant push-button connectivity using their smartphones. What’s even better is that, unlike walkie-talkie radios, push-to-talk apps function over cellular networks like 3G, 4G and WiFi.

Beneficial Features of NuovoTeam

NuovoTeam is a powerful push-to-talk app for Android, iOS and rugged smartphones. Implementing NuovoTeam can help your business save costs on expensive radio equipment and leverage a reliable and secure mode of instant communication.

The following benefits of NuovoTeam make them ideal for your field communications:

• Unified console
• Desktop PTT
• Diverse OS & device compatibility
• SOS alert in case of panic situations
• Multi-media messaging and document sharing
• Encrypted multimedia messaging
• Clock-in and Clock-Out monitoring
• Corporate Directory Integration
• Location Tracking
• 128-bit encrypted communication
• Role-based access control
• Easy Deployment OTA

Smartphones powered by push-to-talk technology can help you monitor your remote employees, track their performance and help your distributed teams to stay connected and collaborate on the go.