While discussing some of the limits of mobile technology for the insurance sales force, an industry consultant recently pointed out that, regardless of how advanced today's mobile devices are getting -- it'd be difficult to envision an agent or broker ever giving a sales presentation on a BlackBerry. Literally. It'd be difficult to envision such a presentation, given the limited size of the screen.

However, some recent breakthroughs in the mobile technology industry could make some agents reconsider such a notion. According to the New York Times, several companies are working on pocket-sized digital projectors that could plug into mobile devices.

from the NYTimes:

The microprojectors, still in prototype, use light-emitting diodes, lasers or a combination of the two to cast a display of up to 50 or 60 inches, or perhaps even wider, in darkened spaces and 7 to 20 inches or so when there is ambient light.

...

The projectors may be particularly useful for business presentations — for example, when road warriors need to show a product video to small groups. No coordination would be needed to arrange for a screen. Instead, a patch of wall within a cubicle or restaurant could serve for an impromptu presentation. In a pinch, a manila folder — or even a napkin — would work, too.

The Times filed this story under the "Novelties" category and, indeed, the emergence of such projectors may be nothing more than a superfluous add-on for the majority of today's insurance producers. After all, the gains in ease of use and efficiency are minimal compared to giving sales presentations with today's most common piece of equipment – the laptop computer.

Eventually though, I think the mobile device will supplant the laptop as the weapon of choice for producers. Year by year, the younger agents entering the field are more and more likely to have used a BlackBerry or Palm Treo device in their personal lives. So as those devices become more advanced, it stands to reason that the next generation of agents will be most comfortable doing business on those devices.

Advancements like pocket-sized projectors and mini-projectors embedded into cell phones and other devices will only serve to hasten that shift.

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