Modern mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets have become an integral part of the human life today and are used to surf the web, e-mail checking, educational purposes, access weather forecast etc. Modern mobile phones are varying from other mobile tools such as laptops. The other tools are portable, but not easy to carry in one’s palm compare to modern ones. Therefore, majority use mobile phones to capture multimodal information. From a business perspective it is important to have a mobile phone. From a personal perspective it is easy to carry and use. Human seeks; analyze relevant information to achieve higher level of understanding. At this point, modern mobile phones support to download needy materials. This paper briefly describes how mobile phones act as a tool for multimodal information access.

1. Mobile Phones as a Tool for Multimodal
Information Access
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Introduction
Multimodal Information Access
Location Based Services
Interactive Communication
Mobile Phones and Literacy
Mobile Adoption by Young Generation
Conclusion
Kamani Perera
Librarian
Regional Centre for Strategic Studies
k_vithana@yahoo.com; kvithana@gmail.com

2. NILIS SYMPOSIUM 2013
Introduction
• Modern Mobile Devices
– Smart phones
– Tablets
• Mobile and handheld devices are used
to
- Surf the web
- E-mail checking
- Access weather forecast
- Educational purposes (document
creating, handling)
- Effective emergency response
- Entertainment
- Contact friends

3. Multimodal Information Access
Why Mobile Phones?
- Easy to handle
- Supporting for education
- bundled all the applications
(Internet, email, fax, MP3 etc.)
- Complete operating system
- Runs its own applications
- Runs 3rd party applications
- Supporting for more live interaction
- Real time collaboration
- Support distant learning

4. Multimodal Information Access contd.
• What you need to consider?
- Display unit
- Capacity of the hardware
- Cost of data handling
- Connectivity issues, and
- Communication facilities
• What are the advantages?
-Effective service to customers
-Improvement of sales
-Optimum use of enterprise assets
-Real time access to important data
-Taking accurate strategic decisions
-Save precious time

5. Location Based Services
• Area in which the phone and the user
is located
• Map and directions from current
point to a desired destination
• Provide names and addresses of
nearby points of interest (Eg.
Museums, restaurants, hotels etc.)
• Utilize social media apps to inform the
user which of their friends nearby and
vice versa
• Personalized weather services
• Allow location based entertainment

6. Is this Dr.
Ruwan & his
team’s work?
Interactive Communication
Definitely we
will come. •
Yes
Yes, of course.
How can we
miss this great
opportunity.
Are You
Are You
attending NILIS
attending NILIS
Symposium
Symposium
2013?
2013?
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Used for communication than
Internet
No level of education to use
mobile phones
Reaches target audiences
quickly
Directly facilitates instant
participation and response
Easy access in less secure
environment
Offers wide range of options
for multimodal information
access

7. • Access information
regardless of the place or
time
• Needs not proper place to
activate and easy to handle
• Supports for direction
finding
• Gives the user maximum
benefit
“Use Mobile Phones for
Multimodal Information Access
and See the Difference”
Thank You