Mobile applications will enhance customers ability to communicate, collaborate and control their intellectual property to places around the world. Our iPhone and Android applications directly interact with Windchill, allowing users to log in, approve and view engineering documents. This will allow users to break free from their engineering workstations in the office, or even their laptops to make critical engineering decisions. 
3 sample use cases are described here. An Engineering manager needed to approve a change while on vacation, An engineer in a customer meeting without Wi-Fi access, and a manufacturing engineer needing to explain to a line worker how two parts should interact.
Use case 1: An engineering manager isn’t always around the office when he needs to be. There are times when a crucial decision needs to be made in a production down environment, when the manager isn’t able to log on to his computer. Typically in these situations the decision criteria is relayed over the phone or delegated. In this case, the manager can see the Production drawings, can see the ProductView model and approve or deny the impending change.
Use case 2: During customer meetings, there are often times when Wi-Fi access is not available. In those cases, when drawings or concept models should be shared, the applications we’ve written will uniquely allow the sales engineer to share the company IP in a way that will set your company apart from your competition.
Use case 3: In manufacturing environments, Wi-Fi is very expensive to have everywhere on the lines. In this case, the manufacturing engineer will be able to explain intricacies and dimensions to the line worker in a way that saves time via not having to bring a laptop along with.
These cases, as well as several others, show how mobile devices will revolutionize the engineering environment. IPhone and Android applications are moving from simple games and personal assistance applications to real, effective tools for engineers.
