Seattle, Washington (NAPSI) - Entertaining as they are, tablet computers and smartphones are not all fun and games.

Consider this: With 75 percent of all workers involved in jobs that require mobility, handheld devices are playing an increasing role in business. In fact, according to The Mac Observer, 94 percent of Fortune 500 companies were either testing or deploying iPads for business use, while Forrester Research recently reported that 81 percent of companies have plans for tablet use and predicts 250 million tablets will be in employees’ hands by 2016.

In addition to e-mail and Internet access, workers use tablets for specialized apps or for remote uses such as sales support and customer presentations. Across industries, executives are using them for management dashboards and project management apps.

Health

Health care offices are passing out tablets so patients can complete medical histories online. Hospitals use them for electronic record keeping, paperless prescriptions, diagnostic reports and teaching tools. EMTs and fire departments use tablets for real-time data to reduce risk, improve safety and support information sharing between agencies.

Education

Tablet use in education is also booming. According to one recent survey, 26 percent of teachers have access to tablet computers and 55 percent of administrators and 47 percent of principals have tablet access. Some school districts let students bring their own tablets to support classroom learning and bring textbooks to life.

Construction and Utilities

Field staff and utility workers such as repair technicians use tablets for appointment information and access to diagrams and repair manuals.

Keeping Business As Usual—Every Day, Everywhere

With all these tablets going to work, companies are scrambling for technology that protects their investments. iPads don’t do water. Nor do they do dirt, snow or shock. Whether out at a construction site with dust, shock and weather to contend with or in a classroom where accidental drops and sticky fingers can wreak havoc, businesses want their employees to be able to conduct “business as usual” without worrying about their investment going down the drain.

Though there are ruggedized protective cases that allow tablets to withstand some calamities, they can be bulky and limit access to key tablet functions.

Now there’s an option to protect on-the-go workhorse tablets no matter where they are or what they are doing. Sleekly designed to add only a fraction of an inch to an Apple iPad, the LifeProof nüüd case protects against water, dirt, snow and shock-while maintaining access to all tablet functions. It gets its name from its unique design, which protects the tablet without covering up the screen.

Optional accessories include shoulder and hand straps, a floating LifeJacket and a cover that also functions as an adjustable stand for watching movies or typing. The company also has a line of protective cases for smartphones.

Learn More

For more information, visit www.lifeproof.com or call (888) 533-0735.