Windows Mobile Goes on Tour with Legendary Rock Band Cheap Trick

摘要

The crowd is waiting in anticipation. The opening act just left the stage and the crew is setting up the guitars and equipment for the main act to hit the stage. After every tiny detail is in place, the lights go down, and the crowd screams their approval. Year after year for almost 30 years, Cheap Trick has been entertaining their fans with award-winning songs like "Surrender," "Dream Police," and "I Want You to Want Me." Few of us fans, however, know of what actually goes on backstage or on the road to make shows go off without a hitch. Believe it or not, mobile devices play a key role in helping bands and their management put on shows flawlessly. I was lucky enough to meet the guitar legend Rick Nielsen while on tour and got to spend some time discussing the secrets of Cheap Trick's success all these years. Amazingly, I found that mobile technology plays a huge part in making tours go smoothly. Even better, Windows Mobile devices, Microsoft UMPCs (Ultra Mobile Personal Computers), and Microsoft Office all play a key role in the management of the band's schedule. I also asked Rick how other entertainers like him use mobile technology. Some of his answers surprised even me.