Chevron and TD Bank are among the large enterprises preparing for a major shift in work patterns once tablet computers become a mainstay. The iPad from Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and the Playbook from Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM), scheduled for sale this quarter, are expected to alter the way information is presented and decisions are made, reports Computerworld's Matt Hamblen. 

Chevron is launching pilot programs with several mobile devices, according to Peter Breunig, the company's general manager of technology management and architecture. One appealing aspect of the Playbook is that users can tether it to BlackBerry smartphones, which increases security options via the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Giving executives the ability to link to business data away from their desks is expected to speed up the decision-making process. "In 1990, it was the PC desktop with Excel, but now you can give them mobile platforms that are more powerful and more compact," he said. "That's like having calculators on steroids, with tie-ins back to corporate data stores. That's an opportunity, in my mind." 

At TD Bank, a test program is underway to look at nine different work patterns by 250 employees, Hamblen reports. The bank is planning to take a look at the way in which tablets, including the PlayBook, run applications used by investment advisors and mortgage specialists. In one instance, a mortgage specialist will test how a tablet is used to take orders from customers in their homes.

For more:
- see Matt Hamblen's article at Computerworld

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