[View Point]

Every generation has its own "new wave" of technology. When I was younger, we played Atari (my mom loved Space Invaders), my dad had a car phone bolted to the floor board and I (cassette) taped songs off the radio. Today, kids play realistic Xbox games, you can take your phone anywhere and I download songs from iTunes. And as technologies change, some adjust slightly, some look totally new and others disappear completely.

A July 20 CNN article titled "Is the death of the CD looming?" discussed the sales of digital music vs. CDs. "Vinyl was the predominant configuration from the ’50s and the ’60s all the way up through the early ’80s, and then cassettes became the predominant format from the early-mid ’80s to the very early ’90s," said Billboard senior chart manager and analyst Keith Caulfield. "Then CDs became the predominant format and cassettes really didn’t go away until a few years ago. It’s kind of a natural progression, to a degree."

In many ways, the trade magazine business is moving in the same direction. In addition to the print edition, in the past few years we added web-based magazines (searchable, online versions of the publication). Now we’ve taken the next step and truly made PCT mobile via iTunes — you don’t have to be at your desk anymore! (Although some would argue that the print edition has always been "mobile"…)

Since our May issue, the PCT app (application) has been available on iTunes for the iPhone and iPad. The app allows you to carry the "magazine" with you — and here are a few highlights:

• Current and past issues of PCT (beginning with the May 2010 issue) are free.

• The format is exactly the same as the print edition.

• The text-formatted articles are designed for maximum mobile readability.

• Each issue can be downloaded and then revisited any time for offline reading.

• Archives of available issues are fully searchable.

• Readers will receive real-time news updates from www.pctonline.com.

The PCT app allows PCT’s business management information, industry news, product updates and research to be at your fingertips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please check it out and let us know what you think!

And as long as we’re on the topic, there’s one other "technology" tip I’d like to offer you. Many editors in our office use "Google Alerts" to track topics they’re following, industry news and more. But Google Alerts are a great tool for anyone to use, not just journalists, so in case you’re not familiar with what they are, here are some details to get you going:

Google Alerts are e-mail updates of the latest Google results for a specific word, phrase or topic. They allow you to monitor the web for new content. All you have to do is visit www.google.com/alerts, type in the search terms you’re interested in and you’re off. Google Alerts are sent to you when Google finds new results — such as web pages, newspaper articles or blogs — that match your search term. You can use the alerts to monitor a developing news story or keep current on a competitor. You can also set up one for your own firm to see if bloggers are discussing you or your services.

The goal of both PCT’s app and Google Alerts is to provide you with more information. And while we sometimes feel overloaded with information these days, it’s good to know it’s there if we need it. Sure, there are days I delete my Google Alerts without reading them. But usually I open the e-mails and skim the headlines. It takes 30 seconds, tops. And inevitably, once a week there is something in there that is of interest so I investigate further — and I was glad I had access to that information.

It’s our job to provide you PCT in whatever format you prefer — print, web-based or an on-the-go version. Obviously you’ll choose the one that fits your lifestyle best but know that when you want to receive PCT in a different way, we’ll have it available for you.

The author is editor of PCT magazine.