Out of the gate now is Tax News Highlights for CCH Mobile, which is available for download for the iPhone, IPad and Adroid devices. The app is available for free. The company also plans to provide mobile access to its research platform.

"By the end of the year, customers will have access to IntelliConnect on the iPad," Robert told attendees. He also said that the company will deliver CCH Dashboard to provide access to research content and applications including regulations, cases, the Master Tax Guide and ProSystem fx. In break-out sessions, product managers said Dashboard is the overall platform for mobile access. Both software and research products and services would tie into Dashboard as they are introduced.

Results of  a CCH survey regarding mobile use were also  discussed Mobile usage, said Robert, "Is definitely much more than just Angry Birds." Robert said that CCH research shows that 52 percent of its customers have smartphones and 66 percent will have them by 2012. Eleven percent have tablet devices and 59 percent of those users utilize tablets for business uses.

Tax Highlights, built on CCH Mobile, lets subscribers and non-subscribers access to federal and state tax news headlines on IntelliConnect. CCH Mobile itself gives IntelliConnect subscribers access to specific content such as Tax Tracker News the Internal Revenue Code and Regulations, Tax Tool and CCH Smart Charts. CCH Mobile supports iPods, iPads and Blackberrys.

Robert also discussed the new ProSystem fx Practice Intelligence system which integrates with Practice Management data. This package can be accessed by iPads, smartphones or any browser-enabled slate device.

Among the 2012 proof-of-concept packages is QuickFind, which enables users to search specific databases. Robert mentioned ProSystem System fx release but did not give details and did not specify release dates other than saying they would be in 20102.

CCH will also introduce version 2 of CCH Mobile next year as well as providing iPad access for IntelliConnect. CCH Mobile v. 2 was described as providing access to all subscribed content and more robust functionality, along with Android access.

CCH Dashboard will provide views into the Internal Revenue Code, Smart Charts, Tax News Highlights, Quick Find, the Master Tax Guide, Tax Research Consultant and cases. It would also tie into client information contained in ProSystem fx applications.

Bob Scott

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Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards.  Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He  has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that.  A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind