One of the biggest thrills I had as a kid was learning to ride my 10 speed with no hands. I also admit that I once took great joy in driving from Cleveland to Toledo using only my knees to guide the steering wheel. (For those of you familiar with the Ohio Turnpike and its terrain west of Cleveland, you know that’s really no big deal).

As consumer devices grow more sophisticated, many applications are emerging that let a support technician literally take over a device, such as a PC. In the instances where I’ve handed over the reigns, I’ve found it interesting to watch how the technician moves through the troubleshooting effort as I sit hands-free in front of my screen. Though I have to say, 95% of what they do I already have done. It's that other 5% they do that usually fixes the problem.

Sometimes I imagine what life is like for my friends who are not tech-savvy. Recently an acquaintance of mine was without sound on their PC for two months, only to find out the speakers were plugged into the wrong ports.

On average, a customer in the wireless industry will call four or five times a year at a cost of $12 a call, this according to Roger Entner, head of the communications practice for IAG Research. Any way to reduce that accumulated $60 expense across millions of calls can have a large bottom line impact.

In a recent Wall Street Journal online article, two companies - LogMeIn and SNAPin, were highlighted for their ability to address smart phone issues by either allowing technicians to take over the device, or by proactively pushing common issues to the device itself. A classic customer service "win-win" – lower costs, and better service.

Ok, so it might not be driving with your knees, but applications like this are likely to start showing up on devices near you. Have they already?