Choosing the Right Mobile Device(s) for You AND Your Business
Posted by: Chad Massaker / Category: Computer Networks
Choosing the right phone for you personally is pretty easy, assuming your phone is the only account on the your bill. Get whatever you want… really. Choose what you are comfortable with. Windows Mobile Phones, Blackberries and iPhones can all check email, surf the web, open standard office docs, etc. What it will boil down to is what form factor and interface you like (touch screen vs. physical keyboard, etc) and what specific applications you need/want.
One way that your personal choice can be confounded is if you work for a company that does not provide mobile phones, but does support remote data connectivity via smart phones (to Exchange for example). The IT staff will generally only support the phones that they want to, and the ones most commonly used for business: Windows Mobile & BlackBerry. So before you go out and get that new iPhone, check with your IT person or department first.
That said, if you are a business owner, you should strongly consider narrowing your options down to either Windows Mobile or Blackberry for two very simple reasons: 1) centralized device management, and, 2) security. Let’s look at both options.
Windows Mobile
Advantages
- Easy Setup: Can connect to Exchange accounts right out of the box
- Familiar Windows Interface
- Touch screen or Blackberry-like interface (track wheel & hardware keyboard) options.
- Can be centrally managed (devices can be remote wiped if lost or stolen, etc.)
- More applications
Disadvantages
- As with all thing Microsoft’s, it becomes slower over time
- Weaker Performance & Battery Life
- Interface is less intuitive
Blackberry
Advantages
- Blackberry got its start by creating mobile devices that could check email. This is all that they do and they do it very well. It is the best device for mobile email management
- Better Performance & Battery Life
- Easier to use and can be easy to setup if you have a BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server)
- Can be centrally managed (devices can be remote wiped if lost or stolen, etc.)
- Blackberry Messenger Rocks!
- Seems to have cooler and more useful apps then Windows Mobile
Disadvantages
- Less applications available than Windows Mobile
- Can be more complicated to setup unless the business has a Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) and an admin who knows how to run it or has the carrier help setup BIS (Blackberry Internet Service)
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