The Smartest Smartphone for your Business

2. The smartest Smartphone for your business

Written by Stacey Livingstone, March 23, 2010

Seeing as a Smartphone is really a small mobile PC with telecommunicating possibilities, it is really no wonder why they are becoming a hot business tool the world over, often beating out the notebook as it can perform all the same functions and is even more portable.  A recent study conducted by Gartner Research predicted that by 2013 more people will be using Smartphones than PCs (Moran). Arming your employees with Smartphones will certainly increase their productivity, but how do you go about choosing the right model for your small-medium-business? Joseph Moran, a writer for Small Business Computing, has a few pointers.

Choosing the right mobile network

Always remember: you’re not just buying a Smartphone, you’re also buying a mobile network.  Unlike the PC, the Smartphone relies heavily upon its network for features and connectivity so before choosing your model, you must first choose the right carrier for you based on coverage and cost.

If you already have mobile phones for your business, the best place to start searching for a Smartphone is with your existing carrier, because if you have voice coverage it is likely you will already have data coverage as well. However, you do want to make certain that your network has third generation or 3G connection, the fastest Internet connection available for smartphones. If your existing plan does not have 3G connection, you may want to consider switching plans or even providers as 3G is the only Internet connection fast enough to allow for such abilities as email and web browsing on your Smartphone.

Cost and Coverage

According to Moran, networks vary in their 3G performances: Verizon and Sprint use EV-DO technology while AT&T and T-Mobile use HSPA, and of these four national carriers, Verizon provides the widest 3G coverage followed by Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile. But no matter what carrier you decide upon, you must make sure that 3G coverage is available in that plan for your area. Be sure to check out each carrier’s website, as they offer coverage maps.     

Once you are certain that 3G coverage is available in your area, you then want to brush up on the cost of this data coverage. Voice coverage is pretty straightforward.  You know how many minutes per month you have on your plan, how much those minutes cost, and the cost of each extra minute used.  Data plans however can be a bit more complex.

According to Moran, data plans are anywhere from $30 to $60 above the cost of voice plans. Prices will obviously vary depending on the Smartphone model, the quantity of data you transfer each month, and extra services you wish to add on such as text messaging or a push-email service.    

Email Access, Tethering, Operating Systems, and Ergonomics 

Almost all Smartphone models allow you to access email accounts, personal or professional, but if you are looking for the speediest delivery, you should purchase a push-email service. Push-email essentially “pushes” every new email to the smartphone immediately as they are received as opposed to having to manually log in to your account to check your new messages. Many Smartphones offer push-email support, but RIM’s BlackBerry is famous for push email as they pioneered the technology.

Tethering allows one to use their Smartphone as a wireless modem, gaining Internet access for their laptop when no Wi-Fi is available. All major carriers offer this service, however there are certain things to take into consideration: not all Smartphones support this capability, you will be paying extra for the service, and plans that allow tethering typically cap you off at 5GB per month with added charges for going over your limit. If you are interested in a Smartphone with tethering capabilities, I recommend checking out BlackBerry options, the IPhone 3G, and the new Droid by Motorola.

The leading contenders for Smartphone operating systems are Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows Phone (as mentioned in the Bryley Blog article on Cloud Computing, Microsoft is coming out with their Windows Phone 7 series that will operate within the cloud), RIM’s BlackBerry, Palm’s WebOS, Nokia’s Symbian, and Apple’s IPhone. Each operating system offers a different set of features and applications and all offer multitasking except for Apple. All companies offer an online store where you can download programs for your smartphone, and many of these programs are free. Although Apple will not allow you to run more than one program at a time, it does make up for it by providing the largest online store for downloading new programs on your Smartphone.

According to Moran, the two most important elements of Smartphone ergonomics to consider when making your decision are the style of the display screen and of the keyboard. It basically boils down to a personal preference: display screen versus keyboard.  If you want a Smartphone with a large, touch-screen display, you are typically going to find a model sans keyboard, and if you want a Smartphone with a keyboard, typically the display screen is smaller and does not boast touch-screen ability. Once again, it is only a matter of personal preference: do you want the keyboard that enables ease of typing, or do you want the touch-screen that makes browsing the Web and your Smartphone’s features simpler? Of course, if you simply cannot sacrifice either luxury, there are a few Smartphones that provide the best of both features. The Palm Pre and the Motorola Droid offer up both a large touch-screen as well as a slide-out keyboard.      

Additional Tips

·         Just a reminder, choose your carrier and your plan before you choose your Smartphone

·         Be aware that certain Smartphones are exclusive to specific carriers: the Apple IPhone for example is currently only available at AT&T

·         Smartphones sold by carriers are typically built to the carrier’s specifications: be certain to check the features offered on each and every phone, for two devices that might seem similar from two different carriers may have differences that would impact your decision

·         Some carriers do give you the option to purchase an “unlocked” phone that is not under the umbrella of that carrier – AT&T and T-Mobile offer this option – but that the cost of an unsubsidized phone can easily cost $500 or more compared to a subsidized phone that typically ranges in price from $50 to $250 

Conclusion

Smartphones are a great business investment. They increase your efficiency when working remotely by allowing you to stay plugged in with your clients, coworkers, and relevant business tools and information at all times.  Like any great investment, really take your time to find the right Smartphone (and carrier) for your company.

 References

“A guide to small business smartphones” by Joseph Moran for SmallBusinessComputing.com  

For details, see http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/buyersguide/article.php/3865476.