August 2006 / The New Breed of Smartphones

With the release of Windows Mobile 5.0 there has been an explosion of new feature-laden Smartphones. It can be overwhelming trying to decide which phone is right for you, so we’ve compiled a list of the most popular devices available and the pros and cons of each. Keep in mind that some work better in an enterprise environment than others.

Motorola Q – Billed as the “thinnest QWERTY device in the world”, the Motorola Q has been generating a huge amount of buzz since its release earlier this year. Initial reviews show the Motorola Q living up to the hype with solid call quality and excellent multimedia and productivity tools.  

Pros: Ultrathin design with full QWERTY keyboard and sharp display. The Motorola Q also comes with integrated Bluetooth, EV-DO, speakerphone, and 1.3 megapixel camera. 

Cons: There is no integrated Wi-Fi or analog roaming, and the Bluetooth cannot be used as a wireless modem. Also there has been some buzz about a rather high return rate of these devices, which could be an indication that it may only be “almost” ready for prime time.
 

Treo 700w – The latest version of the hugely popular Treo line of phones, the Treo 700w brings Windows Mobile and a host of other useful features to the table. 

Pros: Bluetooth enabled with a 1.3 megapixel camera and EV-DO support. The 700w’s compact design allows for easy one-handed operation. 

Cons: No integrated Wi-Fi and a somewhat poor 240x240-pixel resolution.

Cingular 2125 – A compact yet powerful phone packed with a wide variety of features. 

Pros: Compact with Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera, speakerphone, EDGE support, and excellent battery life. 

Cons: Mediocre call quality, no integrated Wi-Fi, cramped non-QWERTY keypad.
 

Cingular 8125 – With a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and four forms of wireless, the Cingular 8125 stands out from many other Smartphones. 

Pros: Slide-out keyboard, four forms of wireless (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, EDGE, and infrared), speakerphone, excellent battery life, and quad-band world phone capability.

Cons: Mediocre call quality, clunky design, and heavy weight for a Smartphone.
 

TMobile SDA – An extremely compact phone that features great productivity tools, multimedia, and performance. 

Pros: Excellent screen resolution with outstanding battery life and call quality. The SDA also boasts a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and EDGE support. 

Cons: The keypad and navigations controls on this non-QWERTY device are cramped and the SD memory card slot is inconveniently located behind the battery.

Verizon/Sprint 6700 – The 6700 is essentially one phone offered under two slightly different names by Verizon and Sprint. The 6700 is well heralded both critically and commercially.  

Pros: Spacious slide-out QWERTY keyboard design, three forms of wireless (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and EV-DO), 1.3 megapixel camera, and speakerphone. 

Cons: Non-standard memory slot, no voice dialing, somewhat sluggish performance, and a display that is difficult to read outdoors.

What is Microsoft ActiveSync?

All of the phones listed above run off the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system and are capable of utilizing Microsoft ActiveSync. ActiveSync is similar to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server(BES) or Goodlink in that it acts as the gateway between your Smartphone and your PC; enabling the transfer of Exchange information, MS Office documents, pictures, music, videos, and certain applications.  

So what’s the buzz surrounding the latest version of ActiveSync? The excitement is simply over the fact that it works so similarly to BES and Goodlink. The newest version of ActiveSync includes direct push, a feature previously only available through BES or Goodlink, which provides real-time email retrieval on your Smartphone (Microsoft Messaging and Security Feature Pack update needs to be installed on your mobile device as well). What really sets ActiveSync apart is that it’s free as long as you have Exchange 2003 with service pack 2. And since the majority of businesses are using Exchange 2003, ActiveSync is an extremely appealing option.

So Why Use BES or Goodlink Anymore?

If your company uses Exchange 2003 with service pack 2 and you have a Windows Mobile 5.0 phone, why would you still want to use BES or Goodlink? For starters, the current version of ActiveSync does not allow you to access your Outlook public folders from your Smartphone; something which you can do with BES and Goodlink. Many companies use public folders to store client or employee contact information. If you need access to that data and you’re using ActiveSync you may be forced to copy it to your local Outlook contacts on a regular basis to have the most updated information from those folders available to you on the road.  

Also ActiveSync isn’t truly a “push” solution. Both BES and Goodlink send data from your Exchange server to their Network Operations Centers (NOC) and then push it out to your phone. ActiveSync basically sends a packet to your Smartphone telling it to “pull” the information from the Exchange server, which significantly runs up the data usage and can cause faster battery depletion. 

Goodlink and BES offer better policy control. With ActiveSync you can either push policies out to everybody or nobody. This mean that password policies, for example, have to be the same for everyone; you can’t tailor them to individuals. With BES and Goodlink you can group multiple devices into management groups. This eases policy administration when dealing with a large number of handhelds. 

Finally, Goodlink and BES guarantee message delivery 100% of the time. At this time ActiveSync doesn’t offer that guarantee, although our experience with the product is that it is a highly reliable method of getting messages to your Smartphone.

As you can see there are a lot of choices out there both for Smartphones and synchronization programs. If you’re seriously considering investing in mobile technology for your organization, make sure that you consult with a resource that will help you choose the right solution. If you have any questions about mobile technology and how it applies to your business, please feel free to Contact Me. Staples Network Services by Thrive has a great deal of experience with mobile business solutions and can help you make the right decisions.

Sincerely,

Dylan O'Connor, MCSE, CCA
Chief Technology Officer

email: doconnor@thrivenetworks.com
phone: 978.461.3999
web: www.thrivenetworks.com