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CARL'S GADGETS
The SMART Phone is set to change the way we do business!
Do you remember the days when the only phone was your office landline and you could not be reached out of hours? I don’t. I am not that old! But some do, and when the mobile phone hit the streets it revolutionised the way we worked.
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The SMART phone is making a similar (albeit more subtle) impact. It will enable business to move on unhindered by having to get back to the office to read your email or to join a video conference. Sure you can do these things with a laptop and a mobile phone, but with a SMART phone you can ditch the laptop. Just one little device in your pocket, always on, ready to do whatever you need, without the hastle factor or a ‘mobile laptop’ (so long as you charge it occasionally!)
What is a SMART PHONE?
According to Wikipedia ‘a smartphone is a mobile phone offering advanced capabilities beyond a typical mobile phone, often with PC-like functionality. There is no industry standard definition of a smartphone to many it is simply a phone with advanced features like e-mail and Internet capabilities, and some offer a full keyboard.
Carl Recommends….
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1) Apple i-Phone
Apple have combined 3 products into 1; A Phone, the IPod and a sophisticated internet browser. You can make calls, text, listen to music, watch videos, browse the web, read your email and even find yourself with GPS maps! |  |
What I like about it is…
a) the wide screen which is great for viewing the web and videos
b) the user interface accessed via the touch screen. It is very intuitive.
c) the range of applications available, including business, games, education, social networking and more. There is a dedicated apps store and they are developing new ones all the time.
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2) Blackberry Pearl 8110
Renowned for its email on the move capability, the blackberry can now do so much more than just phone and mail with web browsing, music and video capabilities.
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What I like about it is…
a) the size; this is a small stylish device that is still brimming with functionality
b) the ‘push’ mail functionality means that you do not need to log onto a browser to access your emails. They are delivered instantly to your phone, as though you were sat at your PC. (for those companies with more than a couple of users, the blackberry phone can be integrated into a blackberry enterprise server (BES) this allows emails, when delivered to the server to be pushed to the phone. Once read on the phone or in outlook the server updates to the opposite location allowing permanent syncronisation of contacts and mail.
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3) O2 XDA Stella
This is the nearest thing to an office on the move. The XDA uses a mobile version of Windows Office so you can edit Word or Excel documents and view Powerpoint and PDFs quickly & easily. Of course you can browse the web, email, listen to music, watch videos and make call too!
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What I like about it is…
a) the ease of use with familiar Microsoft Office applications.
b) the ‘Push’ email functionality providing instant email. ( if you have an exchange server at your office, the windows mobile phone with outlook can be connected to your mail box and will give email updates as they arrive)
c) the sliding qwerty keyboard to type text quickly.
12 Things to Consider before buying ...
Connectivity. You would expect Tri band or even quad band if you want to be able to use it worldwide.
Bluetooth is essential. Most mobile accessories use Bluetooth and you will probably want to use a Bluetooth headset to avoid taking into a pocket calculator all day!
Wireless look for inbuilt WiFi
Data Speed Ideally look for 3G data service with speeds of at least 300k. With this kind of speed you can successfully use Microsoft's active Sync or Push email services and happily browse the web.
Storage Look for a minimum of 64MB with additional CF /SD or MMC card slots, enabling upgrade of up to 8gb. Check the expansion slot is accessible. Buried under the battery is not great
Interface is easily overlooked, sure your smartmobile may have every bell and whistle but can you navigate the menus intuativly.
Screen & Speakers: Check that the screen is a good size and that the backlight is good and strong, if you are going to use multimedia application check that they look clear and that you can hear the speaker!
Input Method: Keypads might be ok to tap in a phone number but few are good for typing a full length email. Many Smartphones have full qwerty keyboards but check you can operate the small keys. If the keypad in a touch screen version try it out and check that the stylus operation works well.
Software may seem like the most important thing but remember with an operating system you can always add more, so do check the standard bundle for PIM (personal information management) applications to see if they are good for you. The most important thing is to check the platform will run any specific software you have to use, perhaps this is a GPS system like TomTom mobile or a company email or VPN, do your homework and don't end up with a phone that can't run the application!
Hardware is key as your smartphone and it's OS will need to run other application which you may load on. So if the processor is too weedy or you can't interface to a GPS receiver your plans could be scuppered. Check the processor speed, something around 400Mhz is about the sweet spot for current applications, also check the onboard memory 64mb is common but 128mb will run applications much faster.
Battery life: The more they do, the more power they need, which can means more frequent charging and often less talk time. Check the stated figures carefully as they maybe tests where juice draining applications were turned off!
Size and Weight are often the main trade-off for the Smartphone user, all these features, especially a large screen make the phone bigger and heavier. But at least you may be able to ditch your laptop! |
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