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Chamber professionals offer expertise you can use today
Making a choice for your
“Communication Device”
Steven Gordon, ICBS
At the risk of dating myself, I remember growing up when the telephone
was a large, heavy, black device that was virtually indestructible…and
always worked. How times have changed.
Today, we have phones of all sizes and shapes—to say nothing of wired,
wireless, cellular. And Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) that act as a phone
PLUS a miniature computer with full e-mail and Internet-access capabilities.
I am assuming you have a cell phone of some sort. (If not, you are definitely
in the minority.) What’s next? Does choosing the piece of portable
communication—phone, PDA, Blackberry—confuse you?
The right choice for you depends primarily on what you need or expect
from your mobile device. If you require nothing more than a mobile phone
that will work everywhere (well, almost anywhere), then any standard cell
phone will suffice.
Actually, most cellular phones now include a great many capabilities
besides talking. Most include a camera, text and video messaging as well as
an address book, along with myriad additional features that each vendor
customizes.
On the other hand, PDAs—these include Blackberries—include a
number of devices that enhance the standard capabilities of cellular phones.
They are almost always bigger in size, add a “qwerty” keyboard (analagous
to the typewriter or computer keyboard), a larger screen…and a higher
price. PDAs can offer full e-mail and Internet access while on the go.
So, how do you make the choice of which one to buy?
In the case of PDAs, your choice really depends on exactly what your
priorities are for everyday use. The major players are the Treo (Palm),
Blackberry (RIM), Motorola Q, Nokia and the all-new iPhone, although
there are other less well-known ones. Recently, several other major cellular
manufacturers have introduced their own PDAs (LG, Samsung, etc.).
There are three major operating systems available, depending on the
device chosen – Palm OS, Microsoft Windows Mobile and Blackberry
interface. The Treo is basically a Palm handheld coupled with a
smartphone; that means it looks and acts like a Palm device with
additional features. The Motorola Q (as well as several other such devices
from other manufacturers) runs the Windows Mobile interface, which
looks very much like a Windows computer and can read and write some
files compatible with Microsoft Windows XP and Vista. The Blackberry has
it’s own operating system and was the first to offer good, reliable business
e-mail capabilities.
If your head isn’t spinning already, note that each individual device is
customized and “limited” by the wireless provider (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint,
Cingular) that sells the device. So, for example, a Palm purchased through
AT&T might operate very differently than a Palm purchased through Verizon.
There are a number of questions to ask when choosing such a device—
depending on the specific functionality you are looking to acquire:
• Will the contact listing on the PDA synchronize/link to the Customer
Relationship Manager (CRM) or database you use on your computer or
business server? (Think Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, ACT, Goldmine,
etc.) The sync/link function means data you enter on your computer
will port over to your phone, and vice versa.
• Will the e-mail function of the device interface with your personal
and/or business e-mail accounts? Does e-mail get “pulled” from the
Internet to the device, or does it get “pushed” from your e-mail account
to the device?
• Can you get multiple e-mail accounts delivered to your new device, if
needed? (Think of your business email on your company server versus
your HotMail, AOL or Gmail personal account.)
• Do you need to be able to read/write application data files (e.g., Word,
Excel, Acrobat PDF) on the PDA?
• How comfortable is the user interface on the PDA? This may be the
most subjective part of the process.
• Can you type on the PDA? “QWERTY” keyboards can be very small
compared to your fingertips.
Choosing the best device can be confusing and setup/configuration is not
always easy for the novice user. Your cell phone provider is one potential
source of support, either the in-store personnel or the phone company or
phone manufacturer’s telephone support. The muddle you can get into is
that the manufacturer may not be familiar with or willing to comment on
your computer model or email software. Your email supplier may not be
familiar with your PDA. And you have to be able to call from a phone other
than your PDA to do your trouble-shooting. That’s what makes "mobile
phone support" an oxymoron.
There are also helpful resources available from the company you work
for, online bulletin boards and—oh, yes—sometimes the manual itself,
which could be on the computer disk that was shipped with your cell
phone. Last, but not least, there are consultants who make their living
introducing analogue beings (that’s you and me) to digital technologies.
With the right support, you will be swearing by your PDA instead of
swearing at it. And yes, your support person can help you turn off those
annoying ring tones your kids installed.
Steven Gordon is a CPA/Consultant with over 28 years
experience working with individuals and small- to mid-sized
Businesses to define, implement and support technology
solutions. His firm, ICBS, is located in Northbrook. Reach him
at 847-559-1333, or e-mail him at smgordon@icbs.net.
Spring 2008 / 25