The rapid pace of technological change can make it difficult to keep up with mobile telecommunications. With so many smartphone choices available, there are many factors to consider when choosing the right one for your personal requirements. The first step is to decide which features will help you become more productive in your work.
Most smartphones give you the capability to access your email when out of the office. If you need to send lengthy emails, rather than just read them, you will want a model with a hardware keyboard instead of one with a touch screen keyboard.
If you want ‘push email’ – where new messages are automatically delivered to your phone as they come in – you need to make sure the smartphone will work with your company’s email server to provide this.
Syncing with your computer
Some smartphones will only sync with certain operating systems. So if you want to synchronize your calendar, contacts, addresses, etc with your smartphone, you will want to check that the phone is compatible.
Network range and reliability
Depending on your location, some phones are tied exclusively to one telecommunications provider. If the smartphone you choose isn’t available on a reliable network with suitable coverage, you may experience drop-outs and disrupted service.
Wi-Fi access
Free Wi-Fi access is often available in such locations as shopping centers and restaurants. If you choose a smartphone with Wi-Fi connectivity, you won’t have to rely on your service provider (or use your data allowance) when you connect to the Internet.
Battery life
Battery life will vary depending on the smartphone you choose. As a minimum, you should be able to get a full day’s work from your smartphone before having to recharge it.
Memory
If you will plan to store large files on your phone, you will want to consider the size and type of memory it has. Some have built-in memory while others rely on external media like SD cards. Memory ranges from 256 MB, found on many smartphones, to the 32 GB capacity on some iPhones.
Operating platform
The various smartphone operating platforms have their own benefits that should also be considered when choosing.
* The iPhone offers many multimedia features and the largest range of applications that are free, or can be purchased. It can be synced with Microsoft Exchange Server to receive emails and access calendars and contacts.
* The BlackBerry is able to integrate many of the features of Outlook, such as setting up an out-of-office notification remotely from your phone.
* Windows Mobile offers the familiarity of the Windows desktop operating system. In addition, it’s known for its backup feature that allows users to backup their data to a password-protected website.
* Symbian is the world’s most widely used platform. It’s found in many Nokia smartphones and supports Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents.
* Google’s Android platform features many Google applications such as Maps, Gmail and Calendar.
Voice features
With all the extra capabilities, don’t forget that the phone is still the most important function. A good business smartphone will include a speaker phone, three-way calling, voice dialing and call waiting.
Multimedia features
Most business smartphones include features such as a camera with zoom capabilities and the ability to record and play video and audio.
Making the decision
Since the BlackBerry was introduced in 2002, the number of smartphones available has grown each year. With so many options to choose from, it can be challenging to select the best smartphone for your needs. To make a sound decision, consider which features you could use to boost your productivity, how and if the phone will connect to your desktop, the amount of memory you need, connectivity, the ease of use and the extra features available.
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