Smartphones allow your small business to connect from anywhere

Ready to trade in your cell phone and PDA for a smartphone? Let’s start with the basics…

What is a smartphone?

A Smartphone is your cell phone and PDA (Portable Data Assistant) together, allowing verbal communication by phone and visual communication by email and text messages. Other capabilities include Internet, fax, and data transfers between your office computer and smartphone. There are pros and cons to switching, just like anything else.

The professionals

With just a smartphone, there’s one less item to carry or forget. You have Internet access for directions, email or quick information. Reduced versions of certain computer applications are available. By using a keyboard instead of a phone keypad, it becomes easier to write long messages.

The cons

The initial cost is approximately three times more than a normal mobile phone (including additional fees for access to network service). If you’re set on a small mobile phone, the larger smartphone might feel a bit bulky. It can take some getting used to using it, and text-heavy messages can be a bit hard to read on little ones. Finding your way around and understanding all the features has a bit of a learning curve. So now that you’re ready to invest in a smartphone, which one will you buy and what factors affect this decision?

Services contract

Before deciding which hardware to buy, take a close look at the plans offered by various service providers. If you buy the hardware and the plan together, you can get good discounts for a package plan. Make sure your plan covers usage, as charges can be an expensive lesson. You’ll want to know exactly what you’ll be paying before the bill arrives.

Select a model

After you find a plan you like, selecting a model will be narrowed down to just a few. What features can you live with? An MP3 player and camera can be nice features, but large files can fill up your memory and browsing the Internet can be slow.

testing the smartphone

Allow time for gaming and window shopping to ensure your smartphone is comfortable to use. If not, you can consider adding a Bluetooth device. Feel its weight too. It’s great to have a lot of memory, but if the device is too cumbersome to carry around with you, then you won’t use it. See how things are organized on the phone. Does your organization make sense to you? Can you find what you’re looking for? You may want to consider purchasing software to better organize it your way.

Sync your smartphone

Evaluate software options to handle the synchronization of contacts and other data with your existing systems or those of your organization. While free software is available on the Web, the current standard is Microsoft Windows Mobile for Smartphones 5.0. For a review of smartphones that come with Microsoft Windows Mobile, visit the Microsoft website. It is advisable to consult with your IT service provider to resolve any issues that may arise with the integration of new systems.

Many companies are now seeing the opportunity to use a smartphone for mobile workers. If you travel frequently, consider a solution that allows you to leave your heavy laptop behind. The time has come.