Smartphone confusion? RIM Blackberry, Palm, Pocket PC, Java and BREW--which is best mobile phone platform for you?WHEN DEPLOYING WIRELESS E-MAIL e-mail: see electronic mail. in full electronic mail Messages and other data exchanged between individuals using computers in a network. to employees, you should consider a solution that leverages not only enterprise-purchased devices, but also employee-owned devices--the most prevalent of which are mobile phones, including J2ME (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition) A version of Java 2 for cellphones, PDAs and consumer appliances. J2ME uses the K Virtual Machine (KVM), a specialized Java interpreter for devices with limited memory. , SMS (1) (Storage Management System) Software used to routinely back up and archive files. See HSM. (2) (Systems Management Server) Systems management software from Microsoft that runs on Windows NT Server. , and WAP (1) (Wireless Access Point) See access point. (2) (Wireless Application Protocol) A standard for providing cellular phones, pagers and other handheld devices with secure access to e-mail and text-based Web pages. handsets. This article gives an overview of currently available major enterprise device options: RIM Blackberry One of the first wireless e-mail devices to crop up in the corporate world, the RIM Blackberry has played a significant role in spurring user demand for wireless access to enterprise applications. Originally, Blackberries were simply data only, C++ devices operating on antiquated Mobitex and Motient data networks. Newer RIM devices run on J2ME operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. , and are therefore functional on a variety of more capable networks including GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) The first high-speed digital data service provided by cellular carriers that used the GSM technology. GPRS added a packet-switched channel to GSM, which uses dedicated, circuit-switched channels for voice conversations. , iDEN (Nextel), and 1XRTT. The newer RIM devices also feature integrated phones. The Blackberry supports three methods for accessing e-mail wirelessly: Internet--Access to POP3 e-mail. Desktop--Requires a PC to be connected to the network to redirect e-mail to the Blackberry. Enterprise--Operating on RIM's proprietary Blackberry Enterprise Server BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is the name of the middleware software package that is part of the BlackBerry wireless platform from Research In Motion. BES connects to messaging and collaboration software (Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, Novell GroupWise) on enterprise , which connects to Microsoft Exchange Messaging and groupware software for Windows from Microsoft. Exchange Server is an Internet-compliant e-mail system that runs under Windows NT/2000 and Windows Server 2003. It can be accessed by Web browsers, the Exchange client, versions of Outlook and the earlier Windows Inbox. or IBM Lotus Domino Lotus Domino is an IBM server product that provides enterprise-grade e-mail, collaboration capabilities, and custom application platform. Domino began life as Lotus Notes Server, the server component of Lotus Development Corporation's client-server messaging technology. servers. The RIM Blackberry Enterprise Server doesn't support non-Blackberry devices. Usability Although RIM is fairly limited in breadth of support for other applications, it does one thing very well: e-mail. Blackberries feature full integration with Exchange and Domino e-mail, contacts, calendar, and to-do lists. In addition, the ability to set up e-mail filters lets users control what messages are delivered to the device. Calendar reminders ensure users stay connected when away from network-connected PCs. Always-on availability means users can be immediately notified to new e-mail. On the downside On the Downside is an EP by the San Diego, California band Counterfit, released by Alphabet Records in 2000. It was the band's first EP, recorded shortly after the members had relocated to San Diego from Fairfield County, Connecticut. , the only way users can get around having to use a different e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address or having to redirect messages from a PC connected to the enterprise e-mail server See mail server. is to use the enterprise version operating on the Black- berry Enterprise Server. Because the devices themselves are expensive, and Blackberry Enterprise Server is a significant investment, mass deployment of RIM devices to employees isn't the most cost-effective approach to offering wireless e-mail access. RIM Blackberry Pros + Rich e-mail See HTML e-mail. and PIM (1) (Protocol Independent Multicast) A multicast routing protocol endorsed by the IETF. Used in conjunction with an existing unicast routing protocol, it comes in two flavors: Dense Mode (PIM-DM) is used when recipients in the target group are in a concentrated functionality + Strong market penetration Noun 1. market penetration - the extent to which a product is recognized and bought by customers in a particular market penetration - the act of entering into or through something; "the penetration of upper management by women" + Good throughput + Integrated phone + Great battery life + Always-on connectivity + Strong coverage on newer, higher speed networks RIM Blackberry Cons - Questionable phone quality - Closed development environment - Expensive - High data costs - Some implementations require downloads and synchronization Palm OS New Palm OS devices It may never be fully completed or, depending on its its nature, it may be that it can never be completed. However, new and revised entries in the list are always welcome. This is a list of Palm OS devices, and companies that make, or have made, them. such as the Palm/Handspring Treo, Kyocera 7135, and Palm Tungsten position Palm OS devices well against RIM and Windows CE (Windows Consumer Electronics) Microsoft's version of Windows for handheld devices and embedded systems that use x86, ARM, MIPS and SHx CPUs. Windows CE .NET superseded Windows CE 3.0. . Historically, Palm OS devices operated on Palm's proprietary Palm.Net network, making them unsuitable for usage in the enterprise, as they required desktop redirecting. Now, with the incorporation of voice functionality, Palm OS devices run on carrier networks and are offered by virtually all domestic U.S. carriers. Usability Newer Palm OS devices are a significant improvement over their predecessors, the Palm VII, Palm i705, etc. They offer a similar level of integration with corporate e-mail systems (Exchange, Domino, etc.) as the RIM Blackberry and Pocket PCs with full push support for calendar reminders and new message alerts. Palm OS Pros + Render HTML HTML in full HyperText Markup Language Markup language derived from SGML that is used to prepare hypertext documents. Relatively easy for nonprogrammers to master, HTML is the language used for documents on the World Wide Web. well (single column eliminates horizontal scrolling) + Always-on connectivity + Strong market penetration + Good battery life + Integrated phone + Strong coverage on newer, high-speed networks Palm OS Cons - Closed development environment - Expensive - High data costs - No consistent support for push capabilities - No support for storing private keys, and therefore no direct support for non-repudiation Microsoft Pocket PC/Windows CE Windows CE/Pocket PC devices are making significant inroads inroads Noun, pl make inroads into to start affecting or reducing: my gambling has made great inroads into my savings inroads npl to make inroads into [+ into the enterprise. Offering a Windows environment similar to the desktop PC experience, users easily get up to speed on handheld versions of Microsoft's Office line of applications. Generally, Pocket PCs offer increased memory capabilities over other devices, allowing robust handheld applications, rich, color display, and a functional, albeit hefty, operating system. Pocket PCs are available from a number of hardware vendors and operate on a variety of networks. Usability The Pocket PC's e-mail application, Pocket Outlook, is a strong e-mail solution--when used in conjunction with Microsoft Exchange. It also requires the use of Microsoft's Mobile Information Server (MIS) if you want to proactively alert users to new messages (i.e., always-on functionality), and wireless calendar/contact integration. However, attachment support is a key win for Microsoft as the Pocket PC platform comes fully equipped with Pocket Excel and Pocket Word. Users have the ability to view, edit, and forward attachments with ease. Unfortunately, Pocket Outlook doesn't work with Lotus Domino, and offers only limited support for Exchange-based e-mail if you use it without Microsoft's Mobile Information Server. In addition, you need MIS for push/pull functionality. Because the device has strong support for graphics and application functionality, battery life is relatively short. Pocket PC/Windows CE Pros + Steadily growing market + Short initial connect times + Seamless integration between Pocket Outlook and Microsoft Exchange + Web standards utilized, including HTML + Can be used offline + Excellent graphics + Good throughput + Strong integration with PC-based Microsoft applications Pocket PC/Windows CE Cons - Incomplete network coverage - Too expensive to issue to large numbers of employees - Data delivery costs are high - Some implementations require download and synchronization - No consistent support for push content - No support for storing private keys, and therefore no direct support for non-repudiation J2ME/BREW devices As phone processors become faster and more capable of offline data processing and storage, thick-client devices like Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) and Qualcomm's Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless BREW is an application development platform created by Qualcomm for mobile phones. It was originally developed for CDMA handsets, but has since been ported to other air interfaces including GSM/GPRS, UMTS, and CDMA. (BREW) are gaining in popularity. Unlike browser-based WAP phones, which require connectivity at all times to navigate applications and data, J2ME and BREW devices feature the ability to process data offline. In addition, some thick-client frameworks allow for rich display of multimedia including streaming video and audio, and high-resolution graphical display. Usability By offering offline processing power and rich multimedia capabilities, J2ME and BREW devices further blur the line between PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) A handheld computer for managing contacts, appointments and tasks. It typically includes a name and address database, calendar, to-do list and note taker, which are the functions in a personal information manager (see PIM). and mobile phone. Because J2ME and BREW are considered more programming environments/languages than operating systems, there is no standard e-mail application resident on either platform. Java/BREW Pros + Offline data processing capabilities + Support for multimedia applications and content + Client-side programming support + Broad carrier support due to strong application revenues Java/BREW Cons + Extensive tracking of carrier information or direct carrier relationships required + Limited service capabilities + J2ME is not standardized across devices + High degree of latency + Limited coverage MOBILE BUSINESS BENEFITS Businesses deploying wireless e-mail speed the flow of information and improve productivity; realize cost savings through compressed decision and approval cycles; improve customer interaction by providing timely access to data; and provide faster access to information by management. Ranging in price from under $100 to more than $1,000, there's a wireless device to suit any budget. The trick is knowing the right device, and device platform, to choose. Mark Emery is director of marketing for Air2Web, where he has written several wireless white papers participated in the design, development, and launch of several wireless products and services. Mark came to Air2Web from Synchrologic, a data synchronization company headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia. |
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