Apples and BlackBerries (A very fruity discussion about SmartPhones)

We get a lot of phone calls from clients asking our opinion about which is the best option for mobile email, and although there are many SmartPhones in the wild the question normally comes round to “What should I choose Apple or BlackBerry.

Both the BlackBerry and the iPhone bring the very best in mobile email and internet capabilities to the mobile phone, but they accomplish this in very different ways.

Windows based SmartPhones like the HTC Touch HD and XDA use Exchange ActiveSync as does the iPhone. By adding ActiveSync to the iPhone and making it available to the enterprise market who run Microsoft Exchange email environments, Kerio Mailserver and even Google Apps for Business. ActiveSync is available from Exchange 2003 SP1 and later and uses a push style notification to send email, contacts, calendars, and tasks (Windows Mobile only) much like a BlackBerry without the need for a separate server.

BlackBerry’s use either the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) or BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). BIS is hosted by Research In Motion and provides limited mail push facilities but requires the user to sync their contacts and calendars but plugging their BlackBerry into a cable and manually syncing it. The BES on the other hand sits inside your environment and pushes the contents of your Exchange, Lotus Domino, or Novell Groupwise mailbox to your BlackBerry.

A BlackBerry is perfect if you send a high volume of email from your mobile device or want full integration with your office network, as some users find it easier to use an actual keyboard (versus the touch screen keyboard like the iPhone). While it does have other functions such as internet browsing, third party applications, music and video, it’s primary focus and strength is email and battery life. (with the exception of the BlackBerry Bold the BlackBerry battery is second to none)

While the iPhone also has exceptional email capabilities, its strength happens to be those other functions! The iPhone is also a full-featured iPod, allowing users to download both purchased and rented music and videos. The iPhone’s web browsing is also better, and thousands of third party applications can be downloaded for specialty uses. Personally I have both BlackBerry and iPhone and for plane travel I prefer my iPhone because of the entertainment features when I am on a long haul flight but for roaming and roaming charges the BlackBerry wins hands down.

Unlike our US counterparts who are limited to one provider for their iPhone we can get iPhones on o2, Orange, Vodafone, and even Tesco. It’s just this techies opinion but when you compare all the UK networks currently providing iPhone in my opinion o2 and Tesco (uses o2 Infrastructure) provide the best value, the best coverage and the best overall experience.

Our advice to clients is easy….. call us before making a SmartPhone purchase, so we can advise you on some things to consider, including your company’s technology resources, your service provider, and your functionality needs.