Building Small Business Issue: Smartphones

Points Of Interest
1 Are we up to administering the system, or should we go with a hosted solution?
2 If we maintain our own server, should it be Microsoft Exchange, Motorola's Good Mobile Messaging, or RIM's BlackBerry?

Smartphones greatly speed workflow by pushing e-mail directly to a mobile device and keeping your staff connected. But which option you should choose depends on how much time and manpower you can devote to administering the system. Do you think you can manage your own server? For those who answer yes, all three of the options that follow have their good points, and ultimately choosing could come down to personal preference.

If you're familiar with Microsoft Exchange and running an Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2007 server, you might think about using Windows Mobile devices such as the Motorola Q, Cingular 8525, or T-Mobile MDA. That way you don't have to pay for a second server to get your push e-mail. If you're getting a hosted service (a service that takes care of the back-end server stuff for you), hosted Exchange is also usually cheaper than hosted BlackBerry or Good. But RIM's BlackBerry devices have excellent centralized management and control, they're very easy to use, and they're available on all wireless carriers. We prefer the BlackBerry 8800 or 8703e. The advantage of Motorola's Good Mobile Messaging is that it puts BlackBerry-like functions on a much wider range of handhelds, including the very popular Palm Treo 700p and the Windows Mobile devices mentioned above. With Good, you aren't tied to RIM's range of handhelds.

If you're using your mobile carrier's BlackBerry Internet Service system for your business, and also happen to have a hosted e-mail system in place, be aware that your BlackBerry device can integrate nearly anything. POP3, Hotmail/Windows Live Mail, Yahoo!—it all gets pushed to your BlackBerry device. (Gmail is actually POP mail.)
All smartphones can handle POP mail without a problem, though more often than not, it's a "pull" rather than a "push" experience—in other words, you have to click to check your mail. On Palm OS phones, you can get "push" functionality with your POP mail by using a third-party client called ChatterEmail. Windows Mobile phones work especially well with Windows Live Mail, using a new free client from Microsoft that also gives a "push" mail experience. And Yahoo! has a glossy client called Yahoo! Go that works on Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Symbian phones.