Selecting a Mobile Device

One of the questions I am routinely asked in my line of work has to do with selecting a mobile device. Most of the time, people don't know quite what they need. They just need "a BlackBerry or something".

We can debate all day how much somebody actually needs something like this (my advice: RUN AWAY!). But in the end it comes down to what they want to do with it.

Some people actually need/want the full PIM (Email / Contacts / Tasks / Appointments / Notes / etc) sync ability that comes with something like a BlackBerry, Treo or Windows Mobile device. However, some people just want a qwerty-style keyboard so they can compose text messages a lot easier.

For the purposes of this post, I'm going to focus on those people in the former category (the latter group can proceed to their preferred cell phone store - there are TONS of them).

Most people expect me to just tell them in 3 words or less what they would need. It would be simpler for me too if the answer could be condensed into something like, "an iPhone", "a BlackBerry", or "Verizon XV6800". In reality the answer is a lot more complicated.

My response to them usually has to do with a few factors:

• If they have a preference of device (RIM / Palm / WinMo)
• What they use for email (Exchange / Hotmail / GMail / POP)
• What they need to sync (Email Only / Full PIM)
• Are there any special applications they need (ACT / GoldMine)

If they're running an Exchange Server that's at least version 2003, the simplest thing is to have them get something running Windows Mobile 2005 or later. Aside from the small issue of setting up SSL properly on their server, installation is a breeze. You get a mostly familiar interface, a whole slew of applications, and real-time push synchronization - just like what BlackBerry made famous.

For those people who just really want a BlackBerry (and I'm one of them), you have a couple of options. If you only need to sync email wirelessly (and can wait until you're by your PC to sync everything else), you can configure your email settings right on the handheld. It is very easy to setup and can talk directly to Outlook WebAccess, GMail, or just about any other email service (coming soon for Hotmail).

If you need full PIM sync in real time wirelessly, RIM (BlackBerry) has made it very cheap to install a small BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) which can run on your SBS or Exchange server without much hassle. Just make sure the person installing it knows what they're doing, or you can wind up in trouble fast. It's free for the first person and $99/seat after that. Compared to my first 5-user BES license which ran close to $1500, that's a steal. Go beyond 10 users and you'll want to look at a full BES Enterprise install though.