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) linked together, allowing verbal communication by phone and visual communication via email and text messages. Other capabilities include Internet, fax, and data transfers between your office computer and your smartphone. There are pros and cons to switching, like anything else.

The professionals

With just one smartphone, there is one less item to carry or forget. You have access to the Internet to get directions, email, or quick information. Reduced versions of certain computer applications are available. By using a keyboard instead of a telephone keyboard, it is easier to write long messages.

The cons

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

Contract service

Before deciding which hardware to buy, carefully examine the plans offered by various service providers. If you buy the hardware and the plan together, you can get good discounts for a bundle plan. Make sure your plan covers usage, as charges can be an expensive lesson to learn. You will want to know exactly what you will pay before the invoice arrives.

Select a model

After finding a plan that you like, the selection of a model will be reduced to just a few. What features can you live without? An MP3 player and camera can be nice features, but large files can fill your memory and browsing the Internet can be slow.

Test the smartphone

Allow time for playing games and window shopping to make sure 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 your device is too cumbersome to carry around, 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 are looking for? You may want to consider purchasing software to better organize it for your style.

Synchronize your smartphone

Evaluate the 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 the new systems.

Many companies now see 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.