Doing business on the move -- how to choose a great smartphone

• Stuart Ridley
• 14 November 2007

Not so long ago, when you wanted to upgrade your mobile you were forced to choose between the convenience and style of a personal handset, or the functionality and power of a business option.

Sometimes this meant having two phones to meet your work and lifestyle needs.

But now you can find sexy phones with brains to burn and business phones that have lost weight and had a makeover. This new breed of smartphone will get you through the work week and party hard on the weekend.

One of the keys to this kingdom is the magic of HSDPA, the high-speed data system found on 3G networks. Handsets that support HSDPA and are used within 3G (HSDPA) coverage areas* deliver broadband data rates, which make a big difference when working online.

The extra speed is good for getting the job done fast, but it’s also extremely useful when you want to take a break and grab some music or videos off the internet, or send content you’ve captured to friends.

The ‘smart’ in smartphone is really about the applications, which now have the power to let you leave the laptop behind. The power of voice and SMS now mixes with email, web browsing, and office applications. Even instant messaging is available on good smartphones.

If you want to go all the way, you can upgrade to a phone with GPS built in so you can have navigation everywhere you go.

This is as powerful as any business could need, but perhaps the greatest development in smart handsets is in their ability to properly deliver the work-life balance.

Phones that mean business now come in a range of colours and classy form factors, plus have built-in media players, cameras and games. If you have to take the office with you, it’s good to know you can take a few pleasant distractions along for the ride as well.

What’s hot?

Seamus Byrne, editor of gizmodo.com.au, Australia’s leading gadget website, helps you narrow the field of contenders.

What’s hot right now? A good place to start is with BlackBerry. BlackBerry was all business until the Pearl came along, adding camera, video, music, and a trackball (the ‘pearl’) to a very sleek half-Qwerty keyboard form factor.

Full Qwerty fans and those who want GPS for navigation should take a look at the Blackberry Curve 8310 (not the standard Curve, because it has no GPS).

For those who work in Windows, the Motorola Q9h is hard to beat. Featuring the latest Windows Mobile 6, it lacks the Curve’s GPS but offers everything else plus it runs plenty of applications – for work or play – freely available online. It’s wide enough for a full Qwerty, but super thin so it will fit in almost any pocket.

GPS navigation is really set to blossom on Vodafone handsets. Kicking off on the Blackberry Curve 8310, Vodafone Compass is a full GPS support service, with free regular map updates (no download costs) as well as location awareness and easy search for things you need, like ‘coffee’ or ‘petrol’.

So if you do find yourself heading out for a meeting with an almost empty tank, Compass will not only help you find the nearest bowsers, it will also let you know which station offers the lowest petrol prices.

Smartphones have come of age in 2007. One taste and you’ll understand how dumb your old phone really is.

What you need to think about before buying:

- Email access that suits your server. If your work uses Exchange, go for a Windows Mobile handset. Other workplaces might be all about BlackBerry. Once you know, you’ll know which handsets are in or out.

- Keyboard style that works for you. It’s good to get hands on and test keyboard styles. Some people won’t have anything but a true Qwerty thumb pad, while others love half-Qwerty or Sure type layouts.

- Applications you’ll need when you’re out and about. Look carefully at the available applications for your phone as some will only work on particular mobiles. BlackBerry has its own range of applications, while Windows Mobile or Palm-based handsets offer a lot of extra options for download.

- Good camera quality for happy snaps and videos. This feature is likely much more important for your social life than work, though it’s handy for quick snaps of products or locations. A decent built-in digital camera with two megapixels or more means less gadgets stuffed in your pocket on a big night out.

- Sufficient memory is essential for saving documents and multimedia files. Check for expandable memory and which memory type it will need. It’s a bonus if the memory format matches any cards you might already own.

* Vodafone 3G broadband network available in metropolitan areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, the Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast, Adelaide and Perth plus all international airports in Australia. Outside 3G broadband areas Vodafone's GPRS network is available in 92 per cent of the places you live and work in Australia. See vodafone.com.au/coverage for details. Subject to network availability.

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