The search for a new mobile phone begins…
It is time once again for me to begin the search for a new mobile phone. While I am in no rush, I know that this is a choice that will take a month or two before it is made. As a developer and consultant in the mobility space the type of device that I carry is one that I need to justify on a regular basis. While I can always fall back to the standard response of “it’s company issued, I really didn’t have a choice,” it is often worthwhile for me to expand upon my selection criteria.
Device choice often comes down to a question of whether you like the look of it or not. This has a number of elements to it. Is it shiny? Is it tiny? Will it fit in my pocket? Is the screen clear? Is the screen large enough? Does it suit my style? These are all important questions because it is usually an investment for 12 or more months. What often happens however, is that the really important questions only get answered after you have used the phone for a number of weeks. There is nothing more frustrating than a phone that freezes when you are trying to make or receive a call. I know, I have experienced this enough and even more so of late. I find that this is endemic of devices that have more complex operating environments. Other factors, such as key size, sound quality, availability of desktop synchronisation tools and Bluetooth support are things that need to be considered. Overall, these need to be considered within the constraints of your specific user requirements.
As an end-user with a technical background, I often have different requirements to most consumer and business users. While I need a reliable device that functions 24 hours a day, 7 seven days a week, etc. I place an emphasis on features that many users would not. First of all, I require a device that has the ability to synchronise with my desktop. More specifically, I need a tool that is going to synchronise with my contact list within Outlook. A number of PC synchronisation tools that I have used in the past have not had this ability, choosing instead to maintain their own list of contact numbers in a separate repository. While I can understand that there are a number of users that have opted not to go with Outlook for their mail application and contact management tool, the tools targeted at Microsoft Windows based operating systems should give the user the option to either synchronise with Outlook or their own database.
Push e-mail is something that may be worth considering in the future however, my company currently provides me with the tools necessary to receive e-mail wirelessly, so this is a lower priority.
As a mobility developer, it is desirable for the device to support one of the platforms that I can develop for, i.e. J2ME or .NET Compact Framework. This gives me a concrete test environment for the applications I develop. This is important because their is no substitute for testing on actual devices when it comes to developing for the mobile space.
Finally, it is necessary for the device to have a reasonable web browser to enable me to check the Net on demand and to test browser based mobile applications.
Most of my requirements that I have discussed here can be researched using the Internet, from product sites, blogs and online journals. However, there is no substitute for using the device before making a decision. Fortunately for me, I have that opportunity to do this a lot of the time. Check back in over the next month or two and I will provide some insight into a range of devices, such as the iMate K-Jam, the Palm Treo, the Blackberry 8700, Motorola RAZR and a number of others as to how they suit my needs. If you have some suggestions for what I should consider, let me know.
