Which Phone is the Smart Phone? (Updated Nov.11, 2009)
A question I often hear when training new clients is: “What cell
phone should I buy? What’s the best choice for me, among all the
options?”
While there is no one universal
answer, there is one flavor of phone that has proven to be the best
option for productivity, and that is a Windows-based Smartphone. While
the make and models vary, the “guts” of these phones are the same. They
all run a mobile variation of the familiar Windows operating system. Be
aware that each cell phone provider sells a different selection of
Windows based Smartphones. In my case, my provider is T-Mobile, and I
use a T-Mobile Dash. For other providers there are many excellent
options such as a Motorola Q or the Palm 700W series
.
Smartphones make an excellent choice for productivity because they
communicate almost flawlessly with Windows based programs, in
particular Microsoft Outlook. Since Windows is by far the most
universal system in business, the Smartphone is a logical choice. When
you connect your Smartphone to a computer, not only does it charge, but
all of the contacts, tasks, and calendar items, transfer immediately
and effortlessly from your computer to your phone. Because the phone
itself is based on a Windows system, the menus are familiar and easy to
use. Additionally, for those who prefer to receive their email via
phone, Windows Smartphones can handle all your email needs with ease.
There are other types of phones that people often ask me about, and
I’ll explain briefly why I don’t find these to be as valuable in terms
of productivity.
Android (Droid, G1, etc.)
Google’s Android operating system for mobile devices is Open Source.
What does open source mean? Simplified it means “free to use.” Companies
like Verizon, Nokia, and HTC don’t need to pay Google to install the OS on
thier phones. This is a big reason why you are going to see a LOT more
Android-based phones in the coming year. Android is very similar to the
iPhone in terms of user experience but edges it out slightly in terms of true
business productivity. If you are already using Google (a fairly good system)
for your calendar,contacts, and tasks , then this is a no-brainer: get an
Android based phone.
Blackberry
– The Blackberry was the beneficiary of good marketing, and the term
Blackberry is often mistakenly used to describe any kind of Smartphone.
I would have to say that a Blackberry is a solid second place performer
when it comes to productivity. However, it doesn’t sync as seamlessly
with Outlook, and because the menu features are so different, some
people find it difficult to use Blackberries. You may find just a
mental switching cost increase because of trying to think about the
differences between using a computer and using a Blackberry phone.
However, it does handle tasks, contacts, and calendar items fairly
well, and I do have a few clients who use them with success.
Palm
- Without reservation I discourage people from using a Palm-based
phone for productivity. First of all, the sync and communication
between Palm-based phone and a Windows based computer is poor and
unpredictable. This tricky relationship between Palm and Windows is
bound to cause lots of problems, and be a tech support nightmare in the
long run. Palm does include software for your desktop, but this
software is poorly designed and places too many arbitrary limits on how
you organize your life. (For example, Palm not allowing a large number
of custom categories, something I find is essential for good
productivity techniques.) The biggest problem though with a palm is
the system itself. Essentially, Palm based phones and planners are
using a technology that is over a decade old. It may have been cutting
edge in 1996, but now it is slow and it is cumbersome, and I find it
difficult for most people to use.
iPhone
- There is a lot to love about the iPhone, in terms of its visual
appeal and its tactile response. It is a beautiful, eye-catching phone
that is fairly easy to use. However, iPhone was built primarily for
multimedia such a music, videos, and web surfing. Clients I have worked
with who have the iPhone bump up against Apple not putting much thought
into the productivity tools of contacts, tasks, and calendar. Also,
while the iPhone syncs with Mac’s iCal program and even Microsoft
Entourage, the sync is very questionable and has many missing features
that are a frustration for my clients. Trying to sync an iPhone with
Microsoft based operating system is even more problematic. iPhone does
have one advantage, in that it comes with the “Visual Voicemail”
feature, allowing you to read the “gist” of voicemails without having
to listen to them. (However, a similar feature can be added to any
phone at www.youmail.com.) The bottom line: if you are interested
in impressing your friends and watching videos and surfing the
Internet with your phone, then the iPhone is a fun choice. If you are
interested in using your phone to enhance your productivity and stay
on top of all the things that you need to do, the iPhone is limited.
Please also watch this video for more information:
http://www.davecrenshaw.com/blog/video-training-how-to-avoid-getting-lost-in-translation/
Updated Nov 11, 2009
- Added information about Android
- Recommended YouMail instead of CallWave
- Added link to video
Why do you not address the iPhone feature of syncing with Outlook? “While the iPhone syncs with Mac’s iCal program and even Microsoft Entourage, the sync is very questionable and has many missing features that are a frustration for my clients.” Please address the pros and the cons of iPhone’s syncing capacity with Outlook. Thanks.
Hi Fiona
“Trying to sync an iPhone with Microsoft based operating system is even more problematic.”
The cons of the iPhone sync with Outlook are many, including a high likelihood of data loss, corruption (both directions), and in general, lost time trying to figure out how to make it work. The biggest drawback, however, is that the iPhone does not pull over tasks from Outlook. I still have yet to find a third party app that handles the Outlook-to-PC sync well.
I know you’re an iPhone fan and wouldn’t dare try to talk you out of using it.
What pros and cons have you found?
P.S. Bear in mind that this brief article, is geared toward those on the fence or without a lack of knowledge of what the best phone is. Consistently I have seen the most success and least headaches with the Microsoft Outlook to WM smartphone pairing. At this moment, when someone asks for my recommendation, that is what I will recommend.
Dave,
The new HTC Touch Pro 2 is now available for preview at T-mobile and for purchase on August 12th. It is the most effective/productive WM smart phone available. Sprint will have the same phone in Dec. There is no other phone that even comes close to the productivity of this phone, it’s applications and the user interface.
Thanks,
Curtis J. Morley
Thanks for the update, Curtis!
The Touch2 does look very promising. For other readers: don’t confuse it with the MyTouch, which runs Android. (I REALLY like Android as an Operating System but has some syncing issues with Outlook.) They also now have a 3G-based Dash.
Glad to see T-Mobile is finally getting out of the dark ages in terms of phone selection.
I have been a real HTC fan for a few years after a lot of research resulted in my purchase of the MOGUL (Sprint). When the underlying Windows OS was updated and the Touch Pro became available I was tempted to make the switch, but I really liked the MOGUL and it’s wheel and buttons. When the Touch Pro 2 was announced I knew I had to have it. The wheel and buttons would not be missed as the Touch Flo overlay to Windows would change the user interface. I have switched to T-Mobile and the Touch Pro 2 and haven’t looked back. It is all I thought it would be and more. Truly the swiss-army knife of smart phones and not just an ipod that makes calls. It really isn’t much different for the Blackberry. For texting and e-mail, it is fine, but then what?
Thanks for another vote for the HTC Touch Pro 2, Robert. I’m currently in testing mode for the Android based G1, but after I’m done playing with that I’m going to join the Touch Pro 2 party!
You’re very welcome David and I promise I’m not an HTC employee. I’m still being surprised by features I didn’t even know it had and that’s saying something given the fact that I’m pretty obsessive about researching systems, tools, software, etc.
Yeah, you knew that Google wouldn’t come out with a dog, but unless it read my mind to empty that collecting point automatically I’m not sure it could pry me away from my Touch Pro 2…
Hi Dave, Connected to you and your book…website..and Myth of Multitasking via Alex Mandsossian blog. I appreciate your Smartphone discussion. Your thoughts on new Verizon Droid?
Thanks,
Gene Grass
@Gene
Thanks for the note. Alex has been a great supporter! Per your request I just made several updates to this article.
Great discussion! Our company got into SmartPhones with a WM HTC phone from Sprint, then went to BlackBerry and now have iPhones. The syncing with the iPhone to our Exchange Server is just as good as it was on the two previous platforms. Syncing with a laptop seems to work great for my wife on her iPhone. As far as Tasks syncing, have you tried Evernote? It works across most platforms and goes way beyond MS Tasks.
Thanks, Roger. I’ve heard good things about Evernote as well as Remember the Milk.
However, it still seems silly to me that Apple would require its users to get a third party app to handle something as essential as tasks. This is not the most elegant solution.
I imagine Google some set more emphasis on the apps multi tasking and background processes. I believe they need to establish a broad mechanism for apps to get license to function in background and it should be a user option not the OS. As like how we give permission to apps when installing. But it should be someplace in menu “Enable Running Background: ON/OFF”.