Smartphone Enterprise Applications

[Andy Sjostrom]

Microsoft targets at least two categories of clients with the Smartphone: business users and high end consumers. In my opinion, most coverage and interest in the online community currently is related to the latter. It seems as if most of us look at the devices and related software from a high end consumer perspective. Enterprise business scenarios related to web browsing and e-mail are obviously there, but what about custom applications based on Smartphones? Field service, sales force automation, logistics, and transportation are a few of the key inherently mobile business scenarios that Pocket PCs have successfully penetrated.

I am currently thinking a lot about where Smartphones enter the picture. How do you see Smartphones succeed in these areas and how do you see Smartphones and Pocket PCs co-exist in a corporate environment? Will some co-workers use Smartphones and other Pocket PCs? Will the division between the two, in one and the same company, be drawn between business processes or within business processes? Some activities are supported using Pocket PCs and other activities are supported using Smartphones? How much will be either/or and how much will be both/and?

Any thoughts?

[pilotz69]

When you break it down, to a business sense, there are a select few features that should be weighed in on. Take away the media players, the games, and all that jazz and it a matter of the core business features.

-Phone
-Email
-Calendaring
-Contacts
-Internet Browsing
-Instant Messaging

Both devices can accomplish the listed tasks, with in my opinion, the similar results.

-Phone use on both are functional. I have to say that with the PDA it is not the most aesthetic looking thing to hold up to your ear, and yes I am aware that an earpiece can be used. (edge smart phone)

-Email can be sent/received from both devices with arguably the same ease. Some people are talented with the stylus, others can ace T9. For most the learning curve is less on the PDA. (edge PDA)

-Calendaring and contacts can be done on both devices, and synchronized on both, wirelessly. I may be overlooking something here, but functionality is about the same on both. (draw)

-Internet browsing on a PDA certainly is not a dream come true, but it is definitely better than on a smart phone. It’s been my experience that the practical use of the browser feature of my smart phone is, for all practical purposes, useless. It’s slow, expensive (data usage), and difficult to use. With regard to weather, sports, and news, stock quotes and horoscope, I subscribe to one of the numerous free SMS services out there. (edge PDA)

-Instant messaging works on a PDA is just as useable as a smart phone. Like with email it is a matter of adjustment. Although there is text input involved in this I am going to call the two about even. Instant messaging is a lot shorter, and often times can use “stock” responses. (draw)

There are a few aspects that cannot be left out that affect the features including wireless connectivity. With a PDA you can go 802.11x or GPRS (eventually EDGE). With a smart phone, your limited to GPRS/EDGE. The 802.11x availability is dependent on the nature of the business, and infrastructure, but that bandwidth difference can be the deciding factor.

Another aspect, as mentioned in the opening post, is the custom applications. So many already exist for the PDA market.

All in all, I like my smart phone better. In a business sense, the PDA was more like a toy than a tool. Since I got a smart phone my PDA sits in a drawer. I absolutely love my smart phone, the co-workers are envious, and I have less “stuff” to carry around with me.

[swbuehler]

The main place where SmartPhone shines is in web-based information retrieval. Need information on a customer? Hit a favorite on your PIE and have it at your fingertips. The advantage of SmartPhone is that you don't need to carry separate PDAs and cell phones (of course, Pocket PC Phone Edition eliminates this duplication also). This will especially be true of SmartPhone 2003 OS, which incorporates .NET. The SmartPhone with its significantly smaller form factor is also more convenient (at least to me) for e-mail, if you can master the T9 (I do T9 entry rather quickly).

The Pocket PC's strong point is going to be in applications where capture of information is required, such as signatures. I'm told of at least one pharmaceutical company that uses Pocket PC or Palm OS platforms to obtain the doctor's signature electronically when their sales rep drops off sample packs of medications or other items that require an acceptance signature (one app for this purpose even flips the screen upside down so the doctor doesn't have to worry about touching other parts of the screen when signing). Also, if you visit your local Wal-Mart Tire Center, you'll see that they come out to meet you at your car with a ruggedized Pocket PC and a bar code scanner to capture and relay the information about your vehicle and what services are requested on it, so they never have to go back to the counter to enter the information.

In my own day-to-day experience my main device is the SmartPhone, but I also have a Sony Clié that I use to capture information mainly for Microsoft Money syncronization and to take manage Word and Excel documents (as in actually editing them, not just viewing them on my SmartPhone)

[Andy Sjostrom]

Thanks for your well thought through comments!
What do you think about the Smartphone as an application development platform target for business apps (connected and disconnected)?

[Mike Temporale]

Smartphones are great for applications that require little input. Customer lookup, SKU lookup, Order info, etc... Pocket PC is better for input of data since it allows for bar code readers and large touch screen.

I'll use my favourite example, Coke. :D The delivery guys already use a Pocket PC with GPRS to read the stock levels in the machines located inside buildings. This allows them to load up the correct amount of Coke, Orange, Diet that is needed before they enter the building. Now a smartphone could do the same, but is more limited on displaying the information and allowing them to enter/update their route info. If the salesperson had a smartphone, he/she could walk into a building and pull up detials on how much $ the local machine pulls in, and which days are the best sales days just by entering the vending machines number. They can then use the information to better sell drinks to the building owner. "Look, this tells me that Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are you're biggest sales days with volumes over x hundred units. Why don't we provide you with another vending machine to ensure you don't run out."

just my pennies worth.

[swbuehler]

I'll use my favourite example, Coke. :D The delivery guys already use a Pocket PC with GPRS to read the stock levels in the machines located inside buildings.

Anheuser-Busch does the same thing with PalmOS units, if memory serves me correctly; in addition to keeping track of their own brands they record the stocks of the competition.