The Business-Savvy Smartphone Review: Nokia E62, BlackBerry Pearl, T-Mobile Dash, Palm Treo 750

[Kris Kumar]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.cio.com/article/106306/' target='_blank'>http://www.cio.com/article/106306/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Smart devices—call 'em what you will: handhelds, smartphones, PDAs—make business people's lives easier. They help to ensure continuous communication by offering features like calendar applications, instant messaging and e-mail services, cell phone functionality and Web access. Any number of today's smart devices can satisfy the basic needs of the average business user, and plenty of websites can give you consumer-conscious reviews. However, the real challenge for IT executives seeking smartphones for themselves or for their organizations is selecting a device that fits their telecom needs with as few tweaks to the company's IT architectures as possible—and therefore as little time and money expended."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Kris-may2007-cioreview.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />CIO.com has compared four of the most popular smartphones, from the perspective of four experienced IT executives. If you are responsible for managing the IT and deployment of mobile phones in your organisation then this article is a must read. For others I think this is a very good weekend article, it will help you understand the features that the competition is better at. I would like to see more articles like these, it is always good to know how the competition is evolving. :wink: There are times when I feel like I have boxed myself into the Windows Mobile platform, and wonder if there is a better alternative out there. Do you get the same feeling at times? Or do you change your smartphone based on features and do not worry about the platform?

[Stinger]

I don't write for a (fantastic) Smartphone website, so I don't feel as much loyalty. :)

I've owned devices running Pocket PC, Smartphone, Symbian S60 and Symbian UIQ. I've also tried Palm OS on several occasions.

They all have their distinct advantages and disadvantages, but most of the time I still make by purchasing decisions based on the hardware. I chose my current HTC Hermes because of the slide out keyboard and HSDPA support. I chose my Nokia N80 because of the 3MP camera and 416x352 pixel screen.

I'm currently trying to decide whether to replace the N80 with either a Nokia N95 or Orange SPV E650. I'm swaying towards the N95 because of the HSDPA support and 5MP camera.

It's hard to say that there's better alternatives to Windows Mobile Standard Edition, but there's certainly alternatives. It's good that there's choice and competition in the marketplace. :)

[SteveHoward999]

I have the E62. I think it is great. Could be more responsive, but the flip side is outstanding battery life.

Often I see complaints about how difficult it is to navigate the menus (folders) of applications. You can customise these to suit yourself. The standard settings are often counter-intuitive, but since they are so easy to customise, I don't even remember what issues I had with them initially.

I also regularly read of complaints about the size of the E62. All I can say is it fits in my jeans pocket as easily as any PDA I've had. It's larger than the smallest phone I ever had (Nokia 6100) but then it has a full qwerty keyboard and a 2.8 inch screen!!! The size of this phone is NO issue for me.

There are things that Windows Mobile has I prefer, but I don't feel like I am missing anything by having the E62. I bought it as an interim device while I waited for WM 6 devices with VGA screens to begin appearing ... so far I've not been disappointed with my choice.

Overall I think the review was pretty fair. It is certainly always useful to be able to compare feature-similar yet technically (like Operating System) diverse machines side-by-side. Making your purchase is always a compromise across a range of features, and this review did a decent job of helping identify what might be the deciding factors of each of the devices.

[Kris Kumar]

I don't write for a (fantastic) Smartphone website, so I don't feel as much loyalty. :)

Ouch that hurt. ;-) And thanks for the complement. 8)

[Pete Paxton]

Ok, I'll be honest. Windows Mobile 6 is my favorite mobile os and the Dash is currently my favorite phone - but - I've been drooling a bit over that new BB Curve. It's simply a sexy looking phone. OK there. Now I'm going to wash my mouth out with some Microsoft soap :lol:

[Kris Kumar]

I'm swaying towards the N95 because of the HSDPA support and 5MP camera.

Is the camera really good? I mean I know it has 5MP and Carl Zeiss lens, but other than the resolution I didn't see any impact in the overall quality of the photos. The digital sensor seems to be not that great. Do you have any links to some good samples?

HSDPA I agree is a good reason for leaning towards the N95. For me the size of the N95 is a big negative. And I thought there were some Exchange email related issues but that should be a software fix.

[Kris Kumar]

I have the E62. I think it is great. Could be more responsive, but the flip side is outstanding battery life.

Cool, so you have the E62, the device that was rated high in the CIO comparative review. I was surprised how well the Dash did in terms of battery life. And in the conclusion part of the review it seemed like the E62 won as an business device because of its ability to view and edit Office documents. I wonder if Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the Dash will now put the Dash on top of the list. ;-) Dash has Wi-Fi and has the same EDGE support as the E62, and now Office support. Wish the CIO.com could do a quick update to their review based on the updated Dash. 8)

Overall I think the review was pretty fair. It is certainly always useful to be able to compare feature-similar yet technically (like Operating System) diverse machines side-by-side. Making your purchase is always a compromise across a range of features, and this review did a decent job of helping identify what might be the deciding factors of each of the devices.

I totally agree. The review was fair. I wish I had highlighted it in my front page post. :oops: Usually I see reviewers being biased because of the certain kind of menu system they are used to using and keyboard/scroll wheel behaviour. That wasn't the case for this review. Great job.

SteveHoward999, you have made a good point, wish I had mentioned in the front page post as well. Selecting a device is a compromise across a range of features and the review does a great job of enlightening the readers as to what they should consider because writing the check. The four CIOs and Al Sacco have done a good job. 8) Wish we see more quality reviews like this one in the future.

[SteveHoward999]

I wouldn't get too excited by any described Office support. Whether PocketPC or Symbian, the installed support is poor compared to third-party software that can be purchased. If Office on-the-go is that important, an extra $40 or so is likely to be well worth paying, if the device is otherwise 'perfect' for your needs.

I also wanted to point out that if you search newsgroups you can find out what the irritating faults are with the E62 (like crippled Java support). Many can be solved just by reflashing the phone as an unbranded Nokia device, instead of a Cingular machine. I'm sure everyone here knows that similar hacks exist for all devices, so long as you know where to look :-)

Oh - and if I was buying now, I would get the E61i. I like the form-factor of the E62, which , of course, the E61i retains, plus it adds back wi-fi, 3G, and a camera. Plus better performance (two processors). Battery life might suffer though.

[Stinger]

I'm swaying towards the N95 because of the HSDPA support and 5MP camera.

Is the camera really good? I mean I know it has 5MP and Carl Zeiss lens, but other than the resolution I didn't see any impact in the overall quality of the photos. The digital sensor seems to be not that great. Do you have any links to some good samples?

A quick Google search threw up this (http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/A_spot_of_sun-Testing_the_Nokia_N95.php). Is it as good as a dedicated camera? No. Is it a country mile ahead of every Smartphone ever released? Yes. The video recording is pretty hot too.

HSDPA I agree is a good reason for leaning towards the N95. For me the size of the N95 is a big negative. And I thought there were some Exchange email related issues but that should be a software fix.

Having held one, I don't find the size a problem. It's a bit wide, but it's thinner than my N80 and considerably smaller than my Hermes. I guess if you're used to phones the size of the SPV C500 or Samsung Blackjack then you would notice the size though.

[Kris Kumar]

These photos are definitely better than the ones I have seen. Much sharper and much less pixelated. The video is definitely good.

Regarding the bulk aspect, you are right being spoiled by the C500 and BlackJack. :-) That is why I love HTC Vox, HTC managed to keep the size the same as the 2125 and include a keyboard.

[Rocco Augusto]

working in a cellular phone store as long as I did, you get to play with almost every phone out there. What was even better, at one point I worked for a retailer that sold all of the big 5 here in the US (AT&amp;T/Cingular, Sprint, Nextel, T-Mobile and Verizon). I ended up picking Windows Mobile as my OS because it was the best offering that was available that fit every need that I had.

While I haven't looked at the other offerings since I left Cingular, my needs haven't changed much at all. The only thing that did change was that I started listening to more music and watching more movies/video podcasts while on the go, so I bought a Zune. :)

[Kris Kumar]

The only thing that did change was that I started listening to more music and watching more movies/video podcasts while on the go, so I bought a Zune. :)

If only you had the Media Player plug-in on the home screen like the Dash with WM6 then you wouldn't have bought the Zune. :lol: