When it comes to business phones, choosing how we communicate can be overwhelming. Luckily, Mark Prigg knows what to shout about.
With phones now coming in every shape and size, finding a good, reliable handset is tougher than ever. There’s everything from DVD-quality video to cameras to take into account, as well as finding something that won’t look out of place in meetings (provided you stick to a relatively normal ringtone, that is).
There has also been a move back to simple, straightforward handsets, and there is a lot to be said for this approach – how many times have you actually composed long emails on the go? Even the most simple handset can now send email, so it’s just a question of how fast you can type using a normal phone keyboard.
Overall, the choice of handset really comes down to how often you need a keyboard – if it’s several times a day then
a larger handset might be a good trade-off, but for the odd “I’m running late” message you’ll be able to get away with something much smaller and slicker.
It’s also well worth talking to your IT department about what software they will support to synchronise your contacts and diary to your phone – most support Nokia and Microsoft software, but anything more exotic might cause problems.
As with all handset purchases, it’s worth checking with your mobile operator to see which upgrades are available – in most cases, you shouldn’t have to pay a penny.
NOKIA E90
From free with contract, £624 without
shop.nokia.co.uk
This is the latest version of Nokia’s Communicator, its phone which opens up into a mini computer. On the outside, it really does resemble the old Nokia “brick” phones we probably all used as our first mobiles. The entire unit can be operated as a normal phone from the outside, and is a great, if somewhat bulky (132 x 57 x 20mm), solution.
However, it’s when you open the E90 that it really shows its true colours. The keyboard is superb, and you’ll be typing at laptop speeds in no time. The screen is also impressive, and certainly good enough to watch films on when you’re
on a long-haul flight, for example. The widescreen display is also really useful for email, and you won’t need to scroll around as much as you do on most phones. The only quibble about the screen is that at first you really expect it to be a touchscreen – navigating through menus with keys is so last year.
Nokia’s software is excellent and there is a whole raft of add-ons you can download, giving you everything from push email to weather forecasting. There is also a 3.2-megapixel camera, and GPS for navigation, so the handset can easily double as an in-car satnav.
The disadvantage of the E90 is that it’s so hefty – this is a phone you would really struggle to keep in your jacket pocket. However, as a second phone for email and web surfing, the E90 might just mean you can leave the laptop at home.
PROS Excellent keyboard and display.
CONS Large and unwieldy.
HTC S730
From free with contract, around £300 without
htc.com
At first glance, HTC’s diminutive S730 looks like any other small candy bar-shaped phone. It’s got a well thought-out keypad and a good-quality 2.4-inch screen, running Microsoft’s Mobile 6 operating system, which is a vast improvement on the company’s previous attempts at making phone software.
Crucially, it has all the applications you’ll be used to in the office (Word, Excel etc) so getting files on and off is easy, particularly if you use Outlook for your email and contacts anyway. There is also HTC’s excellent main screen, which gives you instant access to email, calendar and even weather reports. It’s very well designed, and something other manufacturers should take note of.
When you want to send a long text or email, it’s easy to slide out the keyboard and turn the phone on its side. Although the keyboard is still quite small, it’s something we got used to very quickly.
For getting online there is wifi and 3G, along with HSDPA, which will give you download speeds approaching broadband if you’re in an area with coverage (in the UK, this is mainly in central London).
There’s also a 2-megapixel camera, which gives surprisingly good results, and you can easily expand the memory with a microSD card.
Overall, this is one of the best all-round business handsets we have ever used, and certainly the best one running Microsoft software. It’s small, but has the killer feature of a keyboard which gives you the impression of a larger handset crammed into a tiny package.
PROS Small form factor and keyboard.
CONS Menu system can be complicated.
SONY ERICSSON P1I
From free with contract
sonyericsson.com
This is Sony Ericsson’s flagship smartphone, and it’s an impressive gadget. Almost every feature imaginable, from a media player to a business card scanner is squeezed in, along with both a tiny QWERTY keyboard and a touchscreen.
Getting around the phone is simple thanks to the touchscreen, although the menu icons are badly thought-out and a little confusing – the entire interface seems very complex, and simple tasks take too many button or screen presses.
The keyboard is also disappointing. It’s a neat idea to try and fit two letters onto each button, but it simply doesn’t work very well. Even after a week of trying to use it, every message seemed to include errors.
For accessing your office documents, the Quickoffice suite and Adobe software let you create, edit and read Microsoft Word and spreadsheet documents or email attachments, as well as view Powerpoint and PDFs.
The business card scanner allows you to take a picture of any card you receive and have its contents added to your contacts. It’s a great idea, but sadly doesn’t always work that well.
There’s also a very good 3.2-megapixel camera, and some excellent music and video playback capabilities, although how often these will be used is anyone’s guess on such a high-end corporate phone.
If you are used to the previous versions of this handset, it’s a decent upgrade. But for new users, it’s simply not as intuitive as it should be, and that makes using it as an everyday phone very frustrating.
PROS Packed with features.
CONS Keyboard can be fiddly.
HTC TYTN II
From free with contract
htc.com
This is a big, bulky handset, but it does pack a punch in terms of features. One great element is the tiltable screen and this, combined with the excellent keyboard, gives the TyTN II a real advantage over its rivals in that it really does approach the functionality and feel of a mini laptop. The 2.8-inch screen is excellent and works well whichever way the phone is being used.
As the phone uses Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software, it works brilliantly with Outlook, and synchs-up emails, contacts and diary very quickly. There’s also a GPS chip built-in, and HTC supplies a trial version of TomTom’s GPS software to turn the handset into a satnav. For communication there’s 3G, HSPDA and wifi, so you should be able to get online pretty much anywhere at high speeds.
The TyTN II (and please, HTC, come up with some better names), is a real ugly duckling – when shut, it looks like it has been squashed. It’s also pretty big and cumbersome. However, once you start using it you realise this is a real do-anything phone. The tilting screen is a brilliant idea, and gives the phone a whole new lease of life, reinventing it as a machine you can type on with ease. Overall, for the heavyweight business user who isn’t too worried about appearance, it is well worth a look.
PROS Keyboard is excellent.
CONS A bit on the bulky side.
NOKIA 6500 CLASSIC
From free with contract, £249 without
shop.nokia.co.uk
The 6500 may seem an odd handset to include here; after all, it is a basic, small handset without the bells and whistles of its competitors. However, it does illustrate an interesting and promising trend in Nokia’s phone development. While pushing its feature-laden do-everything handsets such as the Communicator (see previous page) it has also begun to develop a series of small, simple handsets which don’t have a vast range of features, but look good and work brilliantly for basic functions. There’s no touchscreen or keyboard, but what you are getting is a superb everyday handset.
The phone runs on Nokia’s Series 40 software and you can easily download basic applications for it. The menus are straightforward, easy to understand, and lightning-fast. It’s easy to synch contact and calendar information with your PC and almost all IT departments will have no trouble supporting this.
The 6500 also has 3G for fast web surfing and even a choice of Nokia’s own browser, or the great Opera web browser.The key to the 6500 is its looks. It’s small, long and thin (109.8 x 45 x 9.5mm), slick with a matt-black or bronze finish, and doesn’t seem to be a fingerprint magnet like its rivals.
The 6500 certainly made us think about handsets and what we actually use them for. For phone calls, texting and basic emails it’s great, and the tiny size and superb styling mean you’ll also be the envy of most of your colleagues. Of all the phones here, this is actually the handset we changed back to the most – it’s just so easy to take anywhere. If you really don’t need to be sending long emails the whole time or editing your Powerpoints, this could well be your dream handset – it’s simple, stylish and works brilliantly.
PROS Stunning design.
CONS Limited applications.
SAMSUNG SGH-F700V
From free with contract
samsung.co.uk
At first glance, Samsung’s handset looks like a straight rip-off of Apple’s iPhone. It’s got a large touchscreen interface, you can scroll through lists with a finger, and it’s based on large, easy-to-see icons.
However, that is really where the similarity ends. This is a very different beast, first and foremost because it has one thing the iPhone is lacking – a keyboard. This slides out and is easy to type quickly and accurately on. There’s also a nice vibration feedback feature – touch a button onscreen and the handset vibrates slightly to let you know it has recorded the press.
The software used is Samsung’s own, and this is where things start to go slightly wrong for the model. The icons for the menus are a little too “conceptual” and often it’s hard to find what you want. There also seems to be a bit of a lag, which with a touchscreen is a real problem.
Although the handset is currently available only on Vodafone, for the consumer market you can also use Vodafone’s excellent MusicStation software, which lets you “rent” unlimited music for £1.99 per month.
There’s also a 3-megapixel camera, which works relatively well, and a microSD card slot for expanding memory. In terms of communications, there’s no wifi, which is a real shame on a big-screen handset. But there is 3G and HSPDA.
Faults aside, this is an impressive handset. It’s slick and a worthy competitor to Apple’s iPhone – although on balance you might be better off waiting for a future version when Samsung has ironed out the disappointing software.
PROS Slick design.
CONS Menu system is complex.
BLACKBERRY 8120
From free depending on contract
blackberry.com
This is the follow-up to Blackberry’s hugely successful Pearl handset and it shows just how far the email phone has come.
The menu system is incredibly easy to use and the trackball-style ball in the middle of the handset is very user-friendly – after a while, going back to a normal phone was tough. The tiny keyboard is a little fiddly, but RIM has improved its predictive text software, so it is an improvement on previous models, even though it’s still a bit of a nightmare at times.
The major upgrade from the previous model is the addition of wifi and this makes the phone a real alternative as a web-browsing client. It’s simple to set up, and does make a big difference in download speeds.
Blackberry has added a few more downloadable applications, including one which lets you access Facebook. There’s also a good maps application, although without GPS built in, it’s tough to see where it would be useful. In addition, there is a headphone socket, a 2-megapixel camera and some decent music-playing software, further cementing Blackberry’s move into consumer territory.
Overall, this is a slightly odd product. The serious emailers will probably be better off with a full QWERTY keyboard, but if your company is used to supporting Blackberry software and you still want a pocket-friendly handset, it’s worth checking out.
PROS Excellent software.
CONS Keyboard can be fiddly.
Mark Prigg is Science and Technology Correspondent of the London Evening Standard
