It helps you communicate, brings you the latest news, is entertaining you when you're on the way back home and it helps you in everyday work. No, it's not the best friend or a personal assistant; it is just your mobile phone. In recent years, mobile technology became so advanced, that nowadays phones have more power than computers had 8-10 years ago. Business mobiles also known as "smartphones" allow entrepreneurs to have their office with them at all times without carrying a laptop or thousands of cases.
Sim free smartphones are equipped with fast internet connection and can support multiple applications at once: view documents, movies, send emails, project images, or find a route via the GPS application. Some would say that the only things that these advanced phones are not able to do are to prepare dinner and tidy up your house.
Due to the fact that on the market there are so many models with endless features and applications, the decision to buy a smartphone becomes more and more difficult. So how do we choose a smartphone that fits our needs?
Firstly, we should decide what we expect from a mobile device. Do we need to work with a lot of documents, PowerPoint files, videos or do we have to browse the Internet and respond to emails frequently? Secondly, before you buy any sim free phone, you should test it to see if you can get used to it, if it is easy to utilize and compatible with the applications that you are employing on a daily basis. Essentially, two things are extremely important for a business phone:
- The battery life:
Imagine that you have to stay at the office over the working hours or to arrive in a city you don't know anything - the last thing you want is battery to die. Therefore, looking for a device with good battery scores (at least two hours of talk time) and with a light charger that can be easily carried in a briefcase, becomes a priority. It would also be useful to choose a phone that can be charged via the USB cable, so you won't be forced to carry along a charger. And if you want to make sure that you are prepared unexpected disruptions, you could buy a replacement battery.
- Internet Access:
Even though you usually discuss business face to face or over the phone, the e-mail has an increasing role in the official communications. So it is compulsory to have a business phone that supports e-mail via a GPRS or EDGE connection. However, if you wish to download e-mail attachments, to talk on VoIP or to browse websites loaded with graphics or video content, your unlocked handset should be equipped with WiFi and should support 3G.
Other business functions that you might find useful are:
- QWERTY keyboard - full computer keyboard, which is practical for those who must write numerous e-mails or text messages;
- WiFi connectivity - allows you to connect to wireless internet networks. It offers fast and free data transfer, regardless of the network operator. Also, you can call different people for free is your phone supports VoIP applications;
- GPS - satellite navigation, perfect for business people who travel a lot;
- Encrypted passwords - in case that your phone is stolen no one could access data from it;
- A great agenda and an easy to organize calendar in order to use your phone as a planning tool when you schedule your business meetings.
- The phone must be compatible with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF formats - to let you receive, send, view and edit important documents.
Now that we've talked about the main features that you should be looking for at a business phone, here are some suggestions for smartphones that can be found on the UK market:
BlackBerry Bold 9700:
Keyboard - QWERTY
Autonomy during a talk: up to 5h
Autonomy in standby: up to 312h
Compatible USB Cable
GPS
Internet Connection: Wi-Fi, 3G, HSDPA, EDGE, GPRS, WAP 2.0, Email: POP3, IMAP4, SMTP, Push e-mail.
Can be used as a modem
Media: MP3 Player, Video Player
Samsung i900 Omnia
Keyboard - Touchscreen
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Marvell PXA312 624MHz processor
Internet connection: GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA - 7.2 Mbps, Wi-Fi
Pocket Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, PDF)
USB
GPS
Talk time: 5 h
Standby time: 500 h
Handwriting Recognition
Media: MP3 player, video player, TV Out, Radio
Nokia E75
Keyboard - Standard and QWERTY
Operating system: Symbian OS, S60 rel 3.2
ARM 11 369 MHz processor
Internet connection: GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA - 3.6 Mbps, Wi-Fi
A-GPS Support
Nokia Maps
microUSB
Talk time: Up to 5 h 20 min
Duration in Standby: Up to 280 h
Media: MP3 player, Radio
Apple iPhone 4:
Keyboard touch
Internet connection: GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi
USB v2.0
GPS
Google Maps
Talk time: 10 h
Duration standby: 300 hours
Media: iPod audio / video player, TV out,
Ability to download and install applications
