The key to mobile choice

17 December 2009

The IFA market is, for the most part, not renowned for embracing new technology. Mobile phones, however, are a notable exception and have long been a standard part of any adviser’s equipment.

Many new devices are launched for the Christmas market so this week’s column looks at a few contenders.

During 2009, I have noticed significant numbers of advisers using iPhones but while Apple’s sleek device is great for reading emails, surfing the web and a host of other activities, its one real weakness is the keyboard. Although the software upgrade earlier this year expanded this to a landscape format, the lack of physical keys to press means it is just too easy to make mistakes if you are trying to write a detailed text or longer document.

I would be the first to acknowledge I have done a comp-lete about-turn on my view on this device since launch. I hated the first version but while it is still not perfect, the ease of use makes the iPhone the benchmark to judge any other mobile device. If they could only add some arrow keys to move around the virtual keyboard, things would be greatly improved while a tactile slideout keyboard would just make the device perfect. With the O2 monopoly on the iPhone finally broken, the device contracts should also now become far more competitive.

In the corporate world also, I am seeing some really interesting situations develop. Basically, most corporate IT departments will mandate Blackberries but I am increasingly seeing situations where those senior enough to argue with them are insisting on having their iPhone connected to the company network.

This begs the question of how long it will be before this approach widens. My sense is that the breakthrough will come when the sales side of organisations recognise they can achieve productivity benefits by replacing Blackberries with iPhones. How many companies want to handicap their key salespeople by giving them inferior equipment? Consequently, I have not included any Blackberry products in this review.

There is one phone, the HTC Hero, that lots of techies are saying is nearly as good as an iPhone. This uses the new Google Android operating system. The Hero does have some nice features but too often the interface is not quite as good as the iPhone.

Perhaps I am missing the point. If it is nearly as good as an iPhone, why not stick with Apple until it is better? Repeatedly, I found myself thinking how would the Hero do something Apple does? Then, when I had worked it out, asking myself, why do it that way, the iPhone is so much easier.

If Google, or anyone else, wants to take on the most user-friendly phone on the planet, why not focus on its weakest point, the lack of a physical keyboard? There are more Android-enabled devices with real keyboards on their way but for now, the smart decision if you do not need a physical keyboard on your phone is to buy an iPhone, even if you need to mortgage the wife and kids to do so, or you will spend a year or more regretting you got locked into a contract for an inferior device.

Currently, phones using the upgraded Windows Mobile 6.5 operating systems offer the best option for those seeking a real keyboard. One I have tested worthy of serious consideration is the new HTC Touch Pro 2. I spent a few weeks using one recently and although the keyboard seems a little stiff, it is not as harsh to touch as the metallic keyboard on last year’s Sony Experia.

Overall, the device is very reminiscent of the old HTC TYTN11 which I concluded last year was actually a better option than any of the 2009 generation of phones I tested. The keys are large enough to easily distinguish and this is more precise than using a virtual keyboard on an iPhone. The screen, which can be tilted towards the user, is very clear, giving a sharp contrast.

Even if opting for a device with a keyboard for viewing email, web browsing and general ease of use, I still would not be without an iPhone. Next year may see the launch of a much heralded next-generation convergence device from Apple, a sort of cross between an iPhone and an ebook, but until this arrives those of us who want the best of both worlds appear doomed to continue to carry two devices.

Finally, please Mr Jobs, can I have an iPhone Pro - the iPhone I love, but with a slideout keyboard? It would be great if it could contain two Sim cards so I can have my private and business numbers on a single device.

My conclusion to this year’s pre-Christmas study of mobile phones is unless you are going to write lots of very long emails, you want an iPhone. If you are going to be doing a lot of typing, a phone running Windows Mobile is probably your best bet and one of the various HTC variations will probably be your best answer.

 

 

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