David M Williams
Monday, 06 July 2009 19:20
Opinion and Analysis
Page 3 of 5
Windows Mobile 5 never really struck me as a great platform. It was not stable, with frequent reboots required. I’d been desperately waiting for version 5 because Windows Mobile 2003, like version 2002 before it, was similarly flakey. Each time the media would say “Windows Mobile 2003 / 5 / 6 will fix it” but without the newer release actually delivering.
While push e-mail worked – provided you used Exchange for e-mail – it was never as satisfactory. I’ve often been surprised when I speak with technical people who tell me they come into a role and inherited a BlackBerry environment and they’re trying to steer it to Windows Mobile instead.
Who wants a smartphone you have to reboot regularly? It’s just totally unacceptable for a vital piece of equipment like a mobile phone to be like this.
The iPhone is stunningly stable. It’s also a desirable piece of equipment. I’m a sucker for a popular gadget so I actually carry an iPhone 3G too.
I opted not to make a choice between one device or the other, but to use both. The iPhone is my mobile phone and the BlackBerry is my e-mail device. I can also use them for the other purpose too.
Originally my reasons for carrying two units were because – until the BlackBerry Bold – there were no 3G BlackBerrys available and thus my 3G mobile phone delivered superior reception.
The BlackBerry Bold could be a complete replacement but I do enjoy the iPhone. I love the user interface and I love the iTunes app store. I use it to keep up to date with podcasts and for listening to music.
Yet, the iPhone can’t replace the BlackBerry because its e-mail handling is just not comparable in any way.
It may surprise some of you to learn that the iPhone’s corporate push-mail is ActiveSync, under license from Microsoft and that’s how it is able to communicate with Microsoft Exchange.
Consequently, it suffers from the same shortcomings as did e-mail on Windows Mobile.
Firstly, the handheld uses your Windows credentials to log in. If you change your password within the corporate network it must be also changed on the device. While that sounds like a no-brainer you have to keep in mind we’re talking mostly about end-users – and frequently VIPs like CEOs and COOs and CFOs.
Chances are higher that when their device stops receiving e-mail they’ll be calling IT rather than recognising they have to program in their new password. If your company mandates regular password changes you can be virtually guaranteed of a problem ticket per handheld per password change.
You don’t have this issue with BlackBerry simply because it works through the BES instead of logging in to the webmail site using your credentials. Change your password as often as you like and mail will still keep coming.
I’ll tell you more.
