The boss has a new gadget to keep tabs on the subordinates. The gadget is not just for being connected while on the move, the device is a mobile office. We are talking about smart phones and PDA phones, the latest competition to the notebook computers and laptops.

Palmtops, PDAs, and handheld office devices have been around for some time now and many executives on the move have considered these an alternate to the bulky laptops. Initially the handheld office devices did not have voice functions and were mainly used for: taking notes, making presentations, or any other work which the user would have done over his desktop. Today a single mobile handheld device can be used to: communicate over voice and e-mail, stream video, conferencing, and also to browse the cyberspace. Gone are the days when executives were seen carrying laptops, palm tops, and cell phones separately. Most executives today like to keep their workplace in their pocket, while on the move.

Betting on Mobile Apps
Though it is not easy discount the laptops, the future seems to be for the smart phones or pocket PCs. Already, in high-security zones like the White House and Pentagon, government officials private executives have been using the BlackBerry instead of a laptop to be connected to their central office. With sets like O2XDA II being Wi-Fi enabled, working on the move with a single device has become easier.

In Japan, South Korea, and many other Southeast Asian countries PDAs and smart phones over the Microsoft Windows Mobile platforms are becoming popular. "Market research reports show the PDA market going down. Users prefer to have smart phones or high-end feature phones with PDA functionalities," says Chia Eng Keat, vice president sales, O2 (Asia).

CEOs Next Gen Gadgets     BlackBerry 7730 Krome iQ700 O2 XDA II mini Sony Ericsson P910i Motorola A768i Nokia 6670 Screen 65k color TFT 64k color TFT 64k color TFT 262k color TFT 65k color TFT 65k color TFT e-mail accounts 9 POP3 mail boxes Outlook Express Outlook Express POP3 and IMAP POP3 and IMAP SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 e-mail access mode Push architecture instantly delivery Pull architecture send and receive Pull architecture send and receive Pull architecture send and receive Pull architecture send and receive Pull architecture send and receive Browser BlackBerry Internet Explorer Internet Explorer Symbian v7.0 Picsel Netfront Web browser Browser support No Java and frame based sites WAP and HTML sites WAP and HTML sites WAP and HTML sites WAP and HTML sites (format differs) HTML, xhtml, and whtml sites Personal organizer Synchronization Over the air USB, infrared or Bluetooth USB, infrared or Bluetooth USB, infrared or Bluetooth USB, infrared or Bluetooth USB or Bluetooth Messenger service Not available MSN messenger MSN messenger Not available Not available Allows chatting services Talk time 5-6 hrs 4-5 hrs 4-5 hrs 5-6 hrs 5-6 hrs 3 hrs Camera Not available Still, video, and MMS Still, video, and MMS Still, video, and MMS Still, video, and MMS (4X zoom) Still, video, and MMS, movie editor Document viewer Text extracted and displayed RepliGo software view attachments ClearVue for PDF, PPT, DOC, XLS files MS word, Excel and Adobe Acrobat MS word, Excel and Adobe Acrobat Netfront for PDF, PPT, DOC, XLS files Memory 16 MB flash memory + 2 MB SRAM ROM: 64 Mb, SDRAM: 32 Mb ROM: 64 Mb, RAM: 64 Mb Internal 96 Mb, user memory 64 Mb Internal 96 Mb, user memory 58Mb 8 Mb shared memory Operating system BlackBerry Windows Mobile Windows Mobile Symbian Linux Symbian Input mode Thumbpad Keypad Touch screen Keypad and touch screen Touch screen Keypad Memory slot Not available Not available Available Available Not available Reduced size memory slot Price Rs 32,990 Rs 27,000 Rs 34,888 Rs 40,000 Rs 23,995 Rs 25,639 VOICE&DATA assessment Technically an excellent device. Good for workaholics. Absence of any multi-media feature may disappoint many. Small, sleek attractive features makes it an object of desire. The jog key at times may open undesired applications. Touch screen is a nuisance when your ear lobe starts another application while talking. You would miss the keyboard. Large screen, memory slot, ease of use, good navigation makes it a perfect office device on the move. Good for Linux fans. Webite display format may not suit many. Excellent sound quality. E-mail access and chat access keeps connected. Good camera resolution. Ease of being Nokia comes handy. *The GPRS connectivity provided by Hutch, and Airtel provided BlackBerry connection

In India, Hutch tied up with Motorola to bring e-mail and some of the other Microsoft applications over its network. Reliance, Bharti, and Tata have made their intentions clear on providing enterprise applications like corporate e-mail to their subscribers.

Telecom operators have been trying to leverage on their networks by enhancing data carrying speeds up to 2 Mbps from the current 30–40 kbps. GPRS and EDGE, promising almost 144 kbps data throughput, were two such enhancements giving decent surfing speeds though multimedia applications are still not efficient over them.

Era of Converged Devices
In October, Airtel brought the BlackBerry devices to India. Under an exclusive tie up these devices would be available to the enterprise customers. "The compatibility of BlackBerry with Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes makes it an excellent device for both the enterprise and the retail customers. Though our main focus would be enterprise users," said Dr Jai Menon, CTO, Bharti group.

It extracts the content (text) from applications (e.g. PDF, Word, or Excel) and shows it in a form compatible to the screen size, without loss of data, he added. For many smart phones also you need software like RepliGo and ClearVue to see the mail attachments.

The BlackBerry device works on a separate network that has been laid over the existing one. The access points for BlackBerry are connected with leased lines with lot of redundancy to give high quality of service-SLAs ensures 99.9 percent up time-and speed.

"Unlike the common perception, the data centers and enterprise servers are not placed in London or Canada. They are very much in India and the deal with Research in Motion, which makes BlackBerry, was struck only when they were satisfied with the network quality and our capability to deliver to their standards," said Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and managing director, Bharti Tele-Ventures.

Airtel also offers Microsoft Pocket PC phones, and officials say as an operator they are technology agnostic and it depends on the customer to choose from the two. "We have both and even though BlackBerry is being marketed directly by us, only those who know its benefits opt for it and believe me there are many who prefer it over smart phones which are available in the open market," said Dr Menon.

Smart devices from Palm, iMate, Krome, Motorola, Kyocera, O2 XDAs, and HP iPacs are some of the models that not only offer e-mail services but also have chat messenger features and a camera too.

E-mail as the Selling Point
The USP of BlackBerry across world has been its push technology and the open standard that enables developers to add applications according to customers' needs. Due to the push technology, the email inbox on the desktop is in sync with the device and the user gets instant email alerts instead of doing a send/receive each time.

Hutch also claims to offer inbox synchronization between Pocket PC phones and desktops. "You can get emails on both your phone inbox and your desktop. The best part is, once you have opened the mail on the mobile, it is still stored in your inbox and can be retrieved on the desktop," said Shanker Bali, vice-president (sales and marketing), Hutch India. However, synchronization happens either through a USB and data cable or over the air (OTA).

If synchronization happens OTA, user gets the mails when they are delivered in his mailbox. But for this exchange server needs to be installed and a VPN link established if the user wants to access his office mail or office network.

Ease of Use
Being an open standard, BlackBerry is compatible even with Microsoft Exchange servers and Lotus Notes. The Windows-enabled Pocket PCs run Microsoft applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. "BlackBerry is a previous generation technology. As most of the enterprises are using Microsoft OS and are familiar with its usage, it requires practically no training to adopt Pocket PCs," say Microsoft officials.

The BlackBerry urge, however, cannot be discounted and many handset vendors are trying to integrate the BlackBerry platform on their devices.

"When the target audience are the enterprise, you have to fulfill their aspirations. To attract the BlackBerry fans, we are soon going to introduce this platform over our XDA sets. The integrated phones should hit the market in first half of 2005," added Keat.

If applications are kept aside and just the form factor of these devices is taken into account, there is no doubt they are getting smaller and sleeker. But reduced form factor and features like touch screen often take away the ease of use. These devices are being positioned to enhance efficiency but their keypad is very small, reducing the typing speed. In touch-screen phones, even a slight touch can change the application and this can be very irritating while making calls and in moving vehicles.

"It is matter of getting used to the small size of keypads or the touch screen. If you are using a PDA, there should not be a problem and once you get used to these sets it gives a great experience," said Karan Narula, CEO, eCharge.

Spend More to Keep in Touch
With Blackberry, pocket PC, or smart phones, apart from the cost of the handsets (Rs 20,000 to Rs 44,000), one has to pay additional charge of services like GPRS and EDGE. In case of BlackBerry, subscribers also pay a royalty for using the BlackBerry platform. They also pays for the airtime used and Internet (read GPRS) charges.

Besides these features, the real test would be device cost and customized applications. Before going for the services, enterprise users would wait for BlackBerry and Pocket PC to blink first. As in any corporate deal, negotiations would hold the key for: a better deal, reduced capex, and increased opex.

"The package can varies. We are open to bundle it with other Airtel services but the royalty has to be paid to BlackBerry. It is a platinum-grade service for which the user is ready to pay," adds Dr Menon. Also, the MS Exchange servers, license fee, and cost of application software are additional.

"Applications like field-force automation, inventory management, and sales force management running on these devices neutralizes the investments and in the long run it has been proved that overall efficiency of the enterprise has gone up," said Donald H Morrison, chief operating officer, BlackBerry.

So the main question for a CIO to ask, before he opts for these devices for his enterprise, is whether the amount spent is worth the value of productivity enhancement. The real market for these devices is with the enterprise users and individuals might use it for being 'in style'. And acceptance level among the enterprise users would go up only if there is a case of remarkable rise in efficiency due to these devices.

Anurag Prasad