New Smartphones Poised to Take Center Stage
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by Matt Hyatt

Smartphones, the idyllic marriage of phones and PDAs, may finally be coming of age. Following on the heels of PalmOne’s hugely popular Treo 600 are scores of new smartphones good enough to put most ordinary phones out to pasture.

While the Treo 600 has been the best selling smartphone to date, PalmOne certainly isn’t resting on its laurels with that success. The company has been hard at work designing what it hopes will be another homerun – the Treo 650. As its name suggests, the Treo 650 is rumored to sport several subtle improvements over its predecessor. Among the expected improvements are a high resolution screen, Bluetooth wireless capabilities, backlit keys, and a much-improved 1.3 megapixel camera. Many speculate the new Treo will be available this fall.

Like the Treo 600, the Treo 650 is expected to maintain compatibility with Good Technology’s GoodLink wireless corporate data access software. GoodLink works with Windows servers and Microsoft Exchange to provide wireless synchronization of certain handheld devices and corporate email systems. Besides email, GoodLink also makes it possible to synchronize contacts, documents, and even calendar data.

PalmOne and Good Technology aren’t the only ones working towards better smartphone technologies. Research In Motion (RIM), considered a pioneer in wireless data access by many, is poised to release a new smartphone of its own. Unlike previous smartphones produced by RIM, the new Blackberry 7100t looks more like a traditional cell phone than a PDA. Perhaps more importantly, the 7100t uses an innovative new mobile phone-style keypad that allows quick entry of phone numbers for dialing and text for email. The device uses a built-in dictionary of more than 35,000 words to automatically figure out what users are really trying to type, making text entry almost as fast as using a regular PDA keyboard. The 7100t should be available by the time you read this.

RIM also produces Blackberry Enterprise Server, an application that allows Blackberry users to synchronize email, calendar data, and more with a corporate server running Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes. Two versions of the product are available for Microsoft networks, one for large corporate networks and one for small business networks with as few as five users.

Microsoft itself is a major player in the smartphone arena, too. In addition to its Windows Mobile operating system for Pocket PC PDAs, the company produces a smartphone operating system by the same name. While Windows Mobile’s native support for servers running Microsoft Exchange is a huge benefit for many cost-sensitive business users, smartphone manufacturers have yet to produce a widely accepted model that includes a text-friendly keypad. Nevertheless, Windows Mobile-based devices are virtually guaranteed to gain a high level of popularity among smartphone users.

One Windows Mobile-based phone that holds promise is the Motorola MPx220, expected out this month. The popular clamshell design positively bristles with features, including dual high resolution screens (one outside and one inside), Bluetooth wireless capabilities, sRocket ITerphone, a 1.2 megapixel camera, and even an MP3 player. Business users will be attracted to the familiar Windows-like interface and features, including the ability to view and edit Microsoft Office files.

Unfortunately, not all smartphones are available from every wireless carrier. The Blackberry 7100t, for example, will initially be available only from T-Mobile. Similarly, the Motorola MPx220 will likely only be available from AT&T Wireless and Cingular. Adventurous types may find Internet sources for “unlocked” phones that work with multiple carriers, but price, compatibility, and possible technical support issues will likely scare the rest of us away.

The coming deluge of smartphones will be a welcome sight for corporate users anxious for the convenience of such devices. For many, the time for great smartphones is right now. Fortunately for everyone, the wait is almost over.

Matt Hyatt is founder of Rocket IT, an IT consulting firm near Atlanta, Georgia. For technology help with your business, contact Rocket IT at 770-441-2520 or visit online at www.rocketit.com.

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