Array of gadgets keep business on the move

Smartphones and handheld computers, data cards and push-to-talk. These are terms business people are encountering more and more as an ever-increasing range of mobile gadgets arrive on the scene.

The irony is that most workers will be equipped with one of a hundred phones that doesn't make the list below, and provides voice and little else.

Most business, after all, is done when people are talking to each other.

Nevertheless, for those who need internet and email access or the ability to tap into the company network remotely, there's never been as much choice in the world of mobile.

Handheld computers (PDAs)

The Harrier ($280 to $999, depending on what plan you are on), offered on Telecom's high-speed network, ranks as the top network-enabled handheld computer available in New Zealand at the moment.

It offers pocket versions of popular Windows programs such as Word and Excel, a media player, good-resolution camera, POP3 email access and syncronisation with Microsoft Outlook.

A similar model dubbed Falcon comes without the miniature keyboard but for the same price.

Vodafone offers a phone with identical hardware features as the i-mate PDA 2K ($1799) but it operates on the pedestrian GPRS network.

However, the phone is 3G ready so that when Vodafone's high-speed network is launched, the handheld will be compatible.

Sony's move to discontinue its Palm-based Clie brand of handhelds, first in Europe and now in its stronghold of Japan, signals where the Palm operating system may be going.

Software giant Microsoft's Pocket PC, on the other hand, continues to go from strength to strength with compatibility being its strong point.

A number of Pocket PC and Palm-based handhelds are able to be connected to the mobile network in conjunction with a mobile phone using a data cable or infra-red port.

Smartphones

Microsoft has been tipped to inherit the smartphone market for some time, and its hardware partners certainly have delivered some smart devices for business users who don't want to cart around a handheld computer but want some advanced functions on their phone.

The i-mate Smartphone 2 ($1149) offered by Vodafone is based on the Windows Mobile platform and has the mobile worker's essentials - email, contacts, calendar, instant messenger and internet access.

Another model, the i-mate SP3 ($899) offers a similar feature set.

Both Telecom and Vodafone support the popular Treo 600 hybrid, catering to the vast range of applications built on the Palm platform. Pricing ranges from $499 to $1499 based on subscription plan.

Vodafone's flagship smartphone is the Blackberry, a device that receives email across the GPRS data network as it arrives on the company network.

The classic Blackberry 7230 ($999) has been joined by more conventional mobile handset models such as the 7100v ($999).

A webmail version of the Blackberry is now available for small and medium businesses, thus avoiding the expense of installing hardware specifically to serve numerous Blackberry devices.

Kyocera's Palm-based smartphone, the 7135 ($699) was among the first available on Telecom's high-speed CDMA 1x network, and enjoys popular use among those using salesforce and invoicing software on the move.

Sony Ericsson's 910i ($1599) is one of the slickest high-end smartphones available on Vodafone's network and can even be configured as a Blackberry device.

Mobile data cards

Telecom currently has the upper-hand in the mobile data card market with a PC card designed to work on its high-speed EV-DO mobile network, which operates in main centres and at slower speeds in other areas.

The pint-sized Fast Eddie of the commercials has been pushing the card for months, allowing you to send and receive email faster and surf the web at Jetstream-type speeds.

The card slots into any laptop with a PCMCIA slot and includes a built-in modem that searches for the mobile network and effectively acts as a mobile phone for data.

Vodafone has had in the market for some time the Mobile Connect data card ($450), which operates on the outmoded GPRS network and delivers connection speeds at roughly the same as dial-up internet when used in conjunction with acceleration software, which is supplied with the card.

Mobile Connect has a nice software interface that integrates mobile phone text and email messages.

Mobile Connect is a SIM-card-based technology useful for internet provider or corporate intranet email access, and allows easy transferral among employees.

The SIM card needs only to be changed for a different account to rack up the data charges.

Facing obsolescence with the arrival of its 3G successor, the Mobile Connect card will remain important for those business travellers roaming on other GPRS networks around the world. For them, the card allows access to email abroad and straight to the laptop.

As Animation Research chief executive Ian Taylor used to say in the adverts for Mobile Connect, he was able to clear his email while sitting in a traffic jam on the way to Heathrow Airport.

Push-to-talk handsets

It's early days in New Zealand for push-to-talk phones, which can be cheaply used as walkie-talkies for conversations among groups of people.

Telecom brought the technology to the market with two models - the high-end Sanyo 7400 ($599) model, which boasts a camera and the ability to send video clips, and the basic Sanyo 4920 ($199).

Vodafone has one push-to-talk handset available, the Motorola V303p ($699).

Coming up

As Telecom hotspots become more pervasive, a dual-mode PC card capable of working on the mobile data network and at local hotspots is likely to appear on the market.

Vodafone's 3G data card, a high-speed update on the Mobile Connect card, is already being offered by retailers such as Dick Smith for around $850.

If Vodafone's international plans are anything to go by, the mobile operator may also bring its own wireless LAN services here, offering hotspot-type services to supplement its mobile phone network.

As video telephony takes off with the launch of Vodafone's 3G network around mid-year, handsets such as the Sony Ericsson V800 and the Sharp 902 will make their debuts.

Telecom has forged a relationship with US mobile operator Sprint as the two run similar CDMA networks, and the alliance has helped to plug gaps in Telecoms handset line-up.

If the current Sprint range of handsets are anything to go by, the Palm-based Samsung i500 and the Treo 650 may soon make their debuts here.

Data terminals

Telecom last year introduced the Verifone mobile eftpos terminal, targeting the large number of New Zealand businesses with mobile workforces.

A number of taxi firms, couriers and tourism operators are using the terminals, which authenticate eftpos and credit card transactions over the mobile network in real time.

Other devices such as the AnyData iPort and the high-speed serial modem are delivering high-speed data services for such things as fleet-tracking and sales and order management.

Vodafone has GPRS terminals for metering and services and will no doubt have a more sophisticated line-up when its 3G network is switched on.