Business users say they prefer smartphones over laptops and
personal digital assistants (PDAs) when they're on the road. But
while CIOs should be looking at smartphones as an alternative
mobile device, experts warn about putting too much stock in the
tool's appeal.
According to a new study of 228 smartphones users by In-Stat,
64% said the devices are "essential" for their work. Another 32%
said smartphones were "helpful" for their work. Laptop users were
slightly less bullish, with 63% of 758 users describing laptops as
essential and 27% describing them as helpful.
PDA users were less enthusiastic about their devices. Among 421
PDA users, only 34% described them as "essential" and 55% called
them "helpful."
"Don't assume that the laptop is the only option," said Bill
Hughes, an analyst at In-Stat. "With smartphones, if there were any
questions about the viability of them as a platform in the past,
these should no longer be considered a real limitation."
Hughes said businesses have assumed that laptops with wireless
technology are the best devices for mobile workers, "but this data
and lots of industry experience shows that the smartphone is also a
superior solution. It's smaller, much lighter, and depending on the
applications used, it has all the capabilities you need and it
costs less."
Daniel Taylor, managing director of the consortium the Mobile
Enterprise Alliance, said smartphones are gaining traction among
managers and business professionals. But they may not be the best
choice for some mobile workers, such as field service workers, who
use mobile devices for specialised applications.
Taylor said smartphones are "like a Swiss Army knife. They can
do anything." But he said IT departments don't want specialised
employees like field service workers to have smartphones when a
"ruggedised" PDA might be the best choice. He said the objective of
any mobile device is to improve productivity. However, the power of
smartphones might actually inhibit productivity in some cases.
"[IT departments] don't want [field service] users installing
games and other applications," Taylor said. "A Nokia 95
Communicator is the granddaddy of smartphones. It does a lot. It
has a lot of capabilities. But is that the right device to hand
someone who is working in a sewer, who spends their day working on
heavy machinery? The answer is probably not."
"The reason for deploying mobile technology is that productivity
improves. In field services, productivity is measured by the number
of people seen per day, the number of work tickets resolved.
Anytime a person in the field is doing something that doesn't
improve their productivity, then it becomes hard to justify the
investment. The last thing you need is a field service working
installing software while sitting in a truck that's not
moving."
However, Taylor agreed that very few obstacles remain for
widespread adoption of smartphones among travelling business
managers, mobile professionals and knowledge workers.
Hughes said the devices pose a problem for workers who input
large amounts of information. A user who writes long reports on the
road will still want a laptop, but users who are reading reports on
the road are another story.
When In-Stat asked 784 users of mobile technology what
improvements were needed in order for smartphones to be more useful
in business, 59% were seeking a better keyboard. Forty-nine per
cent said they wanted applications that worked the same as PC-based
applications, and 47% said they wanted devices that could
automatically synchronize with PCs.
However, Hughes said these barriers to wider usage aren't as big
an obstacle as they may seem.
"I see no truly logical barriers to smartphones," he said. "The
screens are smaller and the keyboards aren't as efficient, but with
many applications that aren't input-intensive that isn't an issue.
And the lighter weight more than makes up for that."
Let us know what you think about the story; email:
Shamus McGillicuddy,
News Writer
This article originally appeared on SearchCIO.com.