Get smart! Get out of the office

Smartphone capabilities and options are constantly evolving. We investigate what today's technology can offer the mobile executive...

By Kylie Jurgensen

Do you remember the story about the Emperor who got conned by a pair of scheming fashion designers into parading through town in his underwear, thinking he was sporting some new invisible outfit that was the height of fashion?

Well if you’ve been feeling a bit dumb around clever people who claim that even their phones are smarter than yours, take heart. That “smartphone” label is about as elusive as the poor king’s overpriced wardrobe. So what is it that makes a phone truly smart in the current marketplace?

Now you will find a few purists who claim that there’s ‘smart phone’ and there’s ‘Smartphone’, but that’s ancient history so for the sake of clarity let’s ignore them along with all those advertisers who use the smartphone label to justify hiking the prices on new phones. Technically we’re talking here about a hybrid mobile device with both phone and PDA characteristics as well as the other enhancements that have come about in the past decade or so. Bottom line? Smartphone is as smart phone does.

So what makes a phone smart?
Since just about all modern mobile phones can make phone calls and come pre-loaded with basic personal information manager (PIM) applications (calendar, notes, alarm clock, address book), let’s raise the bar a little. After all, these days a phone’s not really smart unless it can:

• provide top-of-the-line call quality with maximum, preferably high speed, coverage,
• be customised to suit your needs with a wide range of third-party software applications,
• sync with your desktop and/or laptop software applications using a range of connectivity options,
• be used to view and, preferably, edit different types of documents (word-processing, spreadsheets, presentations) on the run,
• provide high speed internet access and the full spectrum of messaging features including email with attachments,
• offer a range of convenient ways of entering and navigating larger amounts of on-screen data, such as a QWERTY keyboard, scrolling wheel, touchscreen, on-screen text entry, shortcut keys, etc,
• accommodate expandable memory options.

Smart operating systems
Since smartphones are mini-computers, they need an operating system (OS) – like the Windows or Mac OS on your desktop or laptop.

However, you will be pleased to hear that neither Microsoft nor Apple has managed to get a stranglehold on the mobile phone OS market, and the other mobile operating systems available are generally pretty forgiving when it comes to compatibility with your desktop software applications.

The mobile OS world is dominated by Symbian OS, followed at a distance by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS, RIM BlackBerry OS serving the BlackBerry handsets and Apple’s iPhone OS. At present, the smartest of Symbian smartphones available in Australia are sporting Symbian OS 9.5, with the popular S60 (Third Edition) user interface running on this, while Windows for Mobile 6 is the latest version of the popular Windows Mobile OS.

Once you’ve determined that the smartphone you are considering does indeed have a recent version of a reputable OS, try and get some time playing with the phone to make sure you like the way menus and applications operate, and that the phone enables you to run multiple applications smoothly and switch quickly between them.

The next step is to do some investigation into whether the phone’s OS will enable you to sync easily with your desktop software, and then look into its compatibility with other third party applications that you might want to run on your phone.

Smart options: third-party software
Third-party software enables you to customise your smartphone with applications that will do the things that you want your phone to do – just as you can on your home or office computer.

Third-party applications are often made available through the phone manufacturer’s website.

The best example of this is the BlackBerry site (www.blackberry.com), which provides an extensive range of applications for BlackBerry smartphones, including business and lifestyle applications, news, sports, travel and weather apps, games and entertainment, and navigation and mapping software.

Nokia’s website (www.nokia.com.au) provides a range of software downloads for different phones, such as Nokia Sports Tracker for the Nokia N95, which uses the phone’s GPS to track and record your daily training distances, speeds and times.

At www.mymoto.com.au you can download games as well as ringtones, video clips and music for your Motorola phone.

If you’re serious about customising your mobile, visit online mobile software download stores www.handango.com or www.pocketgear.com where, in addition to the usual games, you will also find education, medical and financial software packages, among others. Or, if you’re financially strapped and wanting to test some of the more cutting edge third-party mobile applications, try your luck with the range of free and Beta downloads available at www.getjar.com.

As with all downloading, it pays to make sure you have the latest virus protection software installed on your mobile before you invite large amounts of unfamiliar data to take up residence on your device.

Smart connectivity
Connectivity is about how you get data on and off your phone – connecting to your home computer to download photos, for example, or linking up with the Internet to download software or music, or syncing your phone’s calendar with the appointments stored on your computer at work.

For far too long, getting connected meant fiddling with cables and a bewildering array of sockets at both ends, followed by a confusing series of pop-up instructions, but things have got a lot easier in recent times. The connectivity options you want to see on your smartphone on top of 3G include: USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

USB is the most familiar form of connectivity for many of us. It relies on a cable, which is connected between your phone and your computer, and is used most commonly to transfer data – syncing your phone with your desktop applications, or downloading files such as music, software or documents – or to charge your mobile. USB 2.0 is the current release, and provides the fastest upload and download speeds.

Bluetooth enables you to connect your mobile wirelessly and simultaneously to up to seven different devices at a time. These may include headphones, computers, printers, cameras, GPS units and keyboards, as long as they are Bluetooth enabled or have a Bluetooth adaptor on-board, and are within a range of about 10 metres from your mobile.

Like USB, Bluetooth can be used to transfer data, and if you’re fortunate enough to get a smartphone with Bluetooth 2.0 EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) you can get high-speed transfer rates as well. A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) provides compatibility with stereo Bluetooth headsets.

Wi-Fi gives you the option of bypassing expensive mobile broadband rates by enabling you to connect directly into your existing home broadband network or wireless hotspot for high-speed Internet access on your phone. The latest smartphones come with 802.11g Wi-Fi and can handle up to 54 megabits of data per second, which makes high-quality voice, data, video and audio transfer a real possibility and enables you to take advantage of alternative calling options such as SKYPE calling for free.

Smart calling
There was a time in the bad old days when smartphones were clever enough on the business applications front but fairly sad on the boring but essential business of making phone calls. Fortunately those days are almost a distant memory. In addition to checking out the quality and range of a smartphone’s calling features, such as speaker phone, voice dialling and noise cancellation technology, you can improve your calling experience by ensuring that your smartphone can take advantage of 3G coverage.

If you’re in the market for a smartphone in Australia, you want to make sure it works on the high-speed grids that the network providers are working overtime to install around the country. In addition to lightning-quick upload and download speeds for mobile broadband, having a phone that is 3G enabled opens up possibilities for enhanced calling options such as video calling.

Smart memory
So there’s a wealth of smart technology waiting to be discovered but unless you were handed your smartphone along with the keys to your company car, you’re going to be paying good money for these features and it’s worth doing a little thinking about whether you really need them or not. And, while we’re talking clever features, why not expect your smartphone to also take decent pictures, provide top-notch audio and video playback, and come with an on-board GPS so that you can take advantage of location-based services?

After all, it’s a competitive marketplace out there and it has got to be a smart move to make your smartphone earn its keep.

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