Project Management ~ Mobile Device Solutions

I was delegated to research and decide upon our companies need for a mobile device solution. We need approximately 20 phones. We decided to compare a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard mobile device. After doing a little research I found the two phones that had the highest rating in each category that fit within our budget, no more than $200 a phone. The two phones that I picked were the HTC HERO with GOOGLE at $149, and the BLACKBERRY TOUR 9630 SMARTPHONE at $99 per phone.

I decided to go with Sprint as our 3g Voice and Data provider because they offer twice the coverage area as AT&T, and 20 times the coverage of T-mobile. Sprint usually comes to mind first as more of a Business service provider vs. the personal sector.  There is a huge cost saving advantage with going with Sprint vs. AT&T as well.  With Comparable voice plans you can save over $600 a phone or $12,000 on 20 phones with a 2-year plan. The savings add up even more when you look at the data plans, Saving over $1000 per device, or $20,000 overall on 2-year plans. Sprint also provides International coverage as well.

Both devices offer a lot of good features, full web-browsing, Microsoft Outlook, email, and calendaring. They are both HAC and TTY compatible for people with hearing difficulties. Another feature that I like that both phones offered over the competition was the 3.5mm headset jack vs. USB device only. That offers considerable savings as well as selection on using a headset with the device. Both devices also support Blue-tooth headsets as well.  The Blackberry does however have a headset device included in the price so therefore eliminating that extra cost. Both phones also offer viewing of Microsoft Excel, Word, Power Point and PDF files, which is very important for keeping up-to-date with the latest developments within the company without having to convert files for maximum efficiency. The blackberry also offers editing of these files as well as supporting a few more applications. If you’re traveling for business perhaps to a meeting you might have gotten a little lost in an unfamiliar city, both phones support GPS navigation software. And in the business world your often always on the go and usually multitasking so they offer hands-free voice-activated calling.

The HTC HERO offers a bit more memory expansion capability over the Tour, supporting up to 32GB of memory instead of only 16GB.  HTC also comes standard with a 2GB memory card vs. the Tours 1GB. This is a bit of a mute point though because chances are you are going to upgrade the card anyway. Due to the fact that the HERO is touch-screen it also offers a larger screen for easier viewing, which can come in handy when trying to view large files.  The HERO also offers a 5.0 megapixel camera compared to the Tour with its 3.2 mega-pixels.  The TOUR has a few more included accessories which will help cut down the cost. The device comes with a swivel case, a stereo headset, and a SIM card standard. Those extra accessories do add up rather quickly when multiplied by 20. Both phones come standard with a charger and USB cable as well.

Overall I feel that the Blackberry TOUR 9630 is the overall best decision.  First of the device is $50 cheaper than the touch-screen option, saving $1000 right off the bat, plus the additional savings of the included accessories is ideal.  Being able view several Microsoft applications is fundamental, but the ability to edit those documents can prove to be quite critical at times. Having a larger screen is nice, but I feel that the reliability and ease of use of a QWERTY keyboard is essential to providing efficient use of the device.  Although the HERO offers a better camera, larger screen and more memory, I feel that the amount of savings, the reliability, and the superior functionality of the Blackberry TOUR 9630 Smartphone outweighs the options of the HTC HERO with GOOGLE.