Mobile technology: What’s right for you?

Mobile device technology has reached the point where choices are so numerous that it’s difficult to decide which device, features or carrier is right for you. A few years ago, we had a single choice for corporate e-mail: Blackberry, which was, and in some respects still is, the preferred choice for corporate America.

There is, however, a new push in devices that often bypass the corporate IT department. These devices fit both corporate needs and individual style. The one-size-fits-all, corporate Blackberry has given way to the iPhone, Google Android devices, Palm’s WebOS, and Windows Phone.

All of these devices seem to be playing catch-up to the revolutionary iPhone, which pioneered tying applications of every shape and function to a simple mobile device that anyone, from the novice to the advanced user, could easily use and appreciate.

The key difference in the new devices is the corporate support for the king of e-mail, Microsoft Exchange.

Blackberry devices use a mandatory middleware server to support security and functionality.

iPhone, Palm, Windows Phone and Android all use a direct e-mail push through a native application or a third-party application bundled with the device that connects directly to Exchange ActiveSync over a mobile Internet connection. This is a key differentiation in device support.

BlackBerry has additional support requirements and licensing that the majority of other devices do not.

iPhone is king of apps, but it’s locked to Apple’s stringent development, application approval, and proprietary hardware.

That seems to give the Google Android platform, with its open software, hardware, and interface, an edge that is gaining significant traction.

Android devices are appearing on virtually all of the U.S. carriers, even on AT&T, the exclusive iPhone carrier, with devices and form factors to suit any need. Android is likely to see much more development, because it offers more options for carriers, developers, and users, which should allow it to quickly catch up with Apple’s head start in mobile apps.

Palm and Windows Phone are viable options, but have gotten neither the marketing nor the developer support that the Android and iPhone have seen.

Corporations should be aware of the shift in the market to devices with mobile e-mail that are no longer necessarily corporate, but can be personal purchases that come in a variety of shapes and sizes.