So, you finally picked up a business phone but ended up using it just for keeping track of e-mail? You're not alone - but with a few tips from us, you can turn it into a lean, mean productivity machine.
Business phones are strange creatures indeed. More advanced than mere mortal handsets, they run operating systems akin to PCs; Microsoft's Windows Mobile is used by Motorola, Samsung and others, while Nokia sticks to its Series 60 and 80 platforms - the latter used exclusively by their Communicator products - and Sony Ericsson to UIQ. What all have in common is the ability to run 3rd party software in so-called native mode, which enables applications to exploit their full feature sets - and that's where the fun starts.
The infinitely popular Series 60 and Series 80
Oddly, despite their massive popularity, 3rd party software is scarce for handsets based on Nokia's platforms. Some applications still stand out, however, such as WorldMate - an excellent companion for road warriors which serves up weather forecasts, a currency converter, world time and even flight status updates. For staying in touch with colleagues (and everyone else), nothing beats Agile Messenger, and if your IT department hasn't gotten over-the-air synchronization up and running, sneak a peek at RoadSync or MightyPhone. Further on a business note, we recommend Documents To Go for S80 users and Quickoffice for S60 users, while Opera Mobile should improve your surfing experience by quite a few degrees.
UIwho?
Once a very promising platform alternative, only one proponent remains for the Symbian OS based UIQ platform: Sony Ericsson. The two-years-old P910i is currently being replaced by the M600i, which means it's time to investigate the lengths to which the platform can be pushed - and unsurprisingly, WorldMate is also an excellent alternative here, as is Agile Messenger. The aforementioned MightyPhone already works with the P910i and is certain to liaise with the M600i in due time, while it would be reasonable to expect a similar case for RoadSync. We'd recommend Opera Mobile, but it's something of a mute point as it's pre-installed on the M600i and owners of the P910i receive a bundled copy - so instead we'll settle for a pat on the shoulder to Documents To Go.
The patently prolific Windows Mobile
Comparably low sales or not; the greatest advantage of the Windows Mobile platform is its abundance of 3rd party software. Take Pocket Informant, for instance, which even gives many a desktop PIM alternative a run for their money. And wouldn't you know it - WorldMate and Agile Messenger are as superb on this platform as on any other, while we'd also like to offer a nod to SBSH Pocket Weather for those who prefer a more integrated - and dedicated - weather forecast. For the productivity-minded, ClearVue Suite will view common office formats but not edit them; only Word users have a proper alternative in TextMaker, while Opera Mobile will improve the surfing experience also here to a certain extent.
Common denominators
As you've likely noticed by now, several of the applications recommended straddle multiple platforms - which also the case with certain hardware accessories. A Bluetooth keyboard such as the Stowaway will bring your typing to near-laptop speed, while a Bluetooth GPS is a boon for frequent travellers - we recommend TomTom for this purpose. Furthermore, Bluetooth headsets of either the mono or stereo fashion free up your hands for typing or other work.
Lastly, we'd like to point out the Opera Mini browser, which is not to be mistaken for Opera Mobile. Although it runs within a Java 'sandbox' and as such cannot integrate with other applications, Opera Mini reformats the layout of ordinary web pages to fit whichever device it is being used with, also compressing data to achieve bandwidth - and thus cost - savings of up to 50%; genious for reading just about anything on the go.
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