Archive for the ‘Hardware’ Category

Should You Pick Berries or Apples?

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

We get many phone calls from our clients asking our opinion about which SmartPhone they should purchase. It seems the cellular providers release a newer, faster, sleeker, snappier device every month, and it’s difficult for users to know how to choose. We specifically get numerous calls asking about BlackBerry devices and Apple’s iPhone. While there are many other SmartPhone options available, I’ll limit my discussion to some pros and cons of these two devices.

Both the BlackBerry and the iPhone add email and internet capabilities to the iphonecell phone, but they accomplish this in very different ways. Generally speaking, our advice to clients is to go with a BlackBerry only if your organization has a BlackBerry Enterprise server (ask us if you aren’t sure). If your company has this server, then that device would be an excellent option for you, as Blackberry’s email connectivity, email interface, and device security are the best around. However, if your company does not have this specialized and costly server, we recommend a device that is Exchange Activesync compatible (see below for a list of devices). In June of 2008, Apple added this feature to the iPhone making it available to the enterprise market who run Microsoft Exchange email environments (ask us if you aren’t sure).

blackberryA BlackBerry is perfect  if you send a high volume of  email from your mobile device, as some users find it easier to use an actual keyboard (versus the touch screen keyboard like the iPhone). While it does have other functions such as internet browsing, third party applications, music and video, it’s primary focus and strength is email.

While the iPhone also has email capabilities, its strength happens to be those other functions! The iPhone is also a full-featured iPod, allowing users to download both purchased and rented music and videos. The iPhone’s web browsing is also better, and thousands of third party applications can be downloaded for specialty uses.

Currently in the U.S., AT&T is the only iPhone provider. If you are interested in a device with Exchange Active Sync and have another cellular provider, here are a few other alternatives:

TMobile: TMobile Dash, TMobile Shadow

Verizon: HTC Ozone, Motorola Q

Sprint: Samsung ACE

Our encouragement to clients is to call us before making a SmartPhone purchase, so we can advise you on some things to consider, including your company’s technology resources, your service provider, and your functionality needs.

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Netbooks

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

mini9I just set up an Inspiron Dell Mini9 laptop. You’ve probably seen a bunch of these “Netbooks” popping up all over the place. There are some definite pros and cons to keep in mind when considering a device like this.
On the upside, the Mini9 is tiny, ultra portable and cheap. Cheap cheapy cheap! This particular model includes Windows XP Home Edition, 1GB RAM, 8GB Solid State Hard Drive & 3yr warranty. Costs about $500.
If your needs are limited to browsing the internet and computing “in the cloud” and you have smallish hands, pick one up (with your smallish hands).  Speaking of small hands, this would be an ideal computer for kids. If you do decide to get Junior one of these for eating all his veggies, try this KidZui browser for kids.pros-cons

Now, before you get all excited about the price tag and start moving your company to an all netbook model, it would be wise to consider the cons.  Windows XP Home won’t play nice with your Windows network.  Multitasking takes a hit without enough RAM and processing muscle.  While the solid state drives are silent and use less power, at this point the affordable sizes are too small for normal use.  The 8GB drive in the Mini9 didn’t have much free space what with the OS and included programs installed. I have an 8GB drive on my keychain for crying out loud. Hopefully you get the picture that these devices were designed for browsing, primarily.

If these aren’t useful for business, why was I setting one up?  Well, they are not a good choice to replace your desktop or laptop for many business tasks, however, they are terrific for specific jobs. I was setting up this Mini9 for Pacific Heights Surgery Center, a client of ours in the Bay Area. They use a web based inventory tracking application called OptOR. So they will only use the Mini9 for updating their database at OptOR. With space limited in the OR, this device should be a perfect fit!

Let us know if we can help you with a creative solution like this Mini9 laptop!

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