In our last segment, we talked about converged mobile devices that combine phone, e-mail, Web access, access to the corporate network, and personal productivity applications. Such devices have come a long way and in many cases, are functional enough to replace laptop computers in certain situations. This time around, we'll take a more detailed look at the leading products available today.
The two market leaders came about their products from separate directions. The Blackberry, a product of Research In Motion (
www.rim.com) started out as a glorified pager that allowed people to send and receive email from just about anywhere. Benefiting from its status as the "first to market," the Blackberry quickly became a favorite of techno-geeks and email dependents nationwide. Phone capabilities, web and PDA applications were added as time went by.
Blackberry's strongest competitor is the Treo SmartPhone, a product of palmOne, Inc. (
www.palmone.com). The Treo's roots can be found in the original PDA, the Palm Pilot. As most know by now, the original Palm boasted a host of personal productivity applications. As the Pilot matured, phone, email, and web capabilities were added and voila! the Treo was born.
The current versions of the BlackBerry support speakerphone, email, web access, and corporate data network access. Standard PDA-type applications, including an address book, calendar, and Bluetooth capabilities are also built-in. Keyboards, display resolution, and other preference items vary widely among the dozen or so models currently available, so check out www.blackberry.com for detailed specs and costs on each unit. Virtually all of the major wireless carriers in the U.S. support one or more BlackBerry device. Anecdotal evidence suggests that T-Mobile and Cingular are the most popular choices for BlackBerry carriers.
As of this writing, there are two Treo models available, the 600, which will cost you about $250, and the Treo 650, which goes for about $400, depending, of course, on the service plan you sign up for from your carrier. Both models support the functions we've talked about above, and also come with a camera and video recorder, features you have to search long and hard for in the BlackBerry line. Treo carrier's include Sprint, Verizon, and Cingular. When it was first introduced, the 650 was only available through Sprint. As such, Sprint remains the most popular choice as a Treo carrier.
In our opinion, the ancestry of both products defines their strengths. Blackberry email can be configured to work in "real time," although this requires the installation of a separate server into the corporate network. The Treo must go through a "sync" process to receive messages. While the sync process can be scheduled to happen as often as once every 5 minutes, we like the immediacy of the Blackberry solution.
We liked the time-tested PDA applications on the Treo, which we find easier to use and more stable. Further, third-party applications are more readily available for the Treo/Palm platforms.
One thing we don't like about the Blackberry is its SureType keyboard, which combines two letters (e.g., Q and W) onto a single key. Sound confusing? Well, for us, it is. So until a better method comes out (voice recognition, anyone?), we'd prefer sticking with the old fashioned QWERTY layout, which is still available on some Blackberry models and all Treo's.
As these products continue to mature, keep in mind that the only constant is change. Recently, PalmSource, the company that makes Palm software, announced it was selling the Palm name to PalmOne, for $30 million. As a result, PalmOne becomes just Palm. The industry is abuzz with speculation that that future Treos may even run Microsoft or BlackBerry software.
