 "Symbian V/s BlackBerry: What Is The CXO's Choice?")
According to ABI Research, 2009 will be ‘the Year of the Smartphone’. This reinforces the fact that enterprise mobility is on the rise and is changing the way business is conducted. Underlying this trend of mobility is the popularity that smartphones are gaining within enterprise circuits. With heads of enterprises being on the move on a continuous basis, having the right device to access information and keep a tab on what’s happening within the organisation assumes greater significance.
To catch the pulse of enterprise preferences for mobile platforms/ operating systems (OS) in India, Biztech2.0 spoke to a few CXOs to understand their choice of OS and the logic behind the same.
For Sarabjit Anand, head-IT, Standard Chartered Bank, BlackBerry was the apt choice because he wanted one phone for data/ voice and there are certified models for use in SCB. Anand also feels the BlackBerry has the potential of moving towards 3G, which will allow users like him to embrace the benefits of the new technology fully. To make the experience more enriching, Anand wishes that the handset would come equipped with the I-Touch feature.
Manish Choksi, CIO of Asian Paints, is also the proud owner of a BlackBerry Pearl 8120. For him, BlackBerry was the apt choice due to the host of features it offers including Push e-Mail, Calendar Sync, the BlackBerry server’s capability to integrate with the Lotus Domino / Notes environment (which is the primary e-mail/ calendar collaboration tool in Asian Paints) and the ability to control all these features from the Enterprise BlackBerry server. “The features based on the ‘suretype’ keyboard and small form factor are very useful personally as I like to carry a single device for voice calls, SMS and e-mail.” While Choksi is definitely in favour of the BlackBerry, he feels that it can certainly do better as far as battery life is concerned.
Seamless integration with MS Exchange for mails, calendar, and contacts without compromising on voice quality prompted Umesh Jain, CIO, Yes Bank, to opt for the Nokia E71. Jain feels that Windows-based mobiles are usually more bulky, hang quite often and the voice quality is mediocre, so it was easy for him to choose the Symbian-based Nokia E71. However, he feels that the camera and picture quality of the Nokia E71 could do with some improvement. Regarding the BlackBerry, Jain feels that its integration with MS Exchange is not seamless and the handset is also on the expensive side.
In a recent report, ABI Research states that the smartphone segment is witnessing the fastest growth in the handset market. Handset vendors are coming out with new smartphones every three to six months, and many handset start-ups are entering the market with smartphones as they offer higher margins, thus allowing new companies to become profitable sooner.
The operating system in handsets is the focus of attention. High saturation in developed markets means that carriers can no longer compete on price and tariff alone to capture new subscribers. Carriers need to differentiate themselves at all levels (handsets, services, and user interfaces) to achieve growth and retain subscribers.
Raghu Raman, CEO, Mahindra Special Services Group, enjoys having variety at his fingertips. He uses both a BlackBerry and a Sony Ericsson phone. Raman chose the BlackBerry specifically for its e-mail features but is a little disappointed with the way the phone handles forwarding of messages and contacts. He also feels that the handset could do with a more dynamic interface. Despite its drawbacks, Raman feels that the BlackBerry will probably continue to rule as the mainstream business phone.
If RIM has sturdily found its way into users’ work spaces, blurring the lines between work and play, Nokia is not far behind. Satish Pendse, CIO, HCC, is a Nokia E90 subscriber. “I always prefer to use a single phone for voice calls as well as e-mails. Besides, I also like to use the mobile phone as a mini laptop. Thus, I like to have the convenience of Internet access, MS-Office and so on. I therefore, need a good keyboard and a wide screen. Nokia E90 satisfies these criteria. Earlier, I was using a Windows-based phone but the voice quality had issues; the E90 solved that problem. The earlier phone also used to ‘hang’ often but E90 doesn’t have that problem. I feel the BlackBerry is good for e-mails but not as a mini laptop.”
While we do we have takers for Symbian phones, the BlackBerry is too popular to be ignored for long. Hemal Savla, CIO of Johnson and Johnson and an RIM customer, proves this point. He says, “When we opted for the BlackBerry, it met our criteria of wireless e-mail and security. As the phones that we have are basic, entry-level ones, they are cost effective; however, we are looking forward to the new models with features such as enhanced RIM applications and a touch screen.” Despite being an evangelist of the Blackberry, Savla feels that there is a drawback in terms of viewing of attachments and sometimes there is restricted access leading to limited use but it scores high when it comes to encryption.
Smartphones have definitely made business functioning a whole lot easier for CXOs and with rapid developments taking place in the mobile platform space, work while being on the move is now a breeze. As ABI states in its research report, the mobile handset OS is becoming increasingly important, as devices need to evolve to support more complex service offerings from carriers.