Mobile messaging has to grow beyond single sync

Posted on 11. Aug, 2009 by zevmo in Technology

I use a BlackBerry® Curve™ 8350i for work, unfortunately.  E-mail-wise, I get on the order of 400 messages a day through this platform.  What frustrates me, most notably, about this device is the fetch mechanism.  I will post a more comprehensive critique of the device in a future post.  If you receive several messages in a row, it seems to think it needs to alert on every single message. Push messaging, for better or for worse, seems to make no bulk transactions for single notifications.

Not only this, but if the device has been switched off for any period of time (or gone into the subway) once you turn this sucker on, or emerge from the tube, you get a barrage of vibrations and beeps for minutes.  And often times, the device is mostly unusable until the sync is finished.  Ridiculous.

Now, moving on from what I wrote yesterday and expanding it, enter the iPhone, Android, and Palm.

First, the iPhone:
The iPhone, or should we just say, “iPhone…”?  Anyway, iPhone needs to have better integration to Outlook.  I know, I know, it already does!  BUT, if you are like me, and you use the iPhone at home, have it synced with you iTunes at home, and then you would like to sync it at work too, you are SOL.  Now, IF your in-house Windows admins are so befuddled at turning on access to Exchange for iPhones, or have an outdated version of Exchange server, there must be a solution.

So, enter a new need Apple has to address, a mobile sync client (software) that you install on your computer, that adds a local BES-type server (relay) on your machine at work that allows you to sync.  Now, you can create an AD policy to disable the ability to do this, if that is your corporate policy.  However, it is only in your best interest to make sure that your employees are plugged-in to work, AND you don’t need to buy hardware for them.  Also part of the software is a tool to remotely wipe the SINGLE mail/address book/Calendar/AND NOTES accounts from the phone if lost or dismissed, NOT the whole device, since it is not the companies.  Problem solved.

Next, Android:

Now, this has a lot of potential from the perspective of trying to get corporate e-mail off of exchange and onto Microsoft Outlook on Google Apps.  Android can have a built-in remote function for employees and businesses using Google.  This is a very interesting platform, if they ever get the new phones out, and fix the 15 different versions of the OS.

Finally, Palm Pre:

Clearly, they are most hungry for this market.  And the small group at Palm could get something of a hybrid solution between iPhone and Android.  The Java back-end may not be up to par, but neither is BB’s, so I guess they should have a shot.  I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

Final analysis:

All in all, the market is out there for business solutions that have to marry employees using personal devices for work related tasks.  There is no reason why I need to carry two or three devices (even though the BB has direct-connect), to get E-mail/Cal/Addresses.  There are simple, relatively, solutions that can immediately bring value-added savings to companies, and product providers, to give customers what they want and what will increase productivity for all.

Tags: Action, ads, Ai, Android, Apple, Apps, blackberry, blog, Bus, Calendar, Car, corporate, Exchange, fix, Google, Hardware, hybrid, IE, Install, integration, iPhone, iTunes, Java, Mac, mail, Media, Microsoft, Mobile, MobileMe, notifications, OS, Outlook, Palm, phone, Phones, post, Pre, simple, Software, Subway, sync, Tasks, Technology, UI, value, XP

Related posts

• The Google Cloud and Android mobile OS… a marriage must be made (5)
• Blackberry Storm 2 trying to get noticed (1)
• Disney’s Mobile Magic application- the future for WDW guests? (0)
• Apple, you need to hire an in-house crank (0)
• The future for Blu-Ray, Apple, and Media Devices? [DadsonTech post] (8)

Tags: Action, ads, Ai, Android, Apple, Apps, blackberry, blog, Bus, Calendar, Car, corporate, Exchange, fix, Google, Hardware, hybrid, IE, Install, integration, iPhone, iTunes, Java, Mac, mail, Media, Microsoft, Mobile, MobileMe, notifications, OS, Outlook, Palm, phone, Phones, post, Pre, simple, Software, Subway, sync, Tasks, UI, value, XP