PDA/Handheld/Smartphone Purchasing Guide for LSPs:
Introduction:
ISC Support Statement: This handheld purchasing guide is intended to give Local Support providers assistance and guidance when considering a handheld computer purchase. Information Systems & Computing (ISC) supports certain classes of handheld computers, notably Smartphones and BlackBerry devices when connecting to ISC's central services. ISC will make a best effort attempt to assist LSPs with PDA issues in other circumstances, but with the exception of support for specific devices with ISC's Microsoft Exchange server, we cannot guarantee central computer system interoperability.
As always, faculty and staff should speak with their LSP to determine which product(s) are supported or recommended before choosing a device.
Life Cycle: ISC suggests that LSPs adopt an expectation of a 2-year life-cycle when making PDA purchasing decisions for the following reasons:
- These devices are subject to more day-to-day stresses than a conventional laptop or desktop
- Rapid development by vendors means that these devices are being improved (and will be made obsolete) at a faster rate than conventional computers
- For devices with wireless capabilities, radio receiver efficiency is increasing dramatically, saving both battery life and improving signal quality over devices that are only a few years old
As the majority of these devices have network connectivity of some kind, LSPs should consider installing Symantec Anti-Virus for Handhelds. This software is covered by Penn's site license with Symantec, and is available from the virus product page.
Recognizing that there are a variety of PDAs which meet different needs, this LSP purchase guide for 2008-2009 presents four configurations:
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| PDA with integrated cellular phone |
Primarily email centric device. Requires specific back-end infrastructure |
Traditional PDA with high end functionality |
Less feature rich PDA, but also less costly |
NOTE: The Value category is no longer recommended for faculty or staff and has been removed. Please see the legacy Value page for historical information.
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Recent Trends Affecting Purchasing Decisions
Palm
- In yet another series of disappointing announcements, it is likely that Palm will not update the operating system until mid-2009.
- The Treo 700w/wx, the Treo 680, and the Treo 700p, have all received ROM updates to address various issues. If you have not already done so, it is highly recommended that you apply these updates.
- The Treo 700p will have a maintainance ROM update release availalble from most carriers before the next revision of this purchasing guide. We expect that this should fix many of the outstanding issues that have been reported for this unit.
- Palm Desktop versions 4.1.4e and 4.2 are compatible with Windows Vista primarily for synchronization. There are several known incompatiblities with which LSPs should familiarize themselves before deciding to upgrade to Vista.
Windows Mobile
- Windows Mobile 6.1 has been announced, but is not yet shipping on any devices. We expect that this will quickly become the default Windows Mobile operating system availalble from most retailers. A summary of the fixes covered by this release can be found on Brighthand's review.
- Windows Mobile 6, is now available for most Windows Mobile powered devices. While not a full operating system upgrade, this update is significant for mobile users, particularly for smartphone users who connect to Microsoft Exchange 2007. Please see the Microsoft page for Windows Mobile 6 for more information.
- With the release of Windows Vista, there will no longer be a stand-alone ActiveSync application for Windows Mobile. Instead, Vista will include a new Mobile Device Center control panel that will handle synchronization duties previously handled by ActiveSync.
- MarkSpace has released an update of their Missing Sync product for Windows Mobile. This software allows Mac users to synchronize their Windows Mobile 6 based devices with Mac based applications, and is shipping as a Universal Binary.
iPhone
- The iPhone from Apple has been released, and tested at the University. The full Penn review can be found here. We are currently NOT recommending it for widespread deployment at Penn, but are watching developments with interest. We expect that the iPhone will receive an update by end of June 2008 that will address most of our concerns. Additionally, a newer model should be availble shortly that upgrades the internal radio to 3G speeds. This is the handheld to watch in the short term.
Other
- Cingular Wireless has completed the transition to AT&T. With the release of the iPhone above, there will no longer be any mention of Cingular in the company literature.
- Vendors have begun shipping handhelds with three different Secure Digital (SD) storage card standards: SD, MiniSD, and MicroSD. Be aware of the type of expansion media your device of choice supports. For more information, please see SanDisk's website.
- Traditional handheld PDA sales continue their downward trend. Be aware that smartphone devices are consistantly cannibalizing traditional handheld sales and this trend will most likely continue.
- 3G network (third generation high speed cellular network) availability is growing in the US. If your users are getting newer smartphones, keep in mind that not all of them are 3G capable. At this point, it does not make sense to purchase a smartphone that is not 3G-capable if a suitable 3G unit is available. Receiving data on non-3G devices is like continuing to use dial-up when broadband access is just as cheap.
- Symbian-based smartphones have been hit recently with several viruses and worms. This recent trend on a specialized platform should serve as a wake-up call that security concerns will become more important going forward for all PDA-type devices. Currently Symantec offers Symantec AntiVirus for Handhelds (both Palm OS and Windows Mobile), which should be considered as these devices become more prolific and access the Internet with more frequency.
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References:
Software vendors:
Hardware vendors:
Other industry sources:
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Page maintained by Robert L. DeSilets, Jr.
updated
May 7, 2008
Next update as needed
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