 |
|||||||||
|
Smartphone Purchasing Guide for LSPs:Recommendations for Third Quarter, FY 2009Specifications effective October 6, 2009From Gartner: Unlike other mobile phones, a smartphone has an identifiable operating system, like Microsoft Windows Mobile or Symbian, that can run third-party applications. Smartphones are devices that integrate phone functions with a digital organizer and can accept multiple forms of user input – handwriting recognition and/or (attached/unattached) keyboard. These devices are intended to integrate and replace the functionality of carrying several different devices: a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, and – increasingly – even laptops. Two form factors are becoming most prevalent: devices with purely touchscreen capability (like the iPhone or LG Incite), and devices with discrete QWERTY keyboards either under the screen or that slide out (such as the Motorola Q or the HTC Touch Pro). Depending on the device and carrier subsidies available, these smartphones can be significantly more expensive than a traditional phone. This review does not cover BlackBerry devices as they are in a class of devices by themselves. Please see the BlackBerry Purchasing Guide for more information. ISC Support Statement:On July 9, 2007, ISC Networking and Telecommuncation began offering email accounts on Microsoft Exchange 2007. As there are many options for synchronizing various handhelds to this server, smartphones meeting or exceeding any of the following criteria are considered supported devices by ISC:
NOTE: There are many versions of Windows Mobile available on smartphones.
The main differences between the versions are that Standard devices lack touchscreen support -- they are intended for physically smaller devices that may lack the range of input devices available for larger units. Future Support Considerations:Support for Windows Mobile 5 and Palm OS is being phased out by the University, as both operating systems lack compatibility with certain University applications and have vendor support diminishing. Windows Mobile 7 will become available some time in 2010 and is expected to become the standard for Windows Mobile devices. Android is not yet sufficiently enterprise-focused to be considered a supported mobile device OS.Cellular Influence:Different cellular providers carry different devices, so be sure to check with your preferred carrier before making a commitment to one device over another. ISC Networking & Telecommunications has partnered with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, aand Verizon Wireless to provide discounted cellular phone service for Penn affiliates. Where available, we recommend purchasing insurance on these devices, as replacing them outside of the warranty period is expensive.Whenever deciding on which smartphone to purchase, keep in mind how it will be used. For example, if end users intend to travel internationally, it's best to choose a service that will be compatible with the overseas cellular networks of their destination. Please see the Provider Notes article on cellular standards for more information on the various cellular network protocols. 3G network (third generation high speed cellular network) availability is now commonplace in the US, particularly in metropolitan areas. 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. Recommended Devices:The phones below are not the only models that meet the recommended specifications. These are examples of phones that have been tested and work well with Penn's central infrastructure. CaveatSmartphones running the Symbian OS (such as the Nokia N97) and the Android OS (such as the HTC G1) are not included in the recommendations below. While we feel that there are many capable devices worldwide that are running these OSes, the choices in the US are limited at this time, and none of them are sufficiently compliant with various University-required security protocols to be considered supported devices. Windows Mobile:We are only recommending devices running Windows Mobile 6.1 or later devices in our list below. There are still a few Windows Mobile 5 devices available, but the operating system is dated and will no longer be supported at the University on or before the Windows Mobile 7 release in 2010
AppleThere are two models of the iPhone available: the iPhone 3G, and the iPhone 3GS. The 3GS is a bit faster and features a digital compass and video recording capability. Both are available only from AT&T
Palm webOS:webOS is a welcome new entrant into the smartphone arena. It is still a young platform, however, and is only currently available in one model, the Pre, from one vendor, Sprint.
Page maintained by Jordan McClead
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
| Information Systems and ComputingUniversity of PennsylvaniaComments & Questions |
 |
|