Successful business people know that the secret of their success and the achievement of a balanced life are mostly due to their ability of being one step ahead of their clients and their competition, not to mention their family. When discussing the pros and cons of purchasing a smart phone with a business person, I am often asked a recurring question: “How can I be mobile, run Kevah Works and at the same time have seamless access to my email, calendar, mission critical business data like leads, proposals, contracts and even business breaking news and the stock market?”
At Valorem, we have been in the mobility business for many years but, until recently, my answers were forcibly pretty evasive and mostly negative. There was no simple solution. I did not want to overwhelm those business people with a bunch of techno bubbles and, at the end of the day, still struggle to offer a real world, practical solution. However, since what we define as the recent “smart phone big bang”, that scenario has dramatically changed for the better. Today in fact the problem is exactly the opposite: too many choices, all offering elegant and effective mobility solutions.
But which is the right one for you and your business? If you are in the market for a smart phone, what are the attribute you should be looking for in order to make an informed decision based on your requirements? Well, there are a few basic elements you should explore and a few boxes you should tick before happily handing over your credit card.
Device Design
Size and weight are basic attributes you need to consider. Do you prefer a large, high definition, touch screen or are you more inclined to use an on-board keypad or a QWERTY keyboard? The answers very much depend on what kind of business you are in, but if you have large fingers, habitually do not type large amounts of text and do not wish to squint every time you need to read something on the fly, an HD, large screen will allow for much more comfortable mobile usage under most circumstances, including operating the new Kevah Works mobility application for smartphones.
Battery Life, CPU and RAM
As a road warrior with limited access to power outlets, you should be looking for devices that can last the full day without recharging. This is, of course, very much dependent on the kind of tasks you generally would perform on the device, keeping in mind that video and connectivity, think WIFI and Bluetooth, are the most intensive, battery depleting applications. Look for a device with a dual core CPU (Central Processing Unit) as this will allow you to happily run the latest mobile business apps, including Kevah Works, and also the most demanding multimedia like video calls and video presentations. As far as RAM (random access memory), make sure the device comes with at least 1 GB (gigabyte) of it on-board.
Call Features and Connectivity
This is an easy one to remember simply because the main function of a smart phone is, in fact, to be a reliable phone built with quality components. There is no much point in purchasing a sexy looking device with poor radio reception and constant call drop outs.
By the way, in case you are not already aware, Telstra has just started offering a few smartphone models supporting 4G high speed mobile connectivity which is light years ahead of the soon obsolete 3G and therefore definitely worth considering.
If the backbone of a successful business is seamless communications, then you must make sure the phone and connectivity components of your potential new smart phone are the best your money can buy and include speakerphone, conference calling and voice dialling.
Other Features
Additional features you should be checking out are: camera which should be between 5 and 8 megapixels. This is very important if you are planning to use Kevah Works on your smart phone as Kevah Works forms can be complemented with photos. As we say here at Valorem, a picture is worth a thousand words. You may also want to have GPS functionality as it is very useful in finding the location of a client or a business when you are not driving your car. Another important extra feature is the ability to access an application market or store as this will give you the ability to customize your device with killer apps like calendar, tasks and the like very cheaply and at the tap of your finger.
