{"id":4272,"date":"2012-07-11T09:06:37","date_gmt":"2012-07-11T14:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=4272"},"modified":"2012-07-11T12:36:15","modified_gmt":"2012-07-11T17:36:15","slug":"the-future-of-the-enterprise-ready-smartphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2012\/07\/the-future-of-the-enterprise-ready-smartphone\/","title":{"rendered":"The future of the enterprise-ready smartphone"},"content":{"rendered":"
Your work phone, a BlackBerry, has been on its last legs for a while, or perhaps it is just time for a change. What business\/entreprise-ready smartphones choices do you have when looking for a replacement?<\/em><\/p>\n Over the last three to five years, the Blackberry<\/a> was the smartphone of choice for business professionals in the Caribbean and the organisations in which they work. Key selling points for the device included:<\/p>\n However, over the last two years, the iPhone and smartphones that use the Android Operating System (OS) have also been eroding the BlackBerry\u2019s popularity considerably. The majority of users are attracted to, among other things, the sleeker design, the touch screen capability, and the wealth of applications (apps) available on those other platforms. However, business and enterprise customers have been reluctant to change from the BlackBerry platform, although their employees embracing (and purchasing) other devices.<\/p>\n During that same period, Research in Motion<\/a> (RIM), the manufacturer of the BlackBerry has been experiencing a number of challenges, which have been widely reported in the media. They include: poor customer response to its latest product offerings; a major management shake-up at its head offices in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; and a significant and consistent decline in share price, all of which has had analysts predicting the company\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n Although RIM plans to launch a \u201cnew and much improved\u201d OS by early 2013, and management has been downplaying the impact of the delay, competing mobile platforms and handset manufacturers are taking advantage of the opportunity to re-position themselves and their products in the market. A coveted sector in which the BlackBerry is still widely used is the corporate client, but do some of the other major platforms perform have the capabilities to satisfy the business and security needs of that market?<\/p>\n With the launch of the iPhone<\/a> 4S late last year, there has been a concerted effort from its manufacturer, Apple<\/a>, to target enterprise customers by highlighting wealth of products it offers that cater to those users. The company\u2019s, iPhone in Business<\/a> campaign is aligned along the following five functional areas:<\/p>\n\n
The iPhone<\/h3>\n