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Comparing Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC Phone Edition and the SmartPhone 2003
By Chris De Herrera, Copyright 2004
 Version 1.00  Created 3/1/2004

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Introduction

Recently I have been using a SmartPhone 2003 to replace my Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC Phone Edition. During my experience with the SmartPhone 2003, I�ve been mulling around how well it will work for enterprise customers. Below is my comparison of Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC Phone Edition (Pocket PC in this article) and the SmartPhone 2003 from an enterprise user perspective.

The Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC Phone Edition is a full blown Pocket PC and more. The superset features focus on using it as a cell phone and connecting to the internet for data access. David Shier covered the new features introduced with the latest release of the Phone Edition in his article entitled �Windows Mobile 2003 for Phone Edition � Worth the Wait� in the April/May 2004 issue.

The SmartPhone 2003 builds on the SmartPhone 2002 functionality by focusing on performance enhancements and easier navigation. The SmartPhone was covered extensively in the April/May 2004 issue through the reviews of the Samsung i600, Orange SPV E200, and Motorola MPx200.

Displays � Is Smaller Better?

One of the major differences you�ll notice right off the bat is that the SmartPhone uses a smaller display. The 176 x 220 SmartPhone display is significantly smaller than the 240 x 320 display of the Pocket PC. So you�re probably wondering what you can do to make the screens easier to read. Well with the Pocket PC, in some applications you can bold the fonts. On the SmartPhone you can adjust the font size using Start � Settings � Accessibility. The options are Normal and Large where Large is about 1 � times the size of normal. This feature will be important for users that have a hard time reading small type. Neither the Pocket PC nor the SmartPhone natively support screen rotation so viewing websites and using other apps can be more difficult.

Input Methods � How Much Data Entry do you Need?

Another big difference that you�ll notice when you place a SmartPhone next to a Pocket PC is that the SmartPhone has phone style buttons for dialing and navigation. To enter data in the SmartPhone you have to press the number buttons multiple times to select the correct character which can be tedious for large amounts of data entry. The Pocket PC uses a touch screen for all input which can be used for handwriting recognition such as Transcriber or a pop-up keyboard. It also has selected buttons for placing calls/ending calls and navigation or volume. So if you need to perform any significant amount of data entry for e-mail or notes, you will want to use a Pocket PC. Also, many of the Pocket PC applications support ink while the SmartPhone does not. Unlike most high end cellular phones, neither the Smartphone nor the Phone Edition ships with voice recognition so you may want to look at purchasing a 3rd party application.

Expandability / Storage

One of the big differences between the SmartPhone and the Pocket PC is that most Pocket PCs support CompactFlash and SecureDigital (SD) cards. If you need memory expansion from the paltry 8mb of ram of some SmartPhones, the SD slot offers the ability to store files there. Not all SmartPhones SD slots support SDIO Now � the new standard for SD based peripherals like cameras, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and not all peripherals offer SmartPhone drivers to check that out before purchasing. Also, both the Pocket PC and the SmartPhone support external keyboards however there�s not a great variety of options for SmartPhone users right now.  One other major difference between the SmartPhone and the Phone Edition is that the SmartPhone user data is stored in flash memory so when your batteries die your data is retained.

Connectivity

The Pocket PC and SmartPhone both share similar out of the box connectivity. They both support the ability to place and receive phone calls as well as internet connectivity using GPRS or 1xRTT depending on the carrier that is supported. In order to use GPRS or 1xRTT you as the user must decide whether these features are worth the additional cost per month for internet access. They both support infrared beaming of contacts and synchronization if your PC has an IR port. Also, they both support USB for synchronizing to your PC. When using the connectivity you will notice some significant differences between the SmartPhone and the Pocket PC. One of the major differences is that the SmartPhone only supports one e-mail account for synchronization or dialup access. The Pocket PC supports multiple (I�ve configured up to 4) e-mail accounts at the same time but you have to download the e-mail one at a time. Also, the Pocket PC�s web browser allows users to see more of a website due to the larger screen size than the SmartPhone does. I highly recommend that you test any website you want to access on the Pocket PC and the SmartPhone so you can see the difference. One last thought about the SmartPhone and it�s usability is that with GSM, the phone requires a SIM card in order to allow the user to see any data on the device, making it useless if you don�t have a SIM card installed.

Applications

Right now the Pocket PC supports many more built in and 3rd party applications. This is because the Pocket PC is now in it�s 3rd generation compared to the SmartPhone is in it�s 2nd generation. The SmartPhone applications for some carriers like Orange require developers to have their applications digitally signed. This process costs the developer in terms of time and money to be compatible with the SmartPhone. Digitally signed means that the user cannot install applications that are not digitally signed by the carrier. Thankfully none of the US carriers of SmartPhones are requiring digitally signed applications. Also on the Pocket PC the following applications are available (and not available on the SmartPhone): Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Terminal Services Client, Notes, File Explorer, Microsoft Reader, Pictures, and SIM Contacts.

Overall Usability

Here�s my overall thoughts on comparing the SmartPhone to the Pocket PC. If you just need to view your calendar/contacts/tasks and e-mail then the SmartPhone will meet your needs. If you need to perform a significant amount of data entry, need to read or write Word or Excel Files and need more than one e-mail account then a Pocket PC will better meet your needs. As always it comes down to a personal preference on the features so for enterprise users, you may need to have your users try both to understand the differences.

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