Keep in the loop with email on the move 23 September 2005
With today's work pressures, mobile working is increasingly looking like an attractive option for both businesses and employees. However, to work on the move you need to be able to keep in touch with colleagues, customers and suppliers.
For this reason it is perhaps not surprising that high-tech analysts IDC forecast that the European mobile email market will increase to around 13.5 million individual users -- employees who use a laptop, PDA or mobile phone to access email -- in 2009. That's an annual growth rate of 36 per cent.
Here we look at the options available for keeping track of emails when you're out and about.
Laptops
Perhaps the most used mobile email solution used at the moment is a Wi-Fi enabled laptop. These allow you to connect with a wireless Internet service provider such as BT's OpenZone. Using such a service you can pick up your email and surf the web at such diverse locations as airports, coffee shops trains and even beaches (Brighton beach has it's own Wi-Fi hotspot!).
Setting up a wireless network in your own place of work also means that you can seamlessly access your emails without the need for complicated and expensive wired networking, thus reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
To find out more about wireless networks take a look at our previous feature .
PDAs
PDAs, or personal digital assistants, offer most of the mobility and productivity advantages of laptops without the bulk and power consumption. They are Wi-Fi enabled or wirelessly connected via mobile phone networks. Email can be read and easily composed using a standard (if rather small) qwerty keyboard. One of the disadvantages of using PDAs rather than laptops is that, due to the smaller memory installed, regular synchronisation with your main PC is required to free up space.
Smartphones
Smartphones are the relative new kid on the block as an option for mobile email. These devices combine many of the features of PDAs such as personal organisers, electronic diaries, contact lists, automatic reminders, and of course email, with the standard voice services of a mobile phone.
As with most high-end phones some also have integrated cameras, allowing you to send photos along with your emails. Again, as with PDAs, regular synchronisation with your PC will be required to keep the memory free but software allows you to do this very easily.
Whatever option or combination of options chosen to access email on the go there are several points that are important to consider. Cost, perceived benefits and the time and resources need in training staff and maintaining systems should all play a part.
BT offer several products that can help in the implementation of mobile email such as BT Business Email. To help ease the costs BT is also has a special offer on BT OpenZone until November 30th.
To find out more on PDAs and Smartphones take a look at is4profit.
