Windows Mobile 6 and Blackberry E-Mail Solution Comparison

Windows Mobile 6 and BlackBerry E-mail Solution Comparison

for

consumer e-mail users

January 1, 2008

______

Marquis Mobile Solutions, Inc.

830 New Century Boulevard South, Maplewood, MN 55119

+1 (612) 701-2019 www.MarquisMS.com

This is a pretty thick document for being a simple comparison of two e-mail solutions. The fact of the matter is that this really isn’t a simple comparison. A single page feature grid just can’t tell the story of the similarities and the differences between the BlackBerry and Windows Mobile e-mail solutions. To fully appreciate each solution, you will need to understand the comparison presented here. By the end of the document, you should recognize that both solutions have their strengths and weaknesses, and that both solutions are great solutions for right customers.

Push vs. Pull e-mail solutions

You will hear many e-mail solution providers talk about “push” vs. “pull” e-mail when they talk about their solutions. Push e-mail is the term for e-mail that a server sends directly, and immediately, to your handheld without you having to do anything. While both solutions compared here are capable of that, this document is focused on consumer e-mail accounts, or “pull” e-mail. Pull e-mail is the term for e-mail that is only delivered to your handheld when you request it. While these are “pull” e-mail solutions, you will see that both solutions can do the delivery requests without you having to take any action. Pull E-mail accounts supported by Windows Mobile and BlackBerry include Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, or any e-mail account that uses POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail protocol. POP3 accounts only pull a copy of your e-mail to the handheld. Any changes made to messages after they are received by the handheld will not be reflected on the original e-mail account. IMAP4 accounts do synchronize changes and deletes. Check with your consumer e-mail provider to see if they support POP3 or IMAP4. It should be noted that most Consumer E-mail services require a paid account in order to support POP3 or IMAP4. Some companies also allow employees to access to their corporate e-mail using POP3 or IMAP4. Customers should verify that their company supports this before trying to set up the service.

For the sake of brevity, Windows Mobile will always refer to Windows Mobile 6, BlackBerry will always refer to a handheld with 4.2 or later operating system, and consumer e-mail will always refer to any e-mail system that supports POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail protocols.

CONSUMER E-MAIL ENVIRONMENT

Windows Mobile 6

Windows Mobile handhelds allow you to work with several e-mail accounts on one handheld. This means that you can monitor your work and personal e-mail accounts while you are on the go. Each account also gets its own “mailbox” on your handheld so you can keep each account separate from the others.

With Windows Mobile, you can customize how often your handheld “pulls” or checks for new messages. Windows Mobile supports intervals ranging from 5 minutes to 24 hours. You can manually check for new messages whenever you want. Be aware that Windows Mobile handheld will check for new mail regardless of whether you have any. This is one reason that Windows Mobile handhelds tend to consume battery power quicker than BlackBerries. You may choose to have the handheld check for e-mail less frequently in order to save battery power.

Windows Mobile supports sending, receiving and saving an unlimited number of attachment formats. The ability to create or edit these formats is dependent on the type of Windows Mobile handheld (Professional or Standard) and the software that is installed on the handheld. More information will be presented on this under Handheld Formats.

BlackBerry

BlackBerries also support multiple consumer e-mail accounts on one handheld. On the BlackBerry, consumer e-mail is displayed in separate folders for each consumer e-mail account as well as a main e-mail folder. This gives you the choice to view consumer e-mail accounts separately or in one consolidated e-mail folder.

Unlike Windows Mobile, BlackBerry does not let you customize the delivery interval. The reason for this is that the BlackBerry does not actually check for new e-mail, a computer at Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of the BlackBerry, checks your accounts for new e-mail. RIM will check your accounts for new messages every 15 minutes. If there are new messages, RIM will forward them to your BlackBerry. If there are no new messages, nothing is sent. This means that the BlackBerry handheld only spends precious battery power when there are messages to receive. This contributes to the BlackBerry’s long battery life.

BlackBerries can send, receive, and view several attachment types (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Acrobat, WordPerfect and some image formats), but you cannot edit, create or save these documents on the BlackBerry without third-party software. While some BlackBerries are capable of capturing photos, video and sound, all BlackBerries are capable of attaching these formats to an e-mail and saving these attachments to the BlackBerry itself.

Summary

Both solutions will deliver your e-mail to your handheld with little or no effort on your part. Windows Mobile handhelds give you more control, in the form of changeable delivery intervals, and better attachment handling. The cost for this control is battery life. BlackBerry gives you only one delivery interval and slightly more limited attachment viewing, but your battery will last many times longer than a Windows Mobile handheld.

SECURITY

Windows Mobile 6

Users can set password protection on the handheld that will require the user to enter a password when they want to access programs and information.

BlackBerry

Security is the hallmark of the BlackBerry solution. The BlackBerry can be password protected, just like a Windows Mobile handheld, but newer BlackBerries can also encrypt the information as it sits on your handheld. This means that even if you took apart the BlackBerry and removed the circuitry with the data out of the handheld and tried to read it, it would take many, many years to unscramble the information.

Summary

The handhelds are going to be as secure as you make it. If you don’t lock the handheld with a password or encrypt the information, the information is as easy to read as an open book. If security is a bigger concern, you should look into one of the server based solutions available from each vendor.

SYNCHRONIZATION

Windows Mobile 6

Windows Mobile 6 allows for synchronization of E-Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, Favorites, Files and Media, using an application called ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center on Microsoft Vista computers. ActiveSync is found on a CD that comes with the handheld. E-Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Notes can only be synced to Outlook. Favorites are only synced with Internet Explorer. Other synchronization pairings are available with 3rd party applications.

BlackBerry

When connected to the PC, the BlackBerry can sync with Outlook, Outlook Express, ACT!, Lotus Notes, GroupWise, Lotus Organizer, ASCII, and Netscape. PC synchronization is handled by BlackBerry Desktop Manager which is found on a CD accompanying the BlackBerry.

Summary

Microsoft’s vision for synchronization seems to be limited to applications that they have built themselves. If you need to sync with anything other than Outlook, you will want to look at the BlackBerry. Apple users can synchronize with either solution using a program called PocketMac. Research In Motion, the makers of the BlackBerry, supports this software themselves while Windows Mobile users will need to contact Information Appliance Associates, the makers of Pocket Mac, at www.PocketMac.net to purchase or get support for this software.

HANDHELD FORMATS

Windows Mobile 6

There are several different formats to Windows Mobile 6 handhelds on the market. Microsoft puts them into two categories.

Windows Mobile 6 Professional – These handhelds include Pocket Outlook for E-Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Memos; Office Mobile for Word, Excel and PowerPoint; an Acrobat viewer; Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer. Manufacturers and carriers may add additional applications on the handheld or an accompanying CD. Users are able to create and edit documents using Word Mobile and Excel Mobile on Windows Mobile 6 Professional handhelds.

These handhelds will have a touch sensitive screen with a stylus. Other features that are optional to the design include an integrated QWERTY keyboard, camera, speakerphone, WiFi, Bluetooth and a memory card slot, just to name a few.

AT&T Tilt Verizon Wireless Palm Treo 700wx

Windows Mobile 6 Standard – These handhelds include Pocket Outlook for E-Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Memos; Office Mobile for Word, Excel and PowerPoint; an Acrobat viewer; Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer. Manufacturers and carriers may add additional applications on the handheld or an accompanying CD. Users are able to edit, but not create, documents using Word Mobile and Excel Mobile on Windows Mobile 6 Standard handhelds.

These handhelds are usually smaller than the Pocket PC Phones and will have a directional “D-Pad” instead of a touch sensitive screen with a stylus. Other features that are optional to the design include a camera, speakerphone, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a memory card slot, just to name a few.

T-Mobile Dash Verizon Samsung SCH-i760

BlackBerry

While several companies are licensed to manufacture handhelds that use the BlackBerry operating system, Research In Motion (RIM) is the only manufacturer who’s handhelds are available in the United States at this time. While RIM has several models to choose from, they also fall into two categories; Handhelds and Business Phones. All BlackBerries include the following applications; Messages, Address Book, Calendar, Tasks, MemoPad, Media and BlackBerry Browser.

BlackBerry Handhelds – These handhelds have a full QWERTY keypad and a trackball for interacting with the handheld. While all current handhelds include Bluetooth, speakerphone and a memory card slot, some units also include a camera, GPS, or even WiFi.

T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve (8320) Sprint BlackBerry 8830

BlackBerry Business Phone – The Business Phones are more “phone-like” in size and feel. These handhelds have a SureType QWERTY keypad and a trackball for interacting with the handheld. The keyboard is laid out in a QWERTY organization, but has 2 letters to a key. While all Business Phones include a camera, Bluetooth, memory card slot and speakerphone, some also include GPS.

Sprint BlackBerry Pearl (8130) T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearl (8100)

Summary

Between Windows Mobile handhelds and BlackBerries, users have a plethora of styles and formats to choose from. From a functional standpoint, Windows Mobile 6 handhelds tend to be a bit more robust. Unlike BlackBerries, they support the ability to create and edit some e-mail attachments as well as support more third party media applications. Users who have used Windows Mobile and BlackBerry handhelds tend to find the BlackBerry easier to use.