The holy grail, the blackberry killer

Over the last few years, well ever since the beta of Microsoft Mobile Information Server 2001 I have been working with enterprise customers deploying mobile email solutions demonstrating the benefits of Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) and Exchange as a mobile email platform. There has been many barriors along the way, firstly in 2001 there was minimal gprs coverage across the UK and secondly there was only a limited number of what used to be called "integrated devices" or Pocket PC's with phone capability. In fact there was one the - O2 XDA (HTC Wallaby), the one with the "stub".

Then came the O2 XDA II (HTC Himalya) which had Pocket PC 2003 (which at the same time was being re-branded to Windows Mobile). This had improved out of the box integration with Exchange Server 2003 which now had the ActiveSync Server features built into the product.

In addition the device itself was gaining support from other network operators with Orange releasing the device as the M1000, Vodafone as the VPA and T-Mobile as the MDA.

After this the question that customers were always asking was when will there be a Windows Mobile device with a keyboard, and along came the HTC Blue Angel (Orange M2000, O2 XDA IIs etc). This had a slide out keyboard and included the next version of Windows Mobile, 2003 Second Edition.

And after this came the promise of the Motorola MPx, and most recently the Motorola Q.

So now we have pretty good gprs and 3g coverage in the UK with reasonable data plans and a good selection of devices with options such as integrated keyboard and GPS as well as high resolution screens supporting VGA output. In addition we have the Microsoft Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) providing direct push email, remote wipe and security policy enforcement.

So what's the point I am trying to achieve here, well finally everything is in place to provide a capable and even improved email platform compared to BlackBerry, and we are seeing this with a massive upturn in the interest in Windows Mobile and also the number of customer pilots we are executing.

But what will become the device of choice, what will become the "BlackBerry Killer" device. Well there are many to chose from including HTC Excallabar, I-mate JAQ 3 and Samsung but my money is on the Palm Treo ... But of course only time will tell :-).

Bye for now, Steve B.

T-Mobile MDA Vario II (HTC Hermes) Review

It seems like every year there is a Windows Mobile device that for the beginning part of the year goes round the rumour mill, then around the middle of the year a spec start to get released, then finally around September to November it gets released in various incarnations. Ones that spring to mind include the HTC Blue Angel (Orange M2000, O2 XDA 2, T-Mobile MDA), HTC Universal (Orange M5000, O2 XDA Exec) and now the HTC Hermes, the device that appears to deliver everything a PDA user would require.

So now we are in September and here it is, available as the HTC TyTn, Orange M3100, Vodafone VPA Compact III, Vodafone 1605, Cingular 8525 and T-Mobile MDA Vario II. So why is it that I decided to go for this particular version. Well my decision was based on two factors, the first is that T-Mobile provide an unlimited data plan (well with some restrictions) and the other is the keyboard layout, but we’ll come to that later. Just to point out it wasn’t because of the colour scheme, I personally prefer the Orange version, but we’ll come to that later also.

So here is my review (and I think the first) of the T-Mobile MDA Vario II. This review will cover the specific differences between the Vario and the other Hermes devices, for a more in-depth review of the general non-specific features of the HTC Hermes device, please take a look here: http://www.msmobilenews.com/page/1406/

So here we go; the Vario II is the successor to the original Vario, which was based on the HTC Wizard design. It has a horizontal slide out keyboard, runs Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU 2.3, and includes a 2.0 megapixel camera on the back, a VGA video camera on the front, and supports GPRS, EDGE, UMTS (3G) and HSDPA (a service which is provided by T-Mobile)

In the box of the Vario II you get the usual array of stuff, and just like previous T-Mobile devices no memory card L. But here’s what you do get.

• Battery
• Stereo Headset
• Leather Carrying Case
• Spare Stylus Pen
• Battery Charger
• USB Cable
• Vario II Device
• Windows Mobile User Manual
• Vario II Quick Start Guide
• Getting Started CD (ActiceSync 4.1, Outlook 2002
• MDA Vario II Applications CD (BlackBerry Connect, Online PDF Manuals, USB Modem, SPB GPRS Monitor)
• Screen Protector

There are currently two main design variants of the HTC Hermes; Orange SPV M3100 (HERM100) and the HTC TyTN (HERM200). However the Vario II version appears to be the new kid on the block which has an ID of HERM300. The main difference is the layout of the bottom keys, and the navigation pad. It might be insignificant, but I have used all three versions and the Vario II which has the soft keys at the top, the call and reject buttons in the middle, and the Windows and OK button on the bottom is the most appropriate to me. Also the navigation pad is superior in my opinion on the Vario compared to the TyTn.

As for the rest of the device, it appears to be the same as the others with infrared port, reset hole, battery cover release switch, lanyard loop and the mini USB port on the bottom of the device. On the lefthand side a thumbwheel, OK button and voice-dial button. On the righthand side the power button and communications manager button.

The colour scheme of the physical device is a dark red colour, with a grey surround which some might argue is to an acquired taste, and of course it has the standard T-Mobile custom colour scheme (pink, grey and white) throughout the device including icons, phone and home screen.

Overall its a fantastic device, it's not too heavy, the slide-out keyboard feels solid but is very slick, the screen is very high quality and the connection speed is very impressive. As you can see here the device is not too large, being only slightly longer than the T-Mobile SDA and QTEK 8500.

It is bundled with a number of applications with are in addition to the standard Windows Mobile applications. These include the following:

SPB GPRS Monitor

Application for monitoring all kinds of network traffic on the device.

BT Remote SIM

It appears to be able to control SIM actions via Bluetooth, not sure why you would want this

Streaming Media

A HTC supplied application, I guess for receiving streaming media?

Voice Speed Dial

Support for voice dialing

Phone Pad

This is the one that most people miss from HTC devices.

It is a very smart application that uses the T9 feature to find contacts to dial, similar to the functionality provided by WM Smartphone which is a must for Pocket PC. So if I type in "783" it will find Steve Butcher.

As well as the bundled applications, the device now supports AD2P, which when paired with a Bluetooth set of headphones allows you listen to music, and control the next / prev etc over wireless.

Conclusion

So finally the conclusion, well I think it's the best Pocket PC device that I have used for a long time. It offers everything a user would need; excellent connectivity options, integrated keyboard, good selection of included and additional applications, latest version of Windows Mobile, and of course the killer application in the enterprise - Push Email. It's difficult to see how this device could be improved, well until I discover what the battery life is like, oh and when Windows Mobile vNext get's released ... but that story is for another time :-).

Cheers, Steve Butcher.