Vanity IT - Smartphones

We are smack-dab in a mobile revolution. With any large-scale societal change brought on by technology, there are growing pains involved. Nowhere is this more evident than in the business world. How can you make this major technological shift benefit your business? Consider that the individuals that work in your office have indubitably been in open competition in their acquisitions of the newest mobile devices. Since they are buying them anyway, determining ways to harness the power of these devices to work for your company’s benefit is a sound strategy. Here are a list of some of the top-selling mobile devices of 2012 and what each manufacturer has on the horizon for 2013.

Handsets are at the center of this mobile computing revolution. Everyone seems to have a smartphone that is bigger or faster then the one that another employee purchased just a few weeks ago. As of the fourth quarter of 2012, over 100,000,000 smartphones were in use in the United States (or about one smartphone for every three people). One billion smartphone handsets have been sold worldwide since 2007. The widespread use of these devices creates an opportunity for your business to benefit from your employees’ insatiable need to stay connected to their personal devices at all hours of the day. The handsets listed here are some of the top-selling smartphones on the market.

• Apple iPhone 5 - Apple’s flagship handset, the iPhone 5, is the top-selling smartphone in the world. The iPhone 5 has an improved four-inch display and runs the latest version of Apple’s iOS operating system, iOS 6. You can get the iPhone 5 in 16GB, 32BG, or 64GB versions. Most carriers offer the 16GB iPhone 5 for $199 with a two-year wireless service agreement. Up next: Apple iPhone 5s, July 2013.
• Samsung Galaxy S III - Samsung’s answer to the iPhone, and truly the first real competitor that Apple has had in the smartphone arena. Equipped with a 4.8-inch display the Galaxy S3 runs the Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system. The Galaxy S3 also features 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions, but unlike the iPhone 5, it comes with a micro SD card reader that allows for up to 64GB of expandable memory. You can get your hands on the Galaxy S3 for as little as $99.99 with a two-year wireless service agreement. Up next: Samsung Galaxy S IV, Now available.
• Nokia Lumia 920 4G - The Nokia Lumia 920 is the best-selling phone that doesn’t feature Android or iOS. The Lumia 920 features the Windows Phone 8 operating system. With comparable hardware to the other leading handsets, a sturdy construction, and a vibrant 4.5-inch display, the Lumia 920 is a phone that’s ideal for any user that wants to utilize Microsoft’s new metro-style interface with live tiles. The Lumia 920 is one of the only true handsets that features wireless charging capabilities. You can find a new Lumia 920 for $99.99 with a standard two-year service agreement. Up Next: Nokia Lumia 950, Fall 2013.
• Google Nexus 4 - Manufactured by LG, the Google Nexus 4 is the fourth Nexus-branded phone to hit the markets. The most substantial benefit of the Google Nexus 4 is that, because it’s a Google-branded product, it allows the user the most clean Android experience that’s available on a smartphone. Many manufacturers and service carriers will put their own software on top of the Android interface docked on their phone. This isn't the case with the Google Nexus 4. When new updates are available to the Android OS, the Nexus 4 will automatically update. The Nexus 4 has the speed and power to be useful for media consumption and productivity alike. Despite all the benefits the Google Nexus 4 has, it is not an LTE-capable handset, which can give some users issues in the way they can process data. The Google Nexus 4 is available for $99.99 with a standard two-year service agreement. Up next: The Google Nexus 5, built by LG.

Other dynamic smartphones that are currently available include: the Blackberry z10, the Motorola RAZR Maxx HD, the LG Optimus G, and the HTC Windows Phone 8X.

As mobile phones and other mobile devices continue to outsell PCs, it is the right time to start understanding how to create a comprehensive Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy that can substantially benefit your company’s profitability. The experienced technicians at Heart of Texas Network Consultants can assist you in the creation of a mobile device management policy that will allow your company to best utilize your employees’ mobile devices and keep company data secure and out of the wrong hands.

Your employees are going to buy these devices anyway, so what’s the harm in making their personal purchases work for your company? For more information about BYOD strategies or mobile device management, contact us at (254) 848-7100. Check back Wednesday for part two of Vanity IT. We will go over some of the market’s best tablets.