In this tip, we examine mobile devices designed for truly mobile workers -- employees who spend little or no time chained to a desk. For this crowd, device size, weight, battery life, wireless connectivity, ease of use, and appropriateness to environment and task are key criteria.
Given the break-neck speed at which technology evolves, keeping up with new mobile computing devices is quite a challenge. As a mobile worker, I am always looking for ways to improve on-the-go productivity and life quality. But, as a small business owner, every dollar spent on equipment dents my bottom line. Striking a balance between innovation and expense requires comparison of available mobile computing devices and how well they fit workforce needs.
Those 5 to 10 pound luggables are great for workers who use docked laptops as desktop replacements at the office during the day, at home during the evening and on the road occasionally. But here, we will focus on computing devices designed for truly mobile workers -- employees who spend little or no time chained to a desk. For this crowd, device size, weight, battery life, wireless connectivity, ease of use, and appropriateness to environment and task are key criteria. Let's consider three options: ultralight notebooks, tablet PCs, and ultra mobile PCs. To facilitate comparison, we will illustrate capabilities with examples that run Windows XP and/or Vista.
Ultralight notebook PCs
Heavier laptops can still pack more punch than their smaller, lighter counterparts, but today's ultralight notebooks are increasingly competitive when it comes to computing power, storage space, and battery life. For example:
These examples provide insight into the size, weight, speed, capacity, and connectivity available in today's ultralight notebooks. The ThinkPad X-60 is a light but classic business notebook, with emphasis on power, range, a lighted keyboard, and manageability -- a good fit for those who need a real PC where
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ver they go. The Toughbook-T5 is a general-purpose business PC designed to withstand modest road hazards, from being dropped (magnesium alloy case) to being lost (Computrace BIOS agent). The Portege R400-S4931 uses a widescreen rotating display and Vista Ultimate to appeal to those travelers with a passion for multimedia. The Flybook pushes the opposite end of the spectrum, trading power for portability and adding voice communication features for world travelers.
Tablet PCs
Mobile workers who cannot use a conventional keyboard and mouse are a good fit for tablet PCs that offer touch screen and/or digitized input methods. To illustrate, consider how the following example tablet PCs address this need:
Because of the work environments in which they are used, tablet PCs (and a growing number of ultralight notebooks) incorporate keyboard-less authentication interfaces. Fingerprint readers are typical, but alternatives include RFID tag/badge readers and BIOS-level signature authentication.
Ultra mobile PCs
For some mobile workers, size and weight reign supreme. Ultralights and tablets may be thin, but you'll never fit them in your pocket. PDAs and Smartphones may be smaller, but they don't run your favorite Windows XP or Vista business applications. Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) were created to fill the perceived gap. For example:
Since their introduction, UMPCs have struggled to find the right combination of form factor and features. Although most UMPCs run Windows XP (and now Vista), their small size limits their ability to serve as a true notebook (much less desktop) replacement. The best audience for a UMPC is someone who needs to stay connected and/or entertained on-the-go, but would find an ordinary PDA or smartphone too small or too limited.
The bottom line
Thus far, we have focused on features and capabilities rather than cost. For one thing, prices change so quickly that any comparisons made today will be irrelevant two months from now. Currently, ultralight notebook and tablet PC prices are roughly comparable; UMPCs are slightly less expensive -- but this may change. When your time to buy arrives, do your own comparison shopping. Look beyond the examples given here.
However, retail price is only one portion of total cost of ownership. In real life, one must also consider annual maintenance contracts, mobile device administration, and device repair/replacement. The cold hard truth is that the smaller the device and the more time it spends outside the office, the harder it is to manage and track, and the greater the risk of damage, loss, or theft. To that end, companies that invest heavily in mobile computing devices may wish to consider an asset tracking and recovery service like Computrace.
On the other hand, giving mobile workers the right tool for the job can pay numerous dividends, from improving customer service and reducing downtime to avoiding duplicate data entry and error. So look beyond conventional laptops when making your next mobile computing device purchase. As every mobile professional knows, one size definitely does NOT fit all.
About the author: Lisa Phifer is vice president of Core Competence Inc., a consulting firm specializing in network security and management technology. Phifer has been involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of data communications, internetworking, security, and network management products for nearly 20 years. She teaches about wireless LANs and virtual private networking at industry conferences and has written extensively about network infrastructure and security technologies for numerous publications. She is also a site expert to SearchMobileComputing.com and SearchNetworking.com.
