Smartphones becoming more common as business tools: check out the latest and greatest.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: TECHNOLOGY

Smartphones are becoming thinner, faster and more featurerich, transforming them into a more functional tool for business users who want to work on the go. Today's smartphones are loaded with computing capabilities and other features that make them akin to laptop computers. The latest models offer larger screens, high-definition display, higher-resolution cameras, faster processors, longer battery life and more internal memory. Many also offer mobile broadband, allowing high-speed access to the Internet, as well as quicker access to applications and files.

"Smartphones are more powerful than computers of a decade ago," says Greg Schlabaugh, commercial applications consultant for GCI. "They're about information and consumption getting those nuggets of communication that you need throughout the day and communicating throughout the world."

High-powered smartphones are making it easier for business users to balance their professional and personal lives. Email is the most commonlyused feature among mobile workers. People are also using their smartphone to update their calendar, access their corporate dashboard and research information on the Web. They can also download special apps for fleet management, sales automation and field service automation to handle more specific tasks when they're away from their home office.

It all boils down to having instant access to information and life management, Schlabaugh says. "It's about making the most of every second, whether you're riding in an elevator or standing in a hallway waiting for a meeting to start."

POPULAR MOBILE OPERATING SYSTEMS

The power of smartphones rests in their operating system, which controls the software and hardware of the device. The most widely used mobile operating systems are Android, BlackBerry, Apple's lOS (iPhone) and Windows Mobile. BlackBerry is still the king when it comes to extremely reliable email delivery, but it's starting to lose its grip in the market, Schlabaugh says. "It has not been as quick to innovate as other manufactures and match what the other ecosystems can offer."

Android phones are by far the most popular smartphones on the market today. Customers are drawn to their ease of use, multitude of applications and simplicity, according to Cassandra Palmer, wireless product manager for Matanuska Telephone Association (MTA). Industry research has indicated that men prefer Androids and women prefer iPhones, but Palmer hasn't noticed such gender-related...