Legal Technology Journal

BlackBerries first appeared on the scene in 1999. After a slow start, by 2006, Research In Motion (RIM), the manufacturer, had more than 6 million subscribers to its service. Not bad for a predominantly business-orientated gadget.

Until recently there has been no serious competition for BlackBerry devices, despite promises from various industry luminaries such as Vodafone and Nokia. Vodafone especially was extremely vocal about releasing push e-mail services for its communicator range of phones, but alas the only thing it managed to achieve was to add to the ever-growing list of vapourware. 

BlackBerries themselves have an addictive quality (indeed, they are often called CrackBerries for precisely this reason). This can manifest itself in different ways. Some people feel the need to be connected to the office permanently, whilst others feel the need to have the same gadget as their opposing counsel or chum from the golf club. BlackBerries are predominantly a push e-mail device. Whilst they have some of the functionality of PDAs, they are not really a good substitute. The corollary being that a PDA without push e-mail is only really useful to a committed gadget hound. Having to synchronise your info constantly by docking with your PC is tedious at best.

The unique selling point for BlackBerries was that they provided you with your work e-mail in a convenient portable device. This was made possible by a piece of server-side software that connects to a firm’s exchange server and takes a copy of a user’s inbound e-mail. This was then relayed over the mobile phone network and the BlackBerry service centre to the user’s portable device. Hey presto, you were now connected to the office. Lucky you.  In 2006 Microsoft finally delivered Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Exchange Server, which featured push e-mail services to Windows Mobile devices. At the time there were only a handful of Windows Mobile devices around to receive push mails from Exchange servers, but over the past few months the situation has changed and there is now a plethora of devices either already out there, or about to be made available on the market.

This has given, at long last, a choice to users who think they might require push e-mail to mobile devices. It also means that those who currently use BlackBerry devices, some of whom may have issues with the cost of running them, or their functionality, can look to an alternative. Interestingly, it is perfectly possible to run both systems concurrently. This means that you can easily test the Windows Mobile platform alongside your BlackBerry installation. It also offers a fairly straightforward migration path (in either direction) if that is what you decide to do.

Infrastructure issues

A BlackBerry service requires a BES server to be installed alongside the firm’s Exchange server. More often than not, BlackBerry installation consultants will try to persuade you to run BlackBerry services on a separate machine. For the network manager this means an additional piece of hardware and thus an additional expense as well as additional software to maintain, not forgetting the extra server software licence.

Whilst BES servers are not exactly rocket science in terms of maintenance, the fact remains that you still have to you use the software to administer the service, and thus have something else to worry about. Microsoft push e-mail services require you to do nothing more than load and configure Service Pack 2 on your Exchange server. Thus they have the advantage of requiring less hardware, less software and less administration. Most competent exchange administrators should have little difficulty in gettingthe Windows push e-mail service running, whereas I suspect that most BlackBerry installations were undertaken by BlackBerry consultants.

Security

Both the BlackBerry and Windows Mobile services require firewall tweaks to be made to allow traffic to flow in and out of your network. BlackBerry requires port 3101 to be opened for outbound traffic only, whereas Microsoft push e-mail requires port 443 to be active (SSL), should you not have that port open already. Neither of these issues should trouble firms either in terms of administration or security concerns. 

Both systems have password-protected entry that allow either PIN codes or alpha-numeric passwords to be used. BlackBerries work well with passwords, but not so well with numerical characters. Windows Pocket PC phone versions work well with either, especially PIN codes using the touch screen dial pad. Both systems can wipe the device after a number of incorrect entries (normally ten) but this can be varied to accommodate the more ham-fisted or forgetful users. Password or PIN code length can be varied in both systems.  The facility to lock the device after a period of inactivity is available on both systems, which are locked on boot-up. Both systems also support remote wiping of devices. This is an important feature for administrators, allowing them to effectively kill a machine should it be lost or stolen. Assuming the user tells you in reasonable time.

BlackBerry devices encrypt data on the device, and require an encryption key to be present to allow the device to read the data. Windows mobile does not encrypt data. Whether this is an issue is open to debate. Theoretically, attaching a Windows Mobile device to another machine using active sync could allow data to be read from a device, although in practice this is fairly tricky. It also assumes that the password and remote wipe functions have been bypassed.

Devices

RIM currently has several models of BlackBerry from which to choose. The Pearl and the 7 series are styled more like telephone handsets with a reduced number of keys and a unique take on the QWERTY keyboard. The 5000, 6000, 7200, 7700 and 8000 series devices have a more conventional layout with a full QWERTY keyboard. One device, the 8707, has a 3G connector in addition to GPRS. It is also possible to get the BlackBerry connect software for other non-RIM devices such as Nokia’s Communicator and, should you be inclined, Windows Mobile devices. Microsoft push e-mail handhelds come in two software flavours, Windows Pocket PC phone, and Windows Smartphone. 

There are two principal differences between the versions: first, a cut down set of Microsoft applications is bundled with the Windows Pocket PC phone but not the smart phone; secondly, Pocket PC phones have touch screens, whereas Smartphones do not. However, both handle push e-mail, and the smartphone has applications that allow the user to read attachments, in a similar fashion to BlackBerries.  Now that manufacturers have a good reason to use Windows Mobile on telephones and handheld devices, there is a reasonable amount of choice available to the prospective purchaser. Windows Mobile devices fall into three categories stylewise.

First, there are full-screen PDAs with slide-out QWERTY keyboards. These devices are no larger than other PDA types, but are a little fatter, so take up more room in your pocket. Most variants of these appear to be manufactured by QTEK and sold under various guises. These devices run Pocket PC phone, and thus get a suite of Microsoft applications. There are also telephone-style devices, with mobile phone keypads. These force the user to type mobile phone-style – which is fine if you like predictive texting. The best of these is possibly HTC’s Meteor, with its rather sexy 320 x 240 pixel screen. These devices are Windows Smartphone, so get file readers rather than applications. Finally, we have the variety that feature a fixed QWERTY keyboard and screen. These look most like the traditional BlackBerry, and there are several varieties around. The Palm Treo 750 is one of the better variants, but there is a growing list of manufacturers producing interesting-looking equivalents.

For an up-to-date list, have a look at the Expansys website. BlackBerry devices, by comparison, only feature the latter two styles. You can, in practice, load the BlackBerry Connect software onto a handful of non-BlackBerry handsets such as the Nokia 9300, and indeed Windows Mobile devices. The question remains why you would want to if the device can support its own push e-mail solution, or needs yet another software layer to perform a task.

Telephone functionality

BlackBerry handhelds can be used as a telephone handset as well as a mobile e-mail device. The earlier BlackBerry handhelds, such as the 72 and 77 series were extremely clumsy as mobile phones as well as being rather large in the pocket for most people’s tastes. The same goes for the 8000 series, although RIM paid lip service to the notion of using them as phones by including the traditional green and red buttons found on mobiles.

The 7000 series and the Pearl series were brought out to try to convince people that BlackBerries could be used as a phone. They offer much slimmer styling and are far easier to use as a phone handset than the traditional BlackBerry shapes. However, the redesign of the QWERTY keyboard to accommodate the slimming down of the device did not go down well with everybody, as their keyboard layout matched neither the original QWERTY keyboard nor a mobile phone keyboard.

Screens and navigation

All of the original BlackBerries used a thumbwheel to navigate the screen. Whilst the thumbwheel worked after a fashion, it is rather rudimentary. The latest BlackBerry Pearl has introduced an omni-directional rocker switch in place of the thumbwheel. This is both quicker and more intuitive. The lack of a touch screen in both devices is, for many people, a serious shortcoming in this day and age. Anyone who disbelieves this statement should check out the amount of people drooling over the new Apple iPhone with its touch screen-only interface. For manufacturers, touch screens make far more sense – they can change the functionality of the devices just by making software changes.

The ability to build devices without a plethora of mechanically operated buttons and wheels should also mean a reduction both in the cost and complexity of the manufacturing process. Windows Mobile gives you a choice of screen types. The Smartphones do not get touch screens, and use the same style of omni-directional rocker switch as the BlackBerry Pearl. The Pocket PC phones employ a touch screen and some form of pen to drive it, although your finger, if it is not too fat, will also do the job. Whether you prefer touch screens, rocker switches or thumbwheels will partly come down to individual choice. The reality, though, is that touch screen devices more closely mimic a desktop Windows environment, and ultimately provide for easier usage. 

Costs and contracts

Many firms run their BlackBerry contracts in parallel with their mobile phone contracts. Such is the variability of the mobile market, it is often cheaper to do so, especially if you are a smaller firm. In any event, trying to keep tabs on what it might cost for a different kind of contract structure is a fraught business, and generally more suited to those with a lot of time on their hands. Many users still want to make phone calls on a standard mobile, preferring not to carry their BlackBerry all the time. Mobiles are still much smaller, and lighter in the pocket than all but the smallest BlackBerry.

The monthly charge per BlackBerry connection will depend on your bargaining power with your provider. It will include an amount of bundled data, and you will be charged beyond that usage, but this doesn’t often amount to much. Phone calls on BlackBerries, however, are charged at per minute rates for many firms, and these can quickly rack up. Looking back over a year of BlackBerry expenditure can result in a sharp intake of breath. Windows Mobile has the distinct advantage of being able to simply piggyback onto your existing phone contract without any change, although if you really want to extract a decent performance from it, you need to add 3G data services. This will mean a bit of re-negotiation with your provider, but you should still be able to wrap it up in a single, more economical deal. It can therefore also provide simpler account administration. 

Application issues

BlackBerry devices handle e-mail well. The original devices were built around this one application and although this was their unique selling point originally, it is likely to hamstring the devices eventually. Lawyers frequently send and receive documents as attachments to e-mail. BlackBerry devices include software that allows the user to read these e-mails, but before they get sent to the handheld device they are processed by the server software into proprietary read-only formats. This limits the user to read-only versions of attachments. For users only interested in reading rather than modifying documents, this may not be an issue.

One thing BlackBerry does cater for is personal folders in Outlook. Users can configure one personal folder, which may be useful for filing on the go. Strangely, Windows Mobile does not support this as yet. Excel files, however, can only be read on BlackBerries by opening individual cells in the document one at a time. This is hugely time-consuming, frustrating, and generally regarded by most as a hopeless exercise. Furthermore, Excel files were not designed to be navigated by thumbwheel. Granted, the new rocker button helps, but the files remain read-only. 

BlackBerries have the capability to process most Microsoft Office document attachments into read-only format, including Powerpoint and Visio. PDF files and most image formats are also catered forWindows Mobile devices also handle e-mail well, using a cut-down version of Outlook as the e-mail client. Smartphones are very similar to BlackBerries in terms of handling attachments.  Windows Pocket PC phones, however, have the ability to modify documents. This, combined with a touch screen, gives users far more scope for handling attachments, especially Excel files. Powerpoint files are also editable. Microsoft bundles the Picsel PDF viewer with its devices, and offers support for most picture file types.

Development issues

Software development for BlackBerries is a bit of a curate’s egg. Metamessage developed a handful of applications, including a spellchecker and preview pane package for the devices, but these things are native on Windows Mobile. Metamessage is an add-on product, which also has (for an additional cost) a time recording application that, in theory, can be configured to your PMS. Unfortunately, this requires additional development, again at additional cost. In-house development for the BlackBerry platform is not straightforward either. Despite being based on a Java platform, frustratingly, the SDK for BlackBerry seems to change every time a new version of the BlackBerry software appears, which can force developers to have to develop different versions of their software for each. Windows Mobile, on the other hand, provides a ready-made development platform that many   programmers will have little difficulty getting to grips with.

This, along with mobile SQL forWindows handheld devices, gives development teams the ability to write applications and interfaces to network applications. Microsoft has taken this one step further with Windows Mobile v6 by including both of these with the operating system on the device. Some PMS vendors have already taken this on board and are developing clients for Windows Mobile devices that can interrogate their product, thus extending the reach of their application well beyond the desktop. The inclusion of a Windows Mobile interface for their applications gives PMS vendorsan additional piece of armoury with which to attack the market for their product. Small advantages of this nature can still tip the balance for a purchaser whose workforce is predominantly mobile. 

Conclusion

Having run both systems for a few months now (see box, ‘Head to Head’), it is difficult to conclude anything other than that Windows Mobile has the upper hand over BlackBerry. The proliferation of Windows Mobile devices gives users far more choice, and they are more productive and easier to use. The competition in the marketplace should drive device prices down to below BlackBerry levels. They offer easier administration, and are likely to cost less to run. If that were not enough, there is more scope for developers.  

It looks like RIM may struggle to contain the charge from Microsoft in the mobile e-mail market. It does make one wonder what the company has been doing with its time, and, more importantly, its virtual monopoly, for the last few years. Sure, it has improved devices, tweaked the server services, and added phone style and functionality. But the lack of support for touch screens and file editing is a mystery. The monopolisation of device construction, absence of native applications, and lack of integration with business applications won’t help in the long term. These are things Apple was criticised for years ago, before being eventually swamped by Microsoft. Funny how history tends to repeat itself.

Damian Blackburn is the Head of IT at Davenport Lyons.