[This is part 6 of a 10 part series titled: “So You’re An IT Noob“]
Once your Church has a web presence and your team is outfitted with computers, an Internet connection and productivity software, your team will need to be outfitted with mobile devices to stay in touch.
For some time now, many churches and businesses have been giving employees allowances for mobile devices rather than supplying them. The ability to write-off the cost of mobile devices was only allowed if you could show that business usage was more than 50% and you had records to back this up. If you frequently use a cell phone, then you know what those detailed call sheets look like. Thanks to a new law passed in 2010, mobile devices have been “delisted” allowing you to expense the full cost of the phone as long as personal use is nominal.
With that in mind, if your Church is going to provide devices for your team, you have to figure out which option will work best for you. I won’t be discussing carriers for the purpose of this post, but rather the types of devices and their advantages as well as their disadvantages.
Blackberry
Less than 5 years ago, there really was no other mobile solution (aside from the Treo devices) where you could get your email wirelessly. The Blackberry quickly established itself as the go to solution for email, contacts and calendering. With a Blackberry Enterprise Server, businesses and ministries could easily deploy up to thousands of devices and have their email syncing within minutes.
The Blackberry has evolved over time, though much too slowly for critics. As the iPhone and Android devices have begun to consume most market share, RIM has been playing catch up with their devices. While they clearly have improved, it remains to be seen whether they’ll remain a strong competitor in this field.
Advantages
- Fast – RIM was one of the companies to start using PUSH technology and it works great. There have been times when I would receive emails on my handheld device before I saw them in my inbox.
- Inexpensive – Most wireless carriers have Blackberry devices you can get for free (Verizon had a buy one get one free promotion recently for $50) with a two year contract.
Disadvantages
- Lack of mobile apps – Mobile apps have become quite important to people both in ministry and business. While RIM has made strides in this area, they are still way behind in this arena and many developers are sticking largely with iOS and Android as their platforms of choice.
- Functionality – Touch screens have almost become the only way to go. Blackberry devices still have a somewhat clunky interface with the bulk of the devices having utilizing a trackpad (they’ve finally replaced the trackball which was a constant source of frustration) and clicking .
iPhone
It’s the device that set the new standard in smartphone technology. Combining great looks, a robust app store and great features, the iPhone is not just a smartphone, but a mini-computer, entertainment device, camera and camcorder all in one. It still enjoys the largest market share overall within the smartphone realm, but Apple is having to step up its game with the rise of Android.
Advantages
- Apple-centric – If you’re a Mac user, then your iPhone will feel right at home. Many Mac only applications have complimenting mobile apps for the iPhone.
- Apps. Lots and lots of apps. – The iTunes app store features over 425,000 apps with more being added every day. Some people have complained about Apple’s arbitrary decision making for what apps get into the store with some being rejected without reason. Also (and this may be an important factor), Steve Jobs has promised that there will be no pornographic apps sold .
- Easy to set up – Set up is simple. The iPhone can easily be set up for email using Exchange if you have an exchange server or are using Google Apps.
Disadvantages
- No memory expansion – Apple continues to disappoint in this area. Rather than selling a 16GB iPhone and allowing users to upgrade memory with a micro SD card, people have to pay $100 more for a 32GB device and still cannot upgrade the memory beyond that.
- No Flash support – Some people don’t see this as a big deal, but Flash is still around and contrary to what some believe, I don’t think it is going anywhere any time soon. It seems Apple’s decision to not provide support for this technology is based more on being stubborn than being judicious.
Android
When the first full featured Android phone, the Motorola Droid was released, it was the first shot in a little war that since has benefitted everybody, especially the consumer. For the longest time, the iPhone was it. If you didn’t have an iPhone, you just weren’t cool. Unfortunately, the use of an iPhone also meant the use of AT&T’s service. I’ve seen people write things about it that I cannot repeat here.
Since that time, Android growth has exploded. Since the Motorola Droid was introduced on the Verizon network, it allowed many to get in on the game. Since then, the devices have only become better, the number of apps has increased and the Android OS continues to improve.
Advantages
- Choices – There are a bunch of different devices available. I had the Droid X which was a large device. It was too big for my wife, but I was able to hold it comfortably. My wife has the HTC Incredible which is smaller (and as an aside is the one Android device that has a camera that just about rivals the iPhone). Going to a store (be it AT&T, Sprint or Verizon) is recommended so that you can hold the devices to see which fits best.
- Lots of apps – While the Android store doesn’t yet rival Apple’s, it is rising fast. Some developers I believe, held out to see how the Android would fare and now many have jumped on board. Most apps not Apple specific are available on the Android platform as well.
- Easy top set up – Android devices have native Google support so if you are using Google Apps, you set up with that account out of the box and you can be up and running in minutes.
Disadvantages
- Choices – Huh? Yeah, this can be a disadvantage. With the iPhone (and even the Blackberry) you pretty much know what you are getting. Different Android devices have different quirks and issues because there are multiple manufacturers. Sometimes this can be a hindrance.
- Malware – Because Android is a much more open platform for developers, it has also become a target for hackers and troublemakers. Malware isn’t a big problem, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. It’s enough of a concern that Avast is developing an anti-virus app for Android.
In this post, there are two types of devices I left out of the equation only because I have personally not used them. That would be the Palm devices and Windows devices. If you have experience with either one of them, please feel free to share in the comments.
Next up: Worship Presentation Software.
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