Phones VR UK

In fact businesses have been first adopters of SmartPhone technology with their extensive use of BlackBerry handsets, but SmartPhones have moved on since then driven by Apple and the incredibly successful iPhone series.

For some businesses, where durability is more important than connectivity, there are other phones which might suit their requirements (although there are also rugged SmartPhones on the market now). But for the majority of business mobile users the smarter the better.

Some SmartPhone benefits for your business…

Power in your pocket – you have the computing power of a basic laptop in a device small enough to be carried anywhere. With wireless and 3G technology you can work from your phone as if you were in the office (almost).

Keep yourself organised – the average SmartPhone comes with a personal organiser, electronic diary, contact lists, and automatic reminders to name but a few of the functions which will organise your daily workload. They can be synced to your office so you never miss any important reminders.

Always online – unlike a laptop your phone is always on and, with push email, it is receiving data instantly. It enables you to be continuously accessible and productive.

Find your way around – most SmartPhones have GPS and a map function which can be used to plan routes and find your way on foot. There are also numerous apps which can be used to turn your phone into a satnav in your vehicle.

Access your company data – securely connect with your company information to access details of prospects and important documents. You can also access general information online, for instance to answer customer questions.

The power of applications – SmartPhones real differential is their use of applications. All of the operating systems have some sort of store where you can buy general business apps or ones that are specific for your business sector and usage. Larger companies can even develop their own.

SmartPhones on a business mobile contract

We are not restricted in the handsets we sell and can provide a full range of SmartPhones on a range of business tariffs. Which one will suit your business best will depend upon how you are going to use it – contact us for advice.

You can mix and match different SmartPhone models or have a combination of smart and feature phones. The choice is yours.

We will match your usage to the best available tariff across the major networks and provide you with new phones according to your requirements.

Traditionally, when mobiles first began to be used by businesses, company phone users looked at BlackBerry first before other manufacturers. However, those days are long gone. Now, with SmartPhones predominant, there are a range of operating systems to choose from, each of which offers its own features and uses (and potential problems for IT departments).

It was Apple, with the iPhone, that first started to break the BlackBerry business grip. As users began to use the phones in their life outside work, they saw how useful they could be within a working environment. Small businesses started their adoption first, but over time many large companies have started to use iPhones (and now iPads) within their communication structure.

Having broken BlackBerry’s business dominance, this has paved the way for other OSs to be utilised. Google’s Android is an obvious choice, having become the biggest OS by market share. It is easy to develop applications for, if there is not one already made for your particular business needs.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone has not yet been widely adopted, either by the public or business users. Whilst being visually appealing it does not have the same range of apps as the major players. However, it does have one distinct advantage – Microsoft’s business IT dominance.

The majority of businesses will be running Windows operating systems on their computers. With the upcoming release of Windows 8 there will be a greater integration between desktop, laptop and mobile devices, which will all be able to run the new OS in some form or another.

This seamless integration will be appealing to many IT departments. If they are upgrading their PCs to Windows 8 why not upgrade all of their mobile devices too?

As adoption increases so will the number of apps available. If business users start to use the OS, more business apps will be developed, making it increasingly appealing to other business users. This cycle could see Windows 8 becoming the predominant business mobile OS, but that is very speculative at this stage and will take some time.

And what about BlackBerry? There are still plenty of companies using them but more and more are switching to more flexible alternatives. RIM are promising a new revolutionary BlackBerry OS, together with better BB handsets, but it is slow in coming and in the meantime they are losing plenty of ground.

Many businesses are still plodding along with different suppliers for all of their telecoms. This is not usually the most cost effective option and often causes problems, particularly as device and product convergence continues apace.

The individual parts of your business telecoms, mobile, landline and data, have become more reliant upon one another. Getting them all under one roof will help problem resolution and can reduce your costs.

As well as single supplier solutions, businesses are also looking for ways in which the different products can work together. This includes having landline numbers ring on mobile phones, ensuring more calls get answered, and moving phone systems into the cloud relying upon data connectivity for their calls.

Benefits of new telecoms technology

New technology is enabling more flexible working and thus increasing productivity. It enables you to do more in less time, working smarter not harder.

Embracing new technology can give you a competitive edge. SmartPhones, tablets, IP telephony, they all bring extra value to your business and, when put together into a complete solution, can drive your business forward.

As an independent supplier we can advise on a full range of telecom products and services and complete solutions.

Reviews are free and available to businesses of any size in any sector.

4G has finally arrived in the UK, with EE (Everything Everywhere) starting their services yesterday – but could they be right for your business?

As a general rule, faster connectivity is better, so it would appear initially that the answer is yes. However, this technology is very much in its infancy and is unproven in the real world.

EE’s 4G price plans are more expensive than their standard tariffs, and only a limited number of high end smartphones currently support 4G on their network frequencies. Data limits are also incredibly low on their basic packages, starting at just 500Mb.

The service has only launched in 11 major cities, with another 5 to come onboard by the end of the year, so outside of these areas you will not be receiving 4G.

In any case, 4G speeds are being “controlled”, so you could get either 38Mbps or 76Mbps depending upon your chosen plan. However these speeds will be far lower than 4G will ultimately deliver.

The future of 4G – worth waiting for?

In the fullness of time other network operators will roll out their own 4G services, and with this competition prices will fall. Plus there will be a greater choice of compatible handsets too.

Hopefully the networks will also have a “speed war” to push the capabilities of 4G speed higher, and will increase data limits to a more sensible level given the amount of data you can download at these faster speeds.

Why tie yourself to a 24 month contract now with an untested system at a premium price? In 6-9 months it could look like a very silly decision.

Our advice is to wait and see how the market develops and how good the 4G service on offer actually is.

In a year or two we may all wonder how we ever did without 4G, but for now the jury is out and it may prove best for your business to keep a watching brief, at least until it becomes clear which way the other networks are heading with their 4G services.

Although there are other tablets available, and more released seemingly daily, the iPad is very much the market leader. Our experience of them is that they are reliable and adaptable. They also benefit from the largest number of apps available for any mobile device via Apple’s itunes.

Competitors include a number of Android tablets, most notably the Samsung Galaxy Tab in a similar price bracket, and increasingly lower priced, smaller units such as the Google Nexus 7.

iPad uses for business

We are not finding sales of iPads in specific sectors but rather across the board. All types of business user will find a use for an iPad, from racehorse trainers making use of idle time on the way to the races, to creative types who can jot down their ideas at any time inspiration strikes.

Even those who are initially sceptical about their use within their business soon warm to the number of possibilities that are available with such a useful device. We find the best way of selling them is to demo them – once a customer has a try and sees how easy they are to use and what they can do they are usually sold.

As prices fluctuate, and there are a number of different models and options, please contact us for the latest business iPad deals and offers.

iPad Repairs London

If you’re using your iPad for your business then you need to make sure it is in top working condition at all times. However, we’ve all dropped our iPad at some point, or accidentally spilt our coffee all over it. Don’t panic!

Square Repair in London provide expert repair services in the same day or even faster if you choose their express option. Drop it in to their central London shop or get a courier to swing by your office and pick it up and then return it to you once it’s fixed.

Square Repair will get your iPad up and running again so you can get back to work. Click here for iPad repairs.