iPhone or Smartphone?

And so we come to the crux of the issue, would the iPhone make for a good smartphone for the style conscious business user? The simple fact seems to be that most of the smartphones we've looked at seem specifically to either add some mail functionality to a phone or to unite a Push mail device and a phone.

By contrast, the iPhone seems set to unite a phone, Push mail and the already ubiquitous iPod. So the real question posed by the iPhone or Smartphone debate is whether you're looking to reduce your portable electronic burden by a media player or a mail receiver. It's fundamentally a personal choice.

For the business user, it's worth remembering that Windows Mobile is now in its sixth iteration, and is a highly refined product. Its developers have had the time and feedback to build a product around office users. Likewise, the Pearl is an elaboration on the usual Blackberry theme. While it doesn't offer as much in terms of office functionality (editing documents etc.), its compact size and smooth exterior make it an attractive proposition for style conscious users.

So, where on this chart does the iPhone fall? It's hard to guage; its simple usefulness as a Push mail device and phone combination can't be underestimated. This is only accentuated by the fact that the iPhone is intrinsically a media player. The truth is that not all business-phone users are dour, homogenous beasts of burden, toiling away the hours of the day worrying about responding to messages is no time flat.

With this in mind, the iPhone's uncertain office functionality doesn't seem quite so prominent. The Push mail aspect means that there is a good reason to make the jump from a standard mobile to the iPhone; after that the sleek exterior, touch-screen and media player are all just garnish... and let's face it. If you're going to have a device you'll use on a daily basis, both office and home, all that polish results in a more pleasant user experience.

The iPhone is shaping up to be a reasonable phone for office purposes,; as long as you're not too hung up on editing documents with it. The only real question now is how you'll manage to put it on the company account...