Sept/Oct 2004

The dividing line between business-only telematics devices and consumer handheld computers is getting ever thinner, and if you want your staff to feel good about their standard-issue PDAs, there's a line of thought that says should take careful note of their priorities.

You could therefore learn something from a survey by Avantgo, the consumer-focused mobile Web development specialist in the iAnyway group. It found that the most sought-after feature in a handheld device is a calendar/contact list, followed by easy synchronisation with PCs, good battery life, emailing and messaging, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity, and compact size. MP3 functionality came seventh in the list, then mobile phone connectivity eighth, followed by a large screen, GPS, a large memory and a camera.