Is 2006 The Year of the SmartPhone?

Seems like things have finally heated up in the race for the ultimate communicator – and nice timing for Palm now that they’ve all but left the race.

In lane 1, the Treo 700w which will run Windows Mobile 5. Many are already aware and comfortable with the hardware and I am sure it will be quite nice given my own usage with a Treo 600 and Treo 650. I keep hearing good things about the latest rev in mobile Windows, and I think this phone will attract quite a few Blackberry users, though it’s unclear whether Blackberry mail is supported so this may actually be a tricky one for corporate buyers. Microsoft has Exchange 2003 sync in the box which is pretty good, but not BB. This will apparently support EV-DO data through Verizon which is excellent as you’ll get a nice mobile broadband connection for all your data needs…

In lane 2, the Motorola Q phone…will also run Windows Mobile 5. It’s coming from the same team that brought the RAZR and looks very slim and sexy. MOT is billing it as the thinest QWERTY phone and perhaps it will be… Again no BB sync, though Exchange is an attractive alternative. You get a very rich feature set in a sleek and slim package… not clear yet whether this is a true 3G capable phone working on either EV-DO and UTMS / HSPDA or what. MOT is apparently pushing to get this out by the end of the year in 2005 knowing things are heating up in the space.

Lane 3 holds the dark horse only because Nokia has not had much success selling smartphones. Regardless, the Nokia E61 looks very slick. You get it all in this baby, except for a camera, which will allow corporate appeal. The features are seemingly endless here… WCDMA, WLAN – allowing for both data and VOIP functions, full office compatibility (the others have this as well) and multimedia.

All in all an interesting group. I am definitely intrigued by both the Nokia and MOT phones… they looks very cool. I“m more inclined towards the Nokia only because I’ve steered pretty clear of mobile Windows, though these days it looks like it will be pretty hard to avoid. I’ve skipped over the latest and pending devices from RIM because I use one now and find they are more limited than other platforms with a significant over-balance on email. My blackberry is good on calendar and phone as well, but really sucks on ToDo list management and there is a much more limited list of applications to consider adding in…

I think we’ll have to wait on most of these to see not only who carries them, but what limitations are imposed as a result. It’s going to be a good race to watch… and certainly participate in as well – gotta have the goods.

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile, Treo, Nokia