• Technology

I am of the opinion that in about two decades, the concept of having defined workspaces will become obsolete. Business from anywhere is where it is going to be at as far as startups go. It is cost-saving, creates better employee behavior and general Bhutan-like happiness. But you should not wait two decades.

Here are some tools to get you and your team started on the path of being a mobile workforce.

The Phone
You need a smartphone. And you are in luck, as the line between feature phones and smartphones is slowly fading. This means that the cost factor is fading as well, though thankfully retaining the cost dynamics of feature phones.
If you are on the lookout for a cheap but efficient option, we recommend nothing but the Nokia E5.

At Rs.12,000, the E5 packs in quite a punch with almost all the features that you would want. It has Push Mail and a proprietary instant messenger, access to up to 10 personal mail accounts and, of course, the mandatory messenger services from Google, Yahoo and MSN.

Other than these, whatever you would want in a high-end feature phone finds its place in the E5, including a 5 Meg snapper with an LED Flash. The killer feature is the Push Mail—it works as well as the BlackBerry service, and you don’t end up paying through your nose. You pay just for your internet service.

On the more expensive side, I would immediately recommend getting the Apple iPhone 3GS or, if you can get your hands on it, the Apple iPhone 4G. These are pretty expensive in India. The 3GS costs about Rs.30,000 while the 4G is available unofficially for about Rs.40,000. But the iPhone is the Swiss knife of phones. You can’t go wrong with it. Review coming up.

The Tablet
Since the tablet craze is basically going to another universe, it would be wrong of us not to have a space for it in this piece. Tablets are the new netbooks (and netbooks were the new PCs). Everyone wants one. But does it have its place with the mobile businessman? We think it does.

The tablet market is still in its nascent stage in India. So there are no real options unless you are making a trip to Taiwan. However, Olive Telecom has thrown up a tablet that, if not perfect, at least sets the path for others to follow.
The OlivePad is a 7-inch tablet that runs Android 2.2 Froyo and includes connectivity options like 3G, Wi-Fi, and USB. It is light at about 400 grams and positively thinner than a netbook of the same size at just about 12mm. It can run Flash, support Push Mail, render e-books, and even make regular as well as video calls! Is it still a tablet? There are a few freebies thrown in, too, like a 6-month subscription to a live TV service, a lifetime subscription to the MapmyIndia navigation service, and a 16GB memory upgrade.

At Rs.22,000, we think the OlivePad has nailed it as far as pricing goes. It can be obviously cheaper, but then competition should ensure that there will be cheaper options available sooner than later. Also, Olive had inked a deal with Tata Telecom for its Zipbook for an in-built 3G modem, and a similar tie-up is expected for the OlivePad. This would mean that with the OlivePad, you would be able to subscribe to Tata’s 3G services as well, which just went live.

But if you are one for brands and their reputation, you should lean towards the Apple iPad. The only hitch is the price. The iPad is not officially available in India, but you could buy it in the grey market for about Rs.35,000 to Rs.60,000. You can get a car for a little more. That will really put the M in mobile, wouldn’t it?

The Netbook
This is a product category that has begun to play second fiddle to the tablet craze that is sweeping the world right now. However, given that tablets still lack some of the more basic functionalities and there is little in terms of mobile broadband infrastructure in the country for now, netbooks still command a place for the mobile businessman.

Thankfully, netbook prices have only been going down even as the features in them are going up. The choices are many and the costs are low. What you need in a netbook, however, is that it has the best processor possible, an easy-to-load operating system, and a good service network as you are bound to play with the netbook a little more roughly.

After going through a number of netbooks, I can tell you that choosing the right one is pretty personal in the end. Vendors like Asus, Samsung and Acer really have some very, very good pieces.

My vote goes to Asus though, and for one of their slightly pricier models in the 1000HE, which retails for roughly around Rs.20,000. At that price, you get an unmatchable combination of specs and style. It comes with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N280 processor, has a 10-inch LED backlit WSVGA screen, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard disk, a 802.11 b/g/n wireless network, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, Dolby speakers and Windows XP (which I prefer).

But the most killer feature it has is that on a full recharge, the 1000HE’s six cell battery lasted an incredible seven hours and 40 minutes when we reviewed it using it at full tilt. This is unbelievably awesome for a netbook and a boon for the mobile entrepreneur.

On the more expensive side, there are many options, including the Lamborghini and Ferrari editions, but hey, isn’t cost-effectiveness one of the reasons you would buy a netbook in the first place?

©Entrepreneur December 2010

Tags:
1000HE, Apple iPhone, Asus, inexpensive, mobility, netbook, Nokia E5, OlivePad, smartphone, tablet