Virtua Team Talk

Although India is viewed as a huge potential growth market for smartphone and mobile devices recent concerns about national security are changing perceptions about the way such devices are used. In the last few days India has given Blackberry phone maker RIM a deadline of 31st August to give the government access to all of its services or face being shut down.

According to the Financial Times the country is also reported to be considering similar bans on Skype and Google services. In response to India’s concerns RIM has clarified the principles which underpin any request for access to data sent and received by Blackberry handsets but said it is unwilling to do ‘special deals’ for particular countries.

The issue is that India fears the device could be used by militants and insurgents in a repeat of the 2008 attack on Mumbai that left 166 people dead. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the first country to propose a block on the devices claiming they posed a “national security risk” because of their ability to send messages and e-mail without the governing authorities having the facility to monitor the communications. The row is the latest in a long running dispute between Research in Motion (RIM) and international governments.

It seems that the central issue is all about whether or not governments should be able to monitor the encrypted traffic from Blackberry devices and if so, how this could be done.

Although India is the latest country to enter the fray following the UAE’s lead, Lebanon, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have also expressed similar concerns with analysts expecting more to follow suit.

RIM’s CEO, Michael Lazardis, defended BlackBerry’s position saying that India’s concerns risked undermining the growth of e-commerce and added “This is about the internet. Everything on the internet is encrypted and if they can’t deal with the internet, they should shut it off.” Mr. Lazaridis said that his devices were being unfairly singled out by foreign governments who were out to score political points and while he would not comment on the status of individual negotiations, be believed a mutually agreeable settlement could be reached.

Government officials in India said that if no solution between themselves and RIM was found, then they would ask mobile phone operators to block Blackberry’s messaging and e-mail until RIM provides access to data transmitted over the handset. Working in the mobile Telecoms arena I can fully understand both sides of the argument. Clearly national security is very important and having the facility to monitor terrorist activity is an enormous advantage for the security forces. Equally, it is reassuring to know that personal privacy is respected by the Telecoms industry rather than having to live in a ‘Big Brother’ society where all personal business can be closely monitored by the government should they wish to ‘spy’ on your activities.

Whilst there is no easy answer I believe that ‘compromise’ has to be the way forward. In an uncertain world there is ample justification for monitoring crime and terrorist activity but not at the expense of civil liberty. Maybe the issue is really about having the necessary regulations and facilities in place to enable access to sensitive data when it is fully justified but not in a way that is open to misuse. There are also some religious and cultural issues that need to be factored in.

Everyone will have their own view on the pros and cons of this. The debate over the privacy of communications and national governments wish or need to be able to monitor communications has been with us for some time. It was ever thus. It’s always been a challenge for governments, law makers and the privacy lobby to keep pace with technology. I wouldn’t presume to see a way through that debate, but It’s pretty clear that the law makers and privacy guardians need to continue to find a way; and to continue to adapt fast. Technology like evolution, just keeps progressing.

Apple claims it sold more than 300,000 of its latest product, the iPad tablet computer, on its launch day in the US. Apple said its aim was to try to create a third category of product that falls midway between a Laptop and a Smartphone and offers a different experience to other devices.

The iPad is yet another gadget that is this month’s ‘must have’. It is sleek, eye catching and offers a wealth of innovations to keep any techno geek happy until the next best thing comes along. Whatever your preferred gadget might be, Blackberry, iPhone, Laptop, Notebook or even the new iPad it’s all about something called communication.

Ever since early mankind first started beating a hollow log with a stick we have been developing the technology with which to communicate. The iPad is merely the latest tool to link us to the internet, to email and to the thousands of web and blog sites and social networking tools that are now ingrained into our social fabric. We are swapping pictures on Facebook, linking up with old school buddies on Friends Reunited and Twittering to anyone who will listen on the ‘blogosphere’. It’s all about communicating in countless different ways. The tools may be different but the goal is just the same – it’s about interacting with other human beings.

Or is it?

What I have increasingly started to notice, particularly among teenagers and those in their early twenties, is that although social interaction via technology is now an integral part of their lives, real ‘communication’ is often being neglected. Spend time with a bunch of teens and you will notice that even at a party or lively social occasion they will tend to spend more time staring at their mobile phones screens or texting than actually communicating face to face with each other.

Yes, in many ways they are communicating more, and in more innovative ways than we did as children and teens, but it is not direct dialogue and it misses a huge part of what social interaction is all about.

Sometimes it’s the same in business. We are emailing and texting, blogging and communicating electronically but sometimes business relationships are more effective if they include the ‘human touch’. We may not be able to stop the electronic revolution but let’s not forget that sometimes a friendly face to face chat and a friendly smile can achieve so much more.

If you are thinking of investing in a smartphone then in many ways you are spoilt for choice. The problem is that there are numerous types of smartphone to choose from and it is easy to get confused by the plethora of models and features. There are, however, only two ‘celebrities’ in the smartphone marketplace, with both currently battling for supremacy – the sophisticated Blackberry and the iconic iPhone.

Yes there are some other great smartphones out there including the HTC powered by Google’s Android mobile OS. Palm is back in the game with the Pre, Samsung have launched the ‘Jet’ and there is also Microsoft’s ‘Windows phone’. But somehow all these great phones still fall within the shadow of the cool, sensuous Blackberry and the mighty iPhone.

So if you have set your eyes on the two hottest smartphones on the market how do you possibly choose between them? iPhone or Blackberry? An “impartial” observer would probably rate it a dead heat but few of us are truly impartial and we all have an allegiance to our favourite. If you are really stuck though here’s a few of my thoughts to help you make your mind up.

Firstly, as we’ve come to expect from Apple, the design and aesthetics of the iPhone are unrivalled and the user interface is slick, intuitive and responsive.  The on-screen touchpad keypad takes a little practice to get used to though, and some users will always prefer the more tactile feel of a real qwerty keyboard as found on most Blackberry models.

When it comes to apps the phone clearly wins hands down based on the range and sheer volume of apps available, usually at very reasonable prices.  OK, there are plenty of “dross” apps available but there are also some really useful gems to track down too. For web browsing, the safari browser supplied with the phone is difficult to beat and if you are fond of social networking (Face book, Twitter, etc) the phone appears to win hands down.

The Blackberry, in contrast, remains a firm favorite for corporate users because of improved integration with corporate networks, ease of management, exchange & MS Office integration and secure networking features.  For the installed base, corporations have made significant investment in integration of Blackberry with their corporate networks/IT systems and there will be a resistance to ditch this investment in the near term (regardless of the merits of iPhone or Blackberry) Both phones are fully capable of supporting email, although Blackberry’s qwerty keyboard is generally more easy to use than iPhone’s touch screen and in my opinion wins out for very heavy email users.

So in summary the main purpose of the iPhone is for personal use, web surfing and apps, rather than emails and calls, and the Blackberry is generally perceived to be a better business tool than the iphone.

But, at the end of the day, in terms or quality there’s not a lot to choose between them and the jury’s still out.

For me, I’m still hanging on to my Blackberry. Biased? Yes, probably!