The ultimate smartphone smackdown of 2008

No market has been hotter than the smart phone market. Pacesetters Research in Motion and Microsoft are battling to stay on top, PDA stalwarts Palm and HP are fighting to recapture market share, and two new powerhouses have jumped into the fray – Apple and Google.

Not only has the vendor landscape changed, the products themselves have evolved. No longer can (or should) a device be considered as a "business device only" or a "consumer device only" – those lines have blurred. Today's smart phones pack as many consumer features (digital cameras, multimedia players, games) as business features (e-mail access, Office document viewing, VPN access). It's a recognition that today's mobile worker is a 24/7 employee – needing access to personal data during the day and business data at night.

A recent survey conducted by Artificial Life confirms this. Its survey of 200 cell phone users showed that 46% are using their devices for entertainment purposes. In addition, 87.5% of those who own a smart phone have accessed entertainment content, including music, games and videos. One-third of those surveyed prefer to use their cell phone for entertainment over any other purpose, including e-mail, GPS or Internet browsing.

With these trends in mind, choosing a device for employees can be a daunting task. Company policy regarding security and compliance is a major concern, as well as the ability to manage and configure these devices remotely and centrally. Controlling costs for services (can/should employees be allowed to download entertainment apps to the device?) is another factor to consider. While these requirements may narrow your list, things like whether a device has a removable battery may save your help desk support costs when that mobile worker calls with a dead phone.

Here are reviews of six of the latest smart phones available for "business" users. (Watch a slideshow of these products as well.)