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Trend Why business phones are no longer a niche thing
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Office on the move A business phone allows you to synchronise information with your computer
Mobile phones are no longer a luxury. Well, that’s not the news. But what is definitely new is that even business phones — mobile phones that work like a mini-computer with facilities like QWERT keyboard, Outlook and MS Office — whi
ch were earlier the prerogative of corporate honchos, have lost their niche status as well. Think Nokia N series, Motorola, imate, HTC Touch, 02, Palm Treo. You needn’t be a senior executive or a Richie Rich to make one of these prized possessions yours. Competitive pricing has brought them within the reach of everyone. What was earlier priced at Rs.30,000 to 40,000 is now available from Rs.12,000 onwards. As a result junior executives and businessmen are lapping it up.
The statistics only substantiate the trend. As per the market research firm IDC’s report for the third quarter of 2007, 135,138 devices were sold between July and September alone. Ajay Sharma, Country Manager, HTC, reiterates the fact. “The year 2007 has been very crucial for us. We have grown three times over 2006. As for 2008, we hope to see at least a 2-3 times increase over last year,” he says.
Economies of scale
Changing work trends and higher disposable incomes have increased the demand for such phones and that’s where the economies of scale come in — the higher the volume sold, the lower the cost. But there’s more than the price that is luring customers. The idea of an all-in-one phone seems irresistible — a touch or stylus-based screen, an operating system, email, wifi connectivity, multimedia support like MP3 player and megapixel cameras, along with the basic features. May be that’s why it is called a smart phone. Agrees Sumeet Gugnani, Director, MCB (Mobile Communications Business), Microsoft India, “These days people want their phone to do more than usual. And a smart phone is one converging point for both lifestyle and work style related needs. While business wise, we provide them the entire MS office, HTML email and a user interface similar to the one on a computer. Other than that, all IT applications that are meant for Windows can be loaded on these phones as well.”
Along with the features, the look and feel of the phone is an important aspect for the buyers. “The style, look and feel of the hardware is important to the customer, but what they also look for is how easy to use it is. Palm Treo even allows customisation as per the user’s requirement — be it working on business documents or managing your handicap on a golf course,” says Myilravanan Nathar, Sales Director, India, Palm Inc.
MANGALA RAMAMOORTHY
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