By Julie Bort
Network World, 09/24/01
Sure, it's hip to trash talk the Wireless Application Protocol
and the cell phones that use it. Yet WAP phones score comparatively high with
IT professionals looking to outfit mobile workers - providing their users
need the few functions that WAP performs well.
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This is just one of the surprises Network World unearthed during an "Internet-enabled wireless device
shootout" conducted with the help of usability experts Hastings Research
of Moraga, Calif.
For our tests - a cross between a product review
and a survey - 17 IT managers descended on Network World's
San Mateo, Calif., offices and pounded on four types of devices
(WAP phones, a Palm OS PDA, Research in Motion's BlackBerry pager
and a Windows CE Pocket PC, the Hewlett-Packard Jornada) to determine
which were best for their companies. Tasks mimicked typical enterprise
needs: e-mail, searching for Web pages, reading news, searching
for addresses and using an online application. (See "How
we did it").
Participants concluded that the wireless Internet
could be a boon to a company's mobile workforce; but painfully
slow network speeds and consumer orientation would make them a
pain to purchase, deploy and support (see "Message
to manufacturers: Gear device for the corporation,").
Networks often took 30 seconds or longer to 
process
each click.
"I was surprised at how slow everything was and how bad
usability was, although the interfaces themselves were fine," says participant
Paul Bussiene, a project manager at Electronic Arts, of Redwood City, Calif.
"We're all used to instantaneous responses - to go back and forward on
a Web page, for example. If my PC took this long, I'd reboot it."
Participants were also appalled at the amount of
configuring required to make devices enterprise-friendly.
"Vendors should be concentrating on local applications so
I'm not dependent on the bandwidth," says participant S.R. Venkatramanan,
senior staff engineer for Sun.
Participants rated the ease with which they performed tasks
on a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 was "very difficult or impossible" and 5, "easy."
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How we did it.
We tested four categories of devices: Web-enabled cell phones
that use the Wireless Application Protocol; Palm OS PDAs; Research in Motion's
BlackBerry pagers; and a Windows CE Pocket PC.
Click
here for more.
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Our test showcased each device's strengths and weaknesses.
For instance, the best usability rating of the survey, a 4.8, was earned by
RIM BlackBerry 957 for e-mail. This wasn't a surprise; e-mail is the BlackBerry's
claim to fame.
The two poorest ratings - a 1 each - were earned by the Palm
VII for reading a news story and finding an address. Slow network speeds,
coupled with the inability to surf directly to a site, forced participants
to search for the site first on Yahoo, then click over.
"E-mail is clearly the killer application, and with the
BlackBerry I can integrate it with Microsoft Exchange, have a calendar that's
wireless - its really a productive use of a device," says Mark Feldmeier,
a systems analyst for Chevron. "Contrast that with the Palm VII, which has
lots of consumer-oriented applications and cute things that aren't for business."
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What to ask wireless Internet device vendors or wireless device systems integrators:
Will you preload applications and/or links to my specifications at no extra cost?
What are my choices of networks?
How do I locate and/or deactivate a device that has been lost or stolen?
Can I integrate the device's e-mail system with our corporate e-mail?
Can I use this device to access other corporate networks and data?
How would I have custom applications developed for the device, and how much might that cost?
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One task on our list was nearly impossible - performing a
calculation. With the WAP phones, the site returned a WML error and the page
refused to load. All devices except for the Jornada struggled. The task itself
earned a usability rating of 3.8.
Participants concluded that Web sites must be configured to
support wireless devices, but only half would be willing to do so.
"I would text-enable the site for all to browse and use
easily," says Derrick Crandell, IT manager for BKF Engineers. "I'd get
rid of the graphics and stay away from color. That's slow and unnecessary,
and text is fine for these devices."
However, others say they wouldn't invest in the effort until
the devices and the market mature.
"My employees and clients would never use these devices
with these slow results," says Gary McCoy, executive vice president of operations
for Talkway Communications. "So changing my Web site to accommodate them
would be a waste."
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WAP phones 3.9
Phones with big buttons, large screens, and easy navigation
boosted WAP usability, provided Web sites were designed for
them. |
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HP Jornada 525 3.8
Because Pocket PC looks like Windows, the Jornada tackled
the application calculation better than others. But painfully
slow network and CPU speeds frustrated participants. |
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Blackberry 957
3.7
E-mail is obviously this device’s sweet spot, but it
also performed well with text-oriented Web sites. |
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Palm VIIx 1.7
While participants liked the graphical interface, business
usability was hurt by the bundled consumer applications and
Palm.net’s slow speeds. |
Mean scores for all devices 3.3
E-mail is the killer wireless application and all devices
do it well. For other Web functions, particularly using applications,
devices bobble on the tightrope. |
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