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Mobile Email Momentum
Email has grown rapidly through open Internet standards and the proliferation of laptops and personal computers. When Canadian company RIM combined cell phone ubiquity with two-way pager simplicity in the BlackBerry, mobile email evolved from laptop connection to encompass a more portable form factor. The BlackBerry appeal is broad, if not yet deep, but the real value to business comes when mobile email is combined with other applications, turning BlackBerry into a mobile platform and bringing it head to head with incumbents like Microsoft.
Key Findings

  • The BlackBerry effect - creating a new category
    There has been a significant effect created by BlackBerry, with a third of those surveyed being BlackBerry users, and almost 60% of the non-users having a view of its worth. Whilst there are a number of alternative mobile email solutions, the comparison is always with BlackBerry - it has defined the mobile email market category and sets the standard for functionality.
  • Mobile email now has the potential for mass-deployment
    There is a growing business email culture and a strong mobile phone penetration across Europe and so it is no surprise that notwithstanding cost, size and battery life considerations, almost 70% thought mobile email might become a standard feature to roll out to all mobile phone users. This creates challenges as well as opportunities for mobile email.
  • Options create uncertainty, as standards have yet to emerge
    The simplicity of the total BlackBerry solution is diluted when other options are considered. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server and native Microsoft Exchange connectivity were equally regarded as standards. However this belies the fact that BlackBerry installations will have been hard fought and justified, whereas many businesses would adopt a Microsoft-centric view more by default for their in-house solutions.
  • Smartphones have yet to make their mark
    When asked about current wireless email pilots, smartphones of all types accounted for less than 25% of devices, with the PDA formats of the traditional BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices each more than double the nearest smartphone, the BlackBerry 7100. The outlook is much the same, with few believing narrow smartphone form factor devices will be deployed in 2005.
  • Mobile email devices might be a platform as well as catalyst for other mobile applications
    Almost 54% of BlackBerry users felt it a suitable platform for a broader wireless application strategy, but non-users felt it more limited. User perceptions and comfort play important roles in extending any service, and familiarity with the simplicity of mobile email service has had an impact on the receptiveness to further capabilities.
  • Businesses intend to extend mobile functionality to other applications
    Almost 60% are active or becoming active with mobile access for professional users and almost 50% with mobile access to systems such as service management, inventory and logistics, and from our earlier research, it is in these application areas, rather than simply email, that many business cases are often easier to make. The mobile office, not simply mobile communications, is the ultimate justifiable goal.
  • Cellular connectivity extends the value of laptops
    When looking at deployment intentions for professionals, 70% still plan to deploy 3G/GPRS cellular cards for laptops. While small mobile devices have an instant communication appeal, there is still a need for a tool for more intense working, and a strong existing investment in laptops. Wi-Fi is fast becoming a standard feature of laptops, and cellular further extends the wireless connection appeal.

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