BlackBerry Smartphones vs. Rugged Devices
[ ARTICLE PUBLISHED AT BLACKBERRY CENTRAL ] By Jeff GoldmanBy Jeff GoldmanBlackBerry smartphones are increasingly providing an alternative to rugged devices in the field -- and while the cost savings and functionality of BlackBerrys make them an attractive option in many cases, there are still compelling reasons for some companies to stick with rugged devices.
ABI Research analyst Kevin Burden says one comment he frequently hears from end users about the choice between the two is that BlackBerrys offer greater versatility. While rugged devices are designed specifically for the needs of the job, Burden says, "The BlackBerry device is more personal. There isn't a hard line between business use and personal use, and they feel like this is a device that they own."
A 2009 ABI Research study [PDF file] found that users were often more proactive with Blackberry smartphones than they were with rugged devices. "When you gave them something that was more personal, where they could load their personal information as much as their professional information... the applications themselves became more accepted among the workforce," Burden says. "They were more likely to use the device, use the applications, and ultimately do what the enterprise was trying to get them to do in the first place."
Still, Burden says there is a place for rugged devices, particularly in companies with a large field force sharing an inventory of handhelds -- if you've got a bank of devices that employees check out on a daily basis, there's no advantage to the personalization of a BlackBerry, and a rugged device becomes more attractive. "And if you're in a really harsh environment -- construction sites, or if you're a route driver and you're in and out of a truck all the time -- rugged devices tend to work a little bit better," he says.
There's also a significant installed base of rugged devices. "We've seen plenty of instances where companies have been using [rugged] devices for quite some time and it's really difficult for them to think about actually moving over to a BlackBerry device, just because of the usage model around those rugged devices," Burden says. "People are used to them, and the applications have all been built for them."
As a result, Burden says, the transition to BlackBerrys can be challenging. "It can be very daunting for some organizations that have solidified training mechanisms for when a new employee comes in... there's a process for a lot of companies that's already been established," he says. "To uproot the whole thing and say, 'Well, now some of these people are going to be using [rugged] devices, and then we're going to have another group that are going to be using BlackBerry devices,' that's difficult for them."
And some of these systems haven't been changed in a long time. "Believe it or not, there are still DOS devices out there... these rugged devices are supposed to last for 10 years, 15 years," Burden says. "I've talked to companies out there that say, 'We bought the thing 20 years ago and it's still just humming along: we've bought a couple of different batteries for it, but there's no reason for us to upgrade.'" Still, in speaking with rugged device manufacturers, Burden says he finds they're extremely aware of the threat from RIM and others. "They do have a fear that these consumer-focused smartphones are going to come in and steal their thunder a little bit, because it's $1,500 to $2,000 for one of these handheld devices, and you can go buy a BlackBerry for, say, $200 -- and if you lose it, go and buy yourself another one, and if you lose that, go buy yourself another one... and you're still far ahead of the game," he says.
Greg Lush, vice president and chief information officer at integrated facilities management provider The Linc Group, says his company tried every type of device imaginable before settling on commercial grade smartphones. When they deployed rugged devices, Lush recalls, "We told the guys, 'This is a rugged device' -- so of course that's what they did: they beat the hell out of it when they got to the field. And we paid five times a non-rugged price for it."
The opposite is true, Lush says, of commercial grade devices. "We found, through our experience, that if a technician has a commercial grade device, they actually treat it better," he says. "Our technicians use these devices to get information on job sites and to manage their work orders... so this device is very important to them, and they take care of it." And although there are rugged smartphone cases available from manufacturers like OtterBox, Lush says, more often than not, they're simply not needed. "The guys take really good care of them," he says.
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