GUIDE TO TECHNOLOGY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

PICK THE BEST BUSINESS PHONE

HOW TO PICK BETWEEN IPHONE AND ANDROID

The bottom line is that iPhones still get more first-edition apps and upgrades, from business-critical versions to leisure ones. On the other hand, top Android phones, such as Samsung’s S8, get features such as wireless charging before Apple’s handsets. From a security perspective, iPhones are still considered to be slightly less vulnerable to malware than Android handsets. Android models give a bit more variety, including bigger screens and longer battery life. It’s not as hard to switch from one to the other as it used to be, with both phone systems walking you through a few steps that let you transfer contacts and other content between them.

IPHONE 7 PLUS (from free on contract or €919 outright) It’s worth getting the larger-sized (5.5-inch) iPhone for the extra functionality the screen gives you. Put simply, this is the ultimate work phone. It gets all the business and productivity apps first and its screen is big enough to act as a mini-laptop replacement for longer and longer periods. It has the added bonus of being extra visible for older people who are starting to find their eyesight strain at smaller phones. If you’re really going to pound the phone with documents, photos and the like, it’s worth considering the 128GB or 256GB version.

HUAWEI P10 (from free on contract or €599 outright) While Huawei’s new 5.1-inch P10 has a great camera and looks good, its actual standout feature for business users is its coverage reception. This is easily the best phone at picking up weak mobile signals that I’ve ever used. This ability comes courtesy of a quad-antenna system, which compares to the dual antennae that most smartphones have. Huawei claims this boosts reception by 30pc. Based on my usage, I believe them. Rooms in my house that regularly struggle with reception suffer no dropped calls or interrupted signals here, using the same mobile network as before. There is no business user in Ireland who doesn’t run into coverage problems around the country, even in cities.

SAMSUNG S8 (from free on contract or €799) Samsung has pulled away from most Android rivals as the best, most productive work phone. The new S8 has an extra-large 5.8-inch screen housed in the same-size body as its previous S7 model. Its new S8 Plus version has an even bigger 6.2-inch display. Samsung has done this by removing the physical home button on the front of the phones. The effect of the size increase is clear — use this phone for more of what you would normally use a tablet, laptop or television for. The phone keeps the tapered (curved) glass effect of the S7 at the side of the device, without going as far as the S7 Edge. This is good, because I always found the Edge models fostered mistakes, as my finger would inadvertently launch applications from the side simply by holding the phone in my hand.