As a mobility evangelist at Citrix, I can't wait for the release of an iPhone app that allows me to connect to our Citrix backend with the iPhone! Only one problem. I don't have an iPhone. Actually, I don't want an iPhone. I'm currently hooked on the Sprint HTC Touch Pro with its full VGA screen, external keyboard and it works today with XenApp (will follow up with a blog on this device later).
Update: Sprint HTC Touch Pro review with videos using XenApp now at Sprint HTC Touch Pro, Ready Today
Ya the iPhone is cool, the HTC Touch Pro is cool, but to me the really cool thing is that XenApp enables you to leverage a unified application delivery infrastructure to deliver applications and data to whatever device makes sense for your business and users (here's the opening for comments from BlackBerry and Android fanatics, so give us your feedback!).
I recently had the pleasure of briefly meeting Russ McGuire, Vice President of strategy for Sprint and leading strategist and visionary in the telecom industry. Russ is the author of the book, "The Power of Mobility" and in it he introduces McGuire's Law ( http://mcguireslaw.com ):
"The value of any product or service increases with its mobility."
This really hit home with me, being that is exactly what XenApp does for Windows applications with mobility. XenApp increases the value of the applications it delivers by allowing them to be delivered to non-Win32 based mobile devices that these applications were never intended to be consumed on (Windows Mobile, Symbian and iPhone comming), thus increasing their mobility and value.
At the end of the day, a mobile device that is used to access business applications and data is a business tool. Companies need to decide which tools best meet their business needs, and in some cases, this means allowing the end user to make the decision, even if just to keep them happy 
Having a unified application delivery strategy that crosses the boundaries of all of the different mobile device platforms is a must to ensure your company gets the best TCO and ROI out of the applications you have already purchased and you stay competitive in an ever increasing mobile business environment.
So are you an iPhone fanatic, if not what's yourPhone?
| 1- What is your personal preference for a business mobile device? And why, give us your comments below. |
Choose |
| Android |
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| BlackBerry |
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| iPhone |
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| Windows Mobile |
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| Symbian |
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| 2- Does your company currently support Android mobile devices as a business phone? |
Results: (1601 total votes) |
| Yes |
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| No |
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| 3- Does your company currently support BlackBerry as a business phone? |
Choose |
| Yes |
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| No |
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| 4- Does your company currently support iPhone as a business phone? |
Choose |
| Yes |
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| No |
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| 5- Does your company currently support Windows Mobile devices as a business phone? |
Choose |
| Yes |
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| No |
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| 6- Does your company currently support Symbian devices as a business phone? |
Choose |
| Yes |
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| No |
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| 7- Does your company currently give you the choice of which business mobile phone to use? |
Choose |
| Yes |
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| No |
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| 8- In your opinion, which mobile phone platform is the best for a business to standardize on (please submit comments below as well)? |
Results: (4603 total votes) |
| Android |
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| BlackBerry |
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| iPhone |
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| Windows Mobile |
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| Symbian |
|
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Comments (17) |
Views (75837) |
Comments (17)
Dec 12, 2008
Adam Marano says:
Thanks to all that have participated in this poll. I find the results very inte...Thanks to all that have participated in this poll. I find the results very interesting, and they seem to indicate that there is a true need to support a wide range of devices, which has always been our plan at Citrix.
What would be even more interesting is to get you thoughts on the first and last question.
and
Helping us with your comments in this area will only help ensure we focus our efforts in the correct areas going forward.
Jan 14, 2009
Simon Bramfitt says:
My personal preference (today) is for the BB (I have a badly battered but still ...My personal preference (today) is for the BB (I have a badly battered but still functional 8703), mainly because of its ease of integration with enterprise email systems, its security, its keyboard and replaceable battery. It does all I need a smart phone to do and it does it with a user interface that is very easy to learn. Move forwards a year or two, to when Android is sorted out, the iPhone has cut and paste and a real keyboard (I can dream) and the rest of my hair has fallen out, I might think differently, but for now I'll stick with the BB.
I take the same position on business phones - cool comes in well behind security and integration, these are MUST haves for me and many others in IT. But or many people in my company a keyboard is less important than a screen big enough to do work from and many don't need extended talk time either. For some the ability to access windows apps on a (non-Windows) small form factor platform will be very valuable and that might be enough to drive adoption of a device that can do so.
So re Question 8, I don't think standardization is an option, each platform has it's strengths (although I'm hard pressed to think what they would be for Windows Mobile) and with the way the phone companies carve up the market it's hard for any business to select a standard based just on the strengths of the phone platform. We can't even standardize on a single phone company (never mind select a single platform) and stick with it long enough to be confident that there will be a Receiver available for it in 6 months time. About the only constant I have had in the last 6 years is that I've always had a BB and none have had a screen big enough to run a windows app on.
Simon
Nov 11
Anonymous says:
I'm all in for the Android community - now that I own a Moto Droid and my whole ...I'm all in for the Android community - now that I own a Moto Droid and my whole business existence is on a Citrix server just waiting for me to access via my Cirtix Receiver ap ... there is a plan for an Android ap isn't there? Anyway, Droid is great, aps work well, and I'm checking daily. Hey Adam, do you guys need gini pigs for your beta test - I'm a great candidate - let us know!
Nov 11
Adam Marano says:
We'll let all know when ready Good news is that the Andriod receiver looks rea...We'll let all know when ready
Good news is that the Andriod receiver looks really good so far. Still got some key features that need to be added, but looks like it will be a very good platform going forward with a nice selection of devices to choose from. Hopefully there something for all to try soon, but I can define this any further at this time 
Dec 21, 2008
Arthur Haerkens says:
As a user inferface Symbian offers top phone, sms, mms, address functionality on...As a user inferface Symbian offers top phone, sms, mms, address functionality on even rather simplistic phones/ terminals. Optimal portability, long battery autonomy, verys stable software environment etc.
iPhone looks nice and is more fun and thus atrracting more software development. In terms of true user-friendliness as summarised for Symbian above, still a way to go. The terminal itself is alsoless portable and battery friendly. Main plus: it has lots of consumer and developer momentum.
Dec 24, 2008
Anonymous says:
As a Blackberry user I really see the advantage of the push mail I could do with...As a Blackberry user I really see the advantage of the push mail I could do with out it.
iPhone to much gadget
Nokia cant work with them
WM6 Buggy
Dec 30, 2008
Anonymous says:
Given that the Blackberry continues to be the mobile device of choice for busine...Given that the Blackberry continues to be the mobile device of choice for business, why didn't Citrix take over development and support of Rove Mobile's ICA client when it was discontinued back in August?
Jan 14, 2009
Anonymous says:
I too would like to know where Blackberry users stand. I see from this blog that...I too would like to know where Blackberry users stand. I see from this blog that Citrix clients are running on almost every mobile device other than the most popular! (As of 14th Jan your own stats show people prefer Blackberry (1099 votes, 24%) and Blackberry is also the most supported (771 votes, 56%) out of all the devices in the poll.
Jan 16, 2009
Anonymous says:
Yes I'd like to see Citrix take over where Rove left off.Yes I'd like to see Citrix take over where Rove left off.
Mar 17, 2009
Anonymous says:
I Personally chose a phone based on how much i can customise it and how easy it ...I Personally chose a phone based on how much i can customise it and how easy it will be to use in a buisness enviroment. for citrix i would love to see support for devices with a qwerty keyboard and touchscreen. i use a touch pro and constantly use remote desktop but i dont know how anyone could use any services like that with an on screen keyboard or a numeric pad. i would like to see citrix focus on phones with touchscreen and qwerty support. but thats just me
Mar 17, 2009
Adam Marano says:
FYI: Citrix does have clients for Windows Mobile and Symbian devices with extern...FYI: Citrix does have clients for Windows Mobile and Symbian devices with external qwerty keyboards, such the Touch Pro and Nokia ESeries devices. These have been around for about 8 years or so. The iPhone has generated a lot of valid hype around the use of Citrix with mobile devices, and I agree with your statements about that which device is right for you and your business is a personal and business decission. With support for Windows Mobile, Symbian and iPhone, the choices that Citrix gives the end user and the business decission makers is very flexible.
Here's were we get the comments for BlackBerry support as well
You may want to read some of my other posts and Chris Flecks posts on this site for more information on other devices. Being you are a Touch Pro user, as am I, you might be interested in http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/adamma/2008/11/24/Sprint+HTC+Touch+Pro%2C+Ready+Today
Apr 27, 2009
Anonymous says:
I have a Google 1 phone and would love to be able to connect to my work computer...I have a Google 1 phone and would love to be able to connect to my work computer. I based my purchase of the Google phone on personal basis, I can code on it too.
Jun 16
Anonymous says:
PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE I kan haz android client plz???PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE I kan haz android client plz???
Jul 27
Anonymous says:
pretty please???pretty please???
Jul 27
Anonymous says:
I would really like to have Citrix on my upcomming HTC Hero, so that I could wri...I would really like to have Citrix on my upcomming HTC Hero, so that I could write in my hours at work directly on the phone without having to use the phone only as a modem for my laptop.
I know Windows Mobile phones do have a Citrix Client, so I really hope that you could get one for Android too!
Jul 27
Anonymous says:
My logistics company chose T-Mobile and the G1 because they offered the unlimite...My logistics company chose T-Mobile and the G1 because they offered the unlimited plan and because we use google collaborative docs. Unfortunately we have not been able to use the browser on the g1 to access one of our web based applications which runs on a citrix server. When we were inking contracts the folks at tmobile said this would not be a problem that there was an app we could download. Should have investigated. I love the phone if not for that one fault though.
Aug 03
Adam Marano says:
Note for all of you looking for a Citrix Receiver for Android, check out http://...Note for all of you looking for a Citrix Receiver for Android, check out http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/adamj/2009/07/29/Citrix+Receiver+for+Android+Demonstration+Video
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