BlackBerry and Wireless PDA Technology in Business

Introduction to BlackBerry and Wireless PDA Technology

BlackBerry is one of a number of devices called PDAs, or personal digital assistants, that allow the user to send and receive emails using wireless and cellular technology. Business has adopted the BlackBerry to a large extent as a way of maintaining communication with employees anywhere at any time. The growth of this product has been facilitated by the widespread adoption of the cellular telephone. Schools have used handheld computing devices in classrooms, and this has accustomed individuals to their use so that they carry these habits into the business world. Problems of accessibility and security remain, and businesses are addressing these as they arise.

The BlackBerry is a particularly popular example of the new wireless computing technology. The product is produced by a company called Research in Motion (RIM). The BlackBerry allows the user to send and receive email from virtually anywhere, using wireless technology to connect to a network. Such technology joins the cellular telephone to keep people connected and mobile. This has had a profound effect on business and on the development and maintenance of social networks. The technology also brings new security threats that must be addressed; all wireless technology adds to the security needs of businesses and individuals because it serves as a new point of vulnerability. Nevertheless, the convenience of the technology and its ability to support sending and receiving complex messages at any time have added to its appeal.

The external environment for the development of this technology has been one of competition from many directions, with shifts in the marketplace as new products and innovations in existing products attracted consumers and left older products behind until they too were updated and redeveloped. The handheld market continues to grow as the computer revolution extends beyond the home and office and into the street, with more people seeking not just PDAs that allow for data input but also handhelds with connectivity capabilities to access the Internet from virtually anywhere. Products that can deliver these services at a reasonable price have a clear advantage.

Full-sized portable computers are called laptops, while smaller devices are known as palmtops or personal data assistants (PDAs). There are other handheld devices in use, but these are the most common and are produced under a variety of names by many different companies. Students and business people may use these and other devices for taking notes, accessing information, communicating with one another, sending emails, writing reports, and many other tasks.

Handheld Devices in the Classroom

Schmeltzer (2000) points out some of the uses of handheld devices in an educational setting:

"Think of a lesson plan where students tackle the topic of how large objects are built with machines. To learn about construction concepts, the students use Palm handheld computers to make concept maps and share this work with their classmates. Then, they take a field trip to a construction site, record observations on their handhelds, and, upon returning to the classroom, they upload their observations to a desktop computer to help create a database" (Schmeltzer, 2000).

In addition, Schmeltzer notes, the student takes the handheld home and uses it for study. This use of handhelds is not simply a feature of expensive or elite schools but of average public schools today, as Schmeltzer notes with reference to Michigan school districts: "Experts from the University are helping to implement programs that bring handheld computers into classes in Detroit and Ann Arbor" (Schmeltzer, 2000, p. 11). Such uses prepare individuals to continue using these devices in the business world.

Norris and Soloway (2003) also note the power of handheld devices in the classroom and observe that such devices are being used in progressively lower grade levels:

"Ample empirical data from the past 25 years suggest that when certain conditions are met, computing technology has a positive impact on learning and teaching in the primary and secondary grades" (Norris & Soloway, 2003, p. 26).

The authors state that a range of benefits has been observed, including increased time on task, higher test scores, lower cost, and increased motivation. The research literature identifies six conditions that must be met for these benefits to be realized: (1) sufficient access to technology; (2) adequate teacher preparation; (3) effective curriculum; (4) relevant assessment; (5) supportive school and district administration; and (6) supportive family and community. As the authors note, "These conditions are needed for any educational innovation to be successful" (Norris & Soloway, 2003, p. 26). Similar requirements apply in the business world, where necessary support must come from the company and even the broader industry.

Crane (2001) also finds that such technology is being used far more at the high school level, with handheld devices like the Palm Pilot appearing in students' hands such that the product "is becoming a force to be reckoned with on the K–12 landscape. Its handheld computers are being used in innovative ways to promote student independence, increased productivity, and group learning" (Crane, 2001). Students make use of these devices throughout the day — revising schedules and to-do lists, keeping locker combinations accessible, using the devices as calculators, reading current events on downloaded newspapers, taking notes directly into the Palm, and uploading notes from others when class is missed: "Contrasted with a paper notebook full of illegible scrawl, the Palm-assisted notes are infinitely more useful for these students" (Crane, 2001).

Branch (2000) reports that many companies offer assistance to teachers in the process of introducing handheld technology to students, such as a multi-company summer session showing teachers and administrators how to use and integrate technology into their school districts. He describes this as "a quiet educational revolution," explaining, "Although small, and unlikely to change the universal learning landscape in and of itself, this revolution is no less profound to its participants" (Branch, 2000).

Schmeltzer (2000) discusses a program intended to accomplish much the same goal by introducing students to available handheld devices and training them in their use. This program was started by experts at the University's Center for Highly Interactive Computing in Education (the hi-ce center). The experts at the center developed learner-centered technology and curriculum to address the needs of today's schools. The program was developed in close collaboration with the Detroit and Ann Arbor public school districts and produced a new generation of middle-school science curriculum and software supporting students' active learning styles and teachers' instructional strategies. "The center also develops practical models for professional development, assessment, instructional practices, and home-to-school-community integration" (Schmeltzer, 2000).

At one school, prior to this program, none of the students had ever used a handheld computer: "In just five class periods, the 11- and 12-year-olds were navigating as easily as they do the latest Nintendo game" (Schmeltzer, 2000). Schmeltzer also notes some of the particular benefits of handhelds in the classroom environment, writing that a truly effective learning tool supports both teachers and students: "Teachers can check students' work quickly by examining Palm-produced documents that have been transferred to a desktop computer. Each electronic Palm portfolio becomes the 'evidence' of learning that a child can easily share with parents" (Schmeltzer, 2000).

A teacher at another school finds additional benefits:

Growth of the Cellular Market

"Where students used to have trouble reading their own notes, now legibility is not an issue, and grammar and spelling can be corrected when the pressure to pay attention to the lecture is off. Because they do not have to rely as heavily on adult input, the students show increased self-esteem, self-sufficiency, and a general sense of fitting into the school setting that they may not have felt prior to the Palm program. Schottler sees for herself that having the Palm 'can help them be a better student.' The 'students are on a positive wave — they can feel good about school' when they have these Palms to help them keep up with the other kids" (Crane, 2001).

Many of these benefits might be achieved without the use of handhelds, of course, but the training students receive in this way translates to further use of technology later, which is becoming increasingly important as the world grows more technologically oriented and as employment may depend on the ability to adapt to new technologies. Handhelds include small computers, schedulers, telephonic devices, and even teaching aids offering specific content to users. More and more schools and businesses are making use of these devices.

The development of this industry has been relatively rapid, building on the cellular technology that began to be marketed approximately two decades ago. The cellular telephone has become ubiquitous since that time, changing the way people communicate and enabling them to stay in touch from virtually anywhere at any time. It has altered how people on the go communicate so thoroughly that the public telephone booth has all but disappeared from many cities. Essentially, a cellular system involves a series of sending and receiving stations placed throughout a region so that a telephone user can move from place to place as the signal shifts seamlessly from one cell to another, depending on the individual's location. Other handheld devices, such as PDAs, make use of this same system, which can also connect to other networks to reach across the country or around the world.

From a financial standpoint, cellular technology has become more affordable to a wider range of people. New technology and economies of scale have contributed to the downward trend in prices. Most users a decade ago were business users, but private consumers were increasingly attracted to the service and have continued to be. The utility of cellular service to the consumer is considerable, offering convenience, portability, full telephone service, added services such as Internet access and photo capabilities, and connectivity to other computer-related devices and services. Cellular service is often sold on the basis of its usefulness in emergencies, such as an auto breakdown. Newer versions allow additional uses, such as sending email, taking and sending photographs, and accessing the Internet.

The way the market developed has been related to both the technology as applied and the uses to which consumers can put it, supplanting and extending the older technology of the telephone as well as mobile radio transmitters, CB radios, and walky-talkies. The U.S. industry was energized by the deregulation of terminal telephone equipment in 1984 with the divestiture of AT&T, and growing demand for data communications capability afterward spurred the development of products and systems integrating the movement of voice and data through the network. Product, market, and regulatory factors combined to make construction of private communication networks an economically feasible alternative to total reliance on the public switched network, so the U.S. market then developed two primary sections — the public switched telephone network and private networks. Cellular telephone technology applies to both, but private cellular networks have shown the greatest growth (Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys, 1992, p. T40).

Imports played a role in the development of the U.S. cellular market, holding a steady position of more than one million units valued at $300 million in 1991. The dominant suppliers then were Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea, with 40, 24, and 18% of import value and 36, 31, and 16% of import volume, respectively. Nearly 60% of all imports were for vehicular use, with 27% being handheld portables and 14% transportables. Imports constituted approximately 50% of the U.S. cellular market. The total world market for cellular technology surpassed 13 million subscribers in 1991, with the United States remaining the largest single market at nearly 50% of the world market. Leading markets after the United States in descending order were Great Britain, Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, and Mexico. By the end of 1991, service was found in 83 countries serving about 15 million subscribers, a fifty percent jump in one year (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1992, pp. 30-8–30-9).

European countries still faced delays of up to one year in implementation of the Pan-European digital cellular network, but system coverage was expected to reach 80% of Europe by 1994, with a prediction of 13 million subscribers by 1996, representing a market of more than $17 billion for service revenue and nearly $6 billion for equipment. The United States continued to win important international contracts and operating licenses. In 1991, Motorola reached licensing agreements with several major European manufacturers for its Pan-European digital cellular technology. Consortia were also selected to operate systems in countries such as Pakistan, El Salvador, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Poland (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1992, p. 30-9).

By the early 2000s, the United States was the second-largest cellular market in the world, with 153 million cellular subscribers against a population of 290 million. Cellular service was first introduced in the early 1980s and licensed by the FCC to two companies in each marketplace; by 1995, the FCC was auctioning licenses for the 1900 MHz frequency range to foster a more competitive environment. The marketplace then came to support seven wireless carriers in a single market (USA wireless market — 2003, 2004, paras. 1–2).