Mobile Enterprise: Business Travelers Multitask, BlackBerry Sales Disappoint

By Marisa Peacock (@marisacp51) Jul 1, 2010

This week the mobile enterprise reveals the secret lives of business travelers, while Blackberry and iPhone jostle for position.

The Secret Lives of Business Travelers

According to a recent survey from Omni Hotels & Resorts, business travelers ranked adjusting travel plans, making dinner reservations and checking into hotels among the top "must-have" mobile applications. The survey, which asked business travelers about mobile and social application preferences and usage, found that access to these tools were an integral part of time management on the road.

Thanks to greater wifi accessibility, workers on the go have more time to work while they travel. During traditional work hours, business travelers rely on their phones to communicate about professional matters, yet they also utilized mobile and social applications to take care of personal items, explore the local area and connect virtually with friends and family — making these tools invaluable.

From checking sports scores to updating Facebook statuses, or looking for the nearest coffee/mobile hot spot, business travelers do more than just call home.

While not just being convenient, mobile smartphones, as this survey indicates, are necessary to upholding a certain standard of efficiency. When asked which types of services they would order using their mobile device or computer, 48% said they would order anything that would allow them to multitask while on a business trip.

Blackberry Sales Down, iPhone Popularity Increases

It’s no mystery that Apple sells a lot of iPhones. As well, we recently told you that iPhones and other apple products are becoming more popular within the enterprise. Factor in Research in Motion’s device sales for the quarter ending May 31, which were lower than anticipated — US$ 11.2 million instead of 11.8.

Such numbers might not have meant much earlier in the year, but with sales of the iPhone 4 skyrocketing, BlackBerry may soon be edged out of the enterprise smartphone market. The threat is made all the more real because security features that were once lacking, have been beefed up in more recent versions of the iPhone.

With security features as the great equalizer, when given a choice, more than half of employees choose the iPhone over BlackBerry, or so says the staffing firm Kelly Services. Forrester Research also indicates that around 29% of IT departments now support the iPhone, up from 17% the year before. BlackBerry, however, remains the most popular, supported by some 70% of IT departments.

Such Apple interest has also extended itself to the app store. Salesforce.com, for example, has reported 500,000 mobile users with iPhone users outnumbering Blackberry users three to one.